Chris Carr throws support behind gun-rights lawsuit targeting city ordinance over locked car rules
Savannah’s year-old ordinance aimed at curbing gun thefts is now in legal hot water — and Georgia’s top lawman just added fuel to the fire. Attorney General Chris Carr has weighed in, siding with a gun rights group that says the city overstepped its authority.
Carr’s move is the latest twist in a legal tug-of-war that’s pitting state gun laws against local crime prevention efforts. And it’s pulling Savannah’s city leadership into a broader ideological fight that’s been simmering for years in Georgia.
Savannah’s rule was simple — but controversial from the start
Passed in April 2024, the Savannah ordinance made it illegal to leave a gun inside an unlocked vehicle. The message was straightforward: secure your firearm or face up to $1,000 in fines and possibly 30 days behind bars.
Officials said they were reacting to a troubling pattern. Guns were vanishing from cars all across the city. Almost all were taken from vehicles left unlocked.
Just in 2023, Savannah police recorded over 200 stolen firearms — many grabbed by thieves who didn’t even have to break a window.
But critics were quick to pounce.
Gun-rights advocates argued the measure punished legal gun owners, not criminals. They said the real issue was theft, not storage.
The law was barely a few weeks old when the backlash began.
Now the legal fight begins — and Carr’s all in
Last week, Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr filed a formal brief in support of a lawsuit brought by a gun rights organization. The suit seeks to overturn Savannah’s ordinance on the grounds that it violates Georgia state law.
Carr didn’t mince words.
“This misguided attempt to punish law-abiding Georgians does absolutely nothing to address crime,” Carr said in the filing. “No matter how much the mayor disagrees with our laws, he cannot openly infringe on the Second Amendment rights of our citizens.”
Carr argues the state’s firearm preemption law is crystal clear: cities can’t regulate the possession or transport of guns. Period.
And Savannah’s rule? Carr says it crosses the line.
The stakes: Can cities do anything to slow the rise in stolen guns?
Here’s where it gets complicated.
Savannah isn’t trying to outlaw guns. It’s trying to stop them from falling into the wrong hands.
Local leaders say unsecured firearms in vehicles have become a pipeline for crime — arming carjackers, burglars, even violent offenders.
But Carr’s stance suggests that even these types of local safety measures might not stand a chance under Georgia law.
Last year, he even sent Savannah a warning letter, advising them to withdraw the ordinance or risk a lawsuit.
They didn’t.
So now, that warning has turned into courtroom action.
Gun owners say they’re being scapegoated
One part of the argument that keeps coming up: personal responsibility.
Some local residents feel like they’re being blamed just for owning guns.
“I lock my truck every night, but if I forget once, I shouldn’t go to jail,” said Brian Foster, a Savannah resident and licensed gun owner. “It’s not fair to treat us like criminals because someone else decides to break the law.”
And it’s not just about fairness — it’s about fear of setting a precedent. Some see the Savannah law as a slippery slope.
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If cities can regulate how you store a gun, what stops them from regulating where you carry it?
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And if one city passes a rule like this, what’s to stop others?
That anxiety is at the heart of the gun-rights lawsuit now unfolding.
What the law actually says — and why it’s murky
Georgia’s firearm preemption statute, passed in 2010, bars local governments from making their own rules about gun possession, transport, or carry.
Here’s the core of the argument in a nutshell:
| Side | Argument |
|---|---|
| City of Savannah | The law only regulates possession and transport, not storage. They say the ordinance targets behavior — not the gun itself. |
| AG Chris Carr & Gun-Rights Groups | Storage is part of possession. By telling people how to store guns, the city is regulating how people possess them. That’s forbidden under state law. |
That legal gray area is now center stage.
What happens next?
The case is working its way through Chatham County Superior Court. No hearings have been scheduled yet, but legal watchers expect a fight that could stretch on for months — or longer.
Meanwhile, Savannah is standing by its decision.
Mayor Van Johnson, a vocal supporter of the ordinance, has defended the law as a necessary step to combat rising crime.
He’s not backing down. “We have a responsibility to protect our residents,” Johnson said recently. “That includes common-sense measures to keep guns out of the hands of criminals.”
One sentence. One mayor. One very different take.
Georgia’s wider political climate is shaping the fight
This isn’t happening in a vacuum.
Georgia politics have grown more polarized in recent years — especially around gun policy.
Governor Brian Kemp signed a permitless carry law in 2022. Gun rights have remained a central pillar of Republican leadership, even as urban areas like Atlanta and Savannah have looked for ways to clamp down on gun-related crime.
So when a city like Savannah passes a law like this? It doesn’t just spark a local debate. It becomes part of a broader clash over who gets to set the rules.
And as this case unfolds, cities across Georgia will be watching closely. If the court sides with Carr, it could slam the door on local firearm storage rules statewide.
Until then, Savannah’s ordinance remains in effect — but its future is hanging by a legal thread.
