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Read. Follow. Verify.Georgia House Bill 3 requires licensed dealer facilitation and background checks for all private firearm transfers
Last action · January 15, 2025: House Second ReadersSponsors: Michelle Au and 5 others
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What This Bill Proposed
Georgia House Bill 3 requires all private, unlicensed firearm transfers to be facilitated by a licensed firearms dealer who must conduct a National Instant Criminal Background Check System () check starting July 1, 2025. Unlicensed persons who transfer firearms without dealer facilitation face misdemeanor charges for a first offense and felony charges with one to three years imprisonment for subsequent offenses. The requirements exempt certain family gifts and loans, antique or curio firearms, law enforcement, temporary emergency loans, and specific shooting or hunting activities.
Private firearm sellers and buyers across Georgia must pay a reasonable dealer fee and undergo background checks for sales or exchanges, altering how private firearm transactions are legally conducted.
- House Bill 3 was introduced in the Georgia House of Representatives for the 2025-2026 legislative session by Representative Michelle Au. context
- The National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) was created by the federal Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act of 1993 to check background records of prospective firearm buyers. 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.
unlicensed persons
Unlicensed persons transferring or receiving firearms must use a licensed dealer and undergo NICS background checks, or face misdemeanor and felony penalties for unauthorized transfers.
dealers
Licensed firearms dealers must facilitate private transfers using standard inventory procedures, conduct NICS checks, maintain records, charge a reasonable fee, and withhold firearms when prohibited.
law enforcement agencies and officers
Law enforcement agencies and officers acting within the course and scope of their employment are exempt from the universal background check requirements.
Key Facts
- Unlicensed persons must have firearm transfers facilitated by a licensed dealer who follows standard state and federal laws, including NICS checks and record maintenance.
- Dealers must deliver firearms if NICS checks pass, but must withhold delivery and retain the firearm if the transferee is prohibited, and withhold return to the transferor if the transferor is prohibited.
- Dealers are authorized to charge a reasonable fee for facilitating firearm transfers.
- Exemptions from the background check requirement include antique firearms manufactured in or before 1898, curios or relics, law enforcement or military personnel acting in official duties, and specific family loans or gifts.
Show all 7 facts
- Temporary transfer exemptions cover preventing imminent bodily harm, service or repair, and supervised use at shooting ranges or during hunting, trapping, or fishing.
- A first-time knowing violation of the statute is a misdemeanor, while second or subsequent offenses are felonies punishable by one to three years imprisonment.
- The provisions apply to firearm transfers completed on or after July 1, 2025.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a background check to gift a firearm to a family member under House Bill 3?
What happens if a background check shows the person receiving the firearm is prohibited from possessing one?
What are the penalties for violating the background check requirement?
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 15, 2025HouseHouse Second Readers
- Jan 14, 2025HouseIntroducedHouse First Readers
- Jan 13, 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
Show 1 more sponsor
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Mandatory Universal Background Checks for Private Sales
The legislation shifts Georgia law from federal-only dealer background check requirements to mandatory dealer facilitation and NICS checks for all private, unlicensed firearm transactions.
Connected Entities
Sources
www.legis.ga.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance20Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 80)
- Controversy90Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz65Current news / social attention level
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