Fri Sep 06 15:29:00 UTC 2024: – A 14-year-old was charged in a deadly shooting at Apalachee High School in Georgia, marking the 30th mass killing in the U.S. so far in 2024
– Lawmakers in Georgia are discussing safe gun storage policies in response to the shooting
– Federal law prohibits individuals under 18 from purchasing rifles, but the shooter reportedly used a semiautomatic assault-style rifle
– The shooter’s father was charged with second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter for allowing his son to possess a weapon
– Lawmakers are considering various firearm storage proposals, including tax incentives for safe storage devices
– Democrats have proposed legislation for negligently failing to secure firearms accessed by children, while some cities have enacted ordinances on gun safety
– Georgia has approved school security grants totaling $184 million, and the state budget includes funding for security measures in schools
– School security has become a multibillion-dollar industry in the U.S., with some companies lobbying for their solutions to be written into state law
– Georgia Lt. Gov. Burt Jones proposed paying teachers who carry guns in schools, but the plan did not progress in the Legislature
– Concerns about the shooter’s behavior were previously reported to authorities, but no arrests were made
– Some states have extreme risk protection laws, but Georgia is not among them, and resistance to such laws has grown in Republican-led legislatures.

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