dv in georgia: the facts.
A Deadly Loophole
Domestic violence and guns are a lethal combination. Georgia is one of only 10 states that still hasn’t aligned its laws with federal protections, leaving victims, children, and first responders at risk.
“80% of domestic violence-related fatalities in Georgia involve firearms.”
The Reality in Our State
Every 48 hours, someone in Georgia is killed by domestic violence. In 2024 alone, 163 Georgians lost their lives to domestic violence.
Firearms are used in just 2% of domestic violence incidents in Georgia, but they cause 80% of domestic violence deaths.
Georgia’s overall gun death rate has increased 36% since 2014 and is now 35% higher than the national average.
Georgia ranks 9th in the nation for gun-related homicides.
When an abusive partner has access to a gun, the risk of homicide increases by 500%.
Key Problem: Georgia law has not caught up with federal law on firearms and domestic violence. This gap makes it harder for local law enforcement to act when a known abuser has a gun—and easier for abusers to keep lethal weapons.
Where Georgia Falls Behind
The Georgia Commission on Family Violence has been clear:
Georgia is one of only 10 states that has not aligned its laws with federal law restricting abuser access to firearms.
Because of this gap:
Law enforcement who encounter a federally prohibited abuser with a gun often must take no action or wait for federal authorities.
Courts are not required to address firearm relinquishment and enforcement in domestic violence cases, so decisions vary widely across Georgia's 159 counties.
Survivors are left unsure whether their protective order actually protects them from an armed abuser.
In 2024, Georgia courts issued 17,662 emergency protective orders. Only 41% were extended into longer-term protective orders (6 months to 3 years) after a hearing where the court found the responding party (abuser) presented a credible threat to the physical safety of the petitioning party (victim).
Yet even in these cases, Georgia law does not clearly prohibit those abusers from possessing firearms, unlike federal law.
“Murder-suicides in Georgia have increased by 80% in the past four years. ”
The Human Toll: Murder-Suicides & Families
Murder-suicides are a devastating expression of domestic violence, and they are rising in Georgia.
From 2017–2023, 430 people were killed in murder-suicide incidents in the state.
These tragedies account for 34% of all domestic violence fatalities statewide.
An overwhelming 80% of murder-suicide incidents are “completed,” meaning the primary victim, the perpetrator, and sometimes others are all killed.
Children and families are deeply affected:
In nonfatal intimate partner violence involving guns, 80.5% of victims reported a child was at home during the incident.
Over one-third (36%) of caregivers living with a child said the abuser threatened or harmed the child; 21% reported threats or harm to the child with a gun.
“In 2022, gun violence cost Georgians an estimated $24.3 billion, or $2,229 per person.”
What Works: Stronger Laws Save Lives
Research from around the country shows that when firearm access is restricted for domestic violence abusers, homicides go down:
States that restrict guns for people under domestic violence protective orders and require them to give up their firearms see significant reductions in intimate partner homicides.
States that extend these protections to dating partners experience a 16% reduction in intimate partner gun homicides.
States that bar people convicted of misdemeanor domestic violence from possessing firearms, and require relinquishment, have lower odds of nonfatal injuries from domestic violence.
In a Georgia-focused study:
100% of stakeholders interviewed (law enforcement, courts, victim services) agreed that keeping guns away from abusers protects first responders.
98% agreed it protects the public.
92% said the gap between state and federal law hurts their ability to protect victims.
A Call to Lawmakers
Georgia lawmakers have a clear path forward. Georgia leaders have long affirmed the rights of law-abiding citizens to own firearms. But domestic violence abusers who threaten, stalk, and harm their families are not law-abiding gun owners. The question is no longer whether guns and domestic violence are a lethal mix. The data is in.
Lives are lost every two days to domestic violence in Georgia.
Murder-suicides have surged 80% in four years.
Children, first responders, and communities are caught in the crossfire.
We can honor responsible gun ownership and protect Georgia families at the same time.
To align with federal protections and save lives, Georgia should:
Prohibit firearm possession for people who:
Are convicted of qualifying family violence misdemeanors, or
Are subject to qualifying final protective orders involving the use or threat of force.
Require courts to address firearms
Standardize how Superior, State, and Magistrate Courts handle firearms in domestic violence cases.
Include dating partners among the relationships covered by firearm prohibitions.
Mandate firearm relinquishment
When an abuser becomes prohibited under state law, courts should order and enforce the surrender of firearms, including in emergency protective orders.
Improve enforcement and reporting
Standardize mechanisms to report protective order violations when someone attempts to purchase a firearm.
Provide training for law enforcement, courts, and community partners on best practices for handling firearms in domestic violence cases.
Your Role
Lawmakers: Close the loophole with the steps outlined above. Align Georgia’s domestic violence firearm laws with federal protections and proven best practices.
Community members:
Learn the warning signs of lethal domestic violence.
Support survivors seeking protection.
Contact your legislators and urge them to support reforms that keep guns out of the hands of known abusers.
Every year of inaction costs lives that could have been saved. Our Georgia families deserve better.
Data & Research Sources:
Georgia Commission on Family Violence (GCFV); GCFV Family Violence Fatality Review Project; GCFV open records requests (2025); Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health (gun death rates and costs); Futures Without Violence (impacts on children and families); University of Michigan Institute for Firearm Injury Prevention (effects of DV firearm laws); U.S. Department of Justice and COPS Office (law enforcement and DV); Columbia University and other peer-reviewed studies on domestic violence, firearms, and murder-suicides.