Apalachee High School shooting top of mind at Georgia Senate committee meeting

ATLANTA - Georgia Moms for Change spokesperson, Sarah Walker, grew emotional as she expressed the fears shared by many in the wake of Wednesday's mass shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder. She urged lawmakers to take action to help put an end to gun violence. 

"The thought of sending a child to school and never seeing your child again is a uniquely American nightmare," Walker lamented. "Thoughts and prayers are good, and necessary, and needed, but legislation, policy is going to fix the problem that we have." 

There is an added sense of urgency under the Gold Dome at the state Capitol following the deadly shooting. 

"When it comes to these bills, we are trying to put up safeguards to make it, whether you are a bad actor or have a mental health issue either way, we can make it difficult for you to have a weapon in Georgia," state Rep. Yasmine Neal, D-Jonesboro, explained. 

Members of the Georgia Senate Safe Firearm Storage Study Committee noted Georgia lawmakers earmarked additional money for security at schools in 2023, including money for school resource officers. 

"The thing we need to figure out, the nut we haven't been able to crack, is how do we get to these youngsters that are going into schools and shooting them up," said state Sen. Frank Ginn, R-Danielsville. 

Members of the bipartisan panel are now weighing what more can be done to combat gun violence, without violating gun owners' Second Amendment rights. 

"The human mind, we never know what's going to happen one day to the next, but we can control that weapon, we can secure it, and we can lock it up," said state Sen. Emanuel Jones, D-Decatur, who chairs the committee. "We can hold those who own that weapon responsible for the use of that weapon. There are things that we can do."