The civic record
Read. Follow. Verify.Georgia House Bill 119 revises legal standards and damages for unauthorized local weapon regulations
Last action · January 29, 2025: House Second ReadersSponsors: Charlice Byrd and 1 other
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What This Bill Proposed
Georgia House Bill 119 allows s who are subjected to illegal local weapon regulations to bring actions or civil suits against public entities for $50,000 or triple litigation expenses. The measure reserves the exclusive authority to sue weapons manufacturers to the state while prohibiting local governments from enacting unauthorized firearm and weapon rules.
s gain specific standing to sue local governments and public officers in superior court for damages or injunctive relief following an illegal weapon restriction. The legislation establishes a statutory minimum floor of $50,000 in actual damages or triple litigation expenses for affected individuals within a one-year statute of limitations.
- House Bill 119 is introduced in the Georgia General Assembly during the 2025_26 session. context
Who It Would Have Affected
Groups the bill's text would have affected, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Lawful weapons carriers
Lawful weapons carriers gain explicit standing to sue public entities for declaratory, injunctive, and financial relief when subjected to unauthorized local weapon rules.
Counties and municipal corporations
Local governments face expanded civil liability and potential lawsuits with mandatory attorney fees and damage awards if they enact unauthorized weapon regulations.
Key Facts
You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is eligible to file a civil action under House Bill 119?
What is the filing deadline and venue for bringing an action under the bill?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
This bill did not become law - Died at adjournment · introduced in the House.
Procedural history
3 actions- Jan 29, 2025HouseHouse Second Readers
- Jan 28, 2025HouseIntroducedHouse First Readers
- Jan 27, 2025HouseIntroducedHouse Hopper
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Expansion of Individual Standing Against Local Governments
The legislation shifts enforcement of weapon preemption from general recovery limits to explicit individual standing with high statutory minimum damages against public entities.
Connected Entities
Sources
www.legis.ga.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance20Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 65)
- Controversy75Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz40Current news / social attention level
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