GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — Democratic lawmakers from Gwinnett County gathered Friday to call for gun control as they applauded the actions of a gun store owner who says he closed his doors due to a rise in youth gun violence.
Duluth gun store owner Jon Waldman tells Channel 2′s Gwinnett County Bureau Chief Matt Johnson that enough is enough, he’s closing his store down for good.
Waldman owns Georgia Ballistics on Peachtree Industrial Boulevard. He says too many kids are ending up victims of gun violence, so he’s closed his doors for good.
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Youth gun violence and school shootings prompted Waldman’s decision to close his business after two years.
“I just can’t sell them, but at the same time, I carry. I still have them,” Waldman told Channel 2 Action News. “I just can’t physically sell them with my conscience.”
Georgia Ballistics shut its doors earlier this week. Waldman said it’s too easy for guns to get in the hands of criminals.
“Who’s to say it wouldn’t get stolen out of your car and then used upon you and your family a month later?” Waldman asked.
A Gwinnett high school junior brought together county lawmakers Friday with a goal of ending youth gun violence with gun control.
“We can protect second graders and the Second Amendment at the same time,” Tyler Lee said. If people don’t act, Lee said he could be the next young victim of gun violence.
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Democratic lawmakers held a news conference a week after the school year ended, noting that youth gun violence spikes during summer break.
Some lawmakers say school leaders tell them too many students have access to guns.
None of the legislation proposed during the 2023 legislative session made it through the Republican-led Georgia Assembly this year, including a red flag law, a three-day waiting period, and a gun storage safety bill.
“There is no harm in requiring people to have a gun to properly store it,” said Rep. Ruwa Romman (D-Gwinnett County).
Last month, several more Gwinnett County lawmakers called on Governor Brian Kemp to call a special session to address gun violence in the wake of the Midtown Atlanta mass shooting that killed one person. He rebuffed those efforts and said he was gathering the facts.
“I think there’s a lot of politicians posturing right now which is unfortunate,” he said.
In Duluth, Gwinnett County District Attorney Patsy Austin-Gatson said talking gun violence is a community effort and a top priority for her office. She reacted positively to Waldman’s decision to close his gun store.
“For someone to step out and take that step because of their consciousness is phenomenal, and that takes courage,” Austin-Gatson said. “I will work hard to make those accountable that use guns in the wrong way, but at the same time, we can do things that can prevent gun violence.”
Waldman, for his part, plans to have all of his store inventory out by June 15. Since closing the store, no inventory has gone in or come out of Georgia Ballistics.
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