Gun offenses range from misdemeanor level offenses such as carrying a weapon without a license to more serious felony offenses such as possession of an illegal firearm, sawed-off shotgun, or machine gun that carries up to a five-year penalty for illegal possession. Possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony could include up to life imprisonment.
If someone was previously convicted of murder or armed robbery, home invasion, kidnapping, rape, aggravated child molestation, aggravated sodomy, aggravated sexual battery, or any felony involving use and possession of a firearm and has a second or subsequent offense, it is imperative they seek an experienced Georgia gun lawyer to defend their case.
The penalties beyond prison can also result in the loss of a person’s ability to possess firearms in the future. It can result in forfeiting weapons and being banished from a county. Other consequences include stiff fines, community service and extensive probation.
People should always be careful carrying guns near schools. It is illegal for someone to possess guns in unauthorized locations such as a school safety zone, school functions, on a bus, or other transportations furnished by a school. Possessing firearms at a school is a misdemeanor. If someone possesses a firearm at school and does not have a license to possess a weapon; it can become a felony with a fifteen-year sentence and up to a $10,000 fine.
A gun charge conviction stays on your criminal history and should you have another run-in with the law with another gun conviction, something that might be a misdemeanor offense such as carrying a weapon without a license can turn into a felony-level offense because of the second or subsequent charge within 5 years. The person faces two to five years in jail plus fines and periods of probation.
No person is allowed to carry a weapon without a license except under certain situations. You can carry a weapon enclosed in a case and unloaded unless otherwise prohibited by the law, or loaded if it is a rifle or a shotgun on your own property, your own home, your own vehicle, or your own place of business.
A person is exempted from obtaining a license if they have a handgun, shotgun, or a rifle in a passenger vehicle of another person and they are not a resident of Georgia. If their license is carried in another state, they may carry it in Georgia as long as they stay in compliance with Georgia law.
A person with a valid hunting or fishing license engaged in legal hunting, fishing, or sports can carry a weapon without a license. Subject to other Georgia laws, a person may carry a gun in all parks, recreation areas, wildlife-managed areas, or public transportations unless prohibited by federal law. A weapon can be a knife with a blade greater than five inches, or a handgun or firearm of any description, a long gun with a barrel of at least eighteen inches and overall length of at least twenty-six inches, or guns that discharge single shot of about ½ cm or less of ammo.
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