Ordinance that would penalize Savannah citizens for leaving guns unsecured in vehicles changed
The draft of a proposed ordinance spearheaded by City of Savannah Mayor Van Johnson that would penalize those who do not properly stow firearms in vehicles has been revised, according to a review of documents by the Savannah Morning News. The revisions may remove some of the teeth compared to the initial draft.
Two paragraphs have been removed from the draft ordinance that would have required Savannah Police Department (SPD) officers to record “identification marks” on stolen firearms, such as the “caliber, make, model, manufacturer’s name and serial number.” Also removed from the proposed ordinance was language that would have required SPD to store information about the stolen firearms to help other law enforcement agencies locate the weapons.
Although the draft ordinance clarifies that every person traveling with a firearm should ensure that the glove compartment be locked, the revised draft leaves out the word "locked," and replaces the word “parked” in reference to vehicles with the word “unoccupied.”
Infractions under the new ordinance would constitute city code violations, and potential penalties include a fine not to exceed $1,000 or no more than 30 days in jail, Johnson has said. The draft ordinance comes in response to crime stats that show the majority of guns stolen from vehicles come from unlocked cars.
In 2023, SPD reported 244 guns stolen from cars, with 203 stolen from unlocked vehicles, according to SPD data. Through the end of March this year, 56 out of 69 firearms stolen from cars came from unlocked vehicles.
The change in the draft firearm ordinance comes six months after Johnson initially proposed the ordinance at his weekly press briefing and one week after he championed officially proposing the ordinance to city council.
Asked at his weekly press briefing about the changes to the draft firearm ordinance that will be presented to council this week, Johnson said, "I do not have the slightest idea. We'll follow up. It's not a final ordinance until council approves it. Up until that point, it's a draft. I have not seen it."
City of Savannah Press Secretary Josh Peacock declined to make city attorneys available for comment related to the changes, but issued the following statement:
“Based on feedback from City Council, the proposed ordinance was slightly edited before the final draft was added to the Council agenda this week. The edits made are part of the normal process involved with drafting ordinances. The City Attorney’s office works diligently to use the proper language needed to convey the parameters of a new code. This new ordinance is a novel approach to a major issue affecting public safety in our city and it is important the final language of the ordinance is clear and concise.”
Savannah City Council will vote on the measure on April 11.
Evan Lasseter contributed reporting to this article.
Drew Favakeh is the public safety and courts reporter for Savannah Morning News. You can reach him at AFavakeh@Gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Ordinance that would penalize Savannah citizens for leaving guns unsecured in vehicles changed
