Georgia Democrats Push Gun Control Amid Appalachee High Shooting Anniversary

The Appalachee High School shooting was a little closer to home than many mass shootings. Granted, it’s just in my home state, but still, that’s too close to home. Anywhere is, really.

But there were a lot of things that went wrong in that shooting, up to and including a father who bought a gun for his kid after having been contacted by law enforcement, who was concerned the kid was going to shoot people.

That’s not how one wins the “father of the year” trophy.

Luckily, despite a push, Georgia lawmakers were sensible enough not to restrict people’s gun rights in the wake of what happened.

Unfortunately, some are using the anniversary of the crime to push for gun control all over again.

Survivors of the deadly Apalachee High School shooting gathered alongside Georgia House Democrats at the state Capitol Thursday to renew calls for safe gun storage laws.

Students and family members joined state Rep. Michelle Au, a Johns Creek Democrat, and Georgia House Minority Leader Carolyn Hugley of Columbus for a press conference calling on lawmakers to pass legislation they believe is needed to prevent future attacks and arguing that current efforts are not enough to address the trauma and fear that now define their school experience. The Sept. 4, 2024, shooting in the Winder high school left two students and two teachers dead and nine other students injured.

“We all can agree in this room that we need to protect all our children. No child deserves to have the fear of having to go to school. No child deserves to experience what we have experienced. It’s not fair,” said Kyra Lynn McConatha, a recent Apalachee High School graduate who was in class during the attack. “This has followed me from high school and into college.”

Au has previously introduced a bill that would have required gun owners to secure their firearms in a locked container or with a gun lock when a minor is present. The bill failed to move in the 2025 legislative session, but it will remain active when lawmakers reconvene in January.

“To not even discuss [the bill], to not even allow bills like a pretty basic, safe storage bill to be heard in committee, to come to a vote, to be voted on the floor, is noticeable for Georgians and for voters,” Au said after the press conference.

I’m going to point out that despite a law like Au’s on the books, the father was still charged over the incident. There are laws on the books that already apply to parents who negligently leave a gun unsecured. However, Au’s bill would require particular storage methods and ignore the needs of individual families.

Children have been called on to defend themselves and their families in the past. While there haven’t been legions of them, necessarily, what’s that famous saying? “If it saves just one child’s life,” or something like that?

Now, I agree that children deserve to be able to go to school without fear. However, let’s also recognize why so many are afraid. It’s not because these incidents are so common. They’re really not, all things considered. They make national headlines when they do because they’re relatively uncommon. 

Yet the media builds this up. They flood social media and the news with claims that this is super common and it’s just a matter of time before our kids die in a hail of gunfire, and the kids eventually internalize this.

That’s why they’re afraid. They’re afraid because people like Au have made them afraid.

Georgia rejected gun control last session. Au’s bill is still live as the state has a two-year legislative cycle. Hopefully, lawmakers will have the good sense to leave her disappointed after this coming session as well.

The issue at Appalachee High School wasn’t gun control. It was a failure of parenting that appears to go well beyond buying a gun.

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