(Georgia Recorder) — Survivors of the deadly Apalachee High School shooting gathered alongside Georgia House Democrats at the state Capitol Thursday to renew calls for safe gun storage laws.
Students and family members joined state Rep. Michelle Au, a Johns Creek Democrat, and Georgia House Minority Leader Carolyn Hugley of Columbus for a press conference calling on lawmakers to pass legislation they believe is needed to prevent future attacks and arguing that current efforts are not enough to address the trauma and fear that now define their school experience. The Sept. 4, 2024, shooting in the Winder high school left two students and two teachers dead and nine other students injured.
“We all can agree in this room that we need to protect all our children. No child deserves to have the fear of having to go to school. No child deserves to experience what we have experienced. It’s not fair,” said Kyra Lynn McConatha, a recent Apalachee High School graduate who was in class during the attack. “This has followed me from high school and into college.”
Au has previously introduced a bill that would have required gun owners to secure their firearms in a locked container or with a gun lock when a minor is present. The bill failed to move in the 2025 legislative session, but it will remain active when lawmakers reconvene in January.
“To not even discuss [the bill], to not even allow bills like a pretty basic, safe storage bill to be heard in committee, to come to a vote, to be voted on the floor, is noticeable for Georgians and for voters,” Au said after the press conference.
Senate Majority Leader Jason Anavitarte, Dallas Republican, in a separate statement marked the one-year anniversary by saying that Georgia has since moved to protect schools from such deadly attacks. He pointed to House Bill 268, which he said was a result of working with victims’ families and school leaders. The new law, which went into effect on July 1, requires schools to have panic button systems for emergencies and share student data within five school days when a student transfers.
“Georgia has taken bold, practical steps to protect our children, teachers and everyone who sets foot in a school setting. We will continue to listen, learn and legislate with the conviction that school should always be a place of safety, not fear,” Anavitarte said in a statement.
Au responded to Anavitarte’s comment after the press conference, saying that the law was reactive rather than preventative.
“It’s a conspicuous omission to have a bill inspired by this event directed at school safety and have nothing in that bill or nothing in that legislative package that deals with gun safety,” Au said.
Sen. Frank Ginn, a Danielsville Republican who represents a part of Winder, said he attended the press conference after receiving an invite from Au to hear what the lawmakers and students had to say, despite not supporting the efforts to mandate safe gun storage. He said he would support a tax credit incentive for gun storage.
“The safest storage for a firearm is in the hands of somebody that knows how to use it, and I don’t want to put any obstacle in the way of a person who wants to defend themselves and protect their Second Amendment right,” Ginn said.
Layla Contreras, a 2019 Apalachee High School graduate and sister of Sasha Contreras, a current senior who was in class during the attack, said after the press conference that Au’s proposal is “a good start,” but they may have to make some changes to address Republicans’ concerns.
“We just want people to be responsible with it and to be educated on when firearms are around,” Layla Contreras said.
Sasha Contreras said that she has tried over the last year to stay positive and not let the attack define her. She has tried to keep up with schoolwork and is involved in extracurricular activities, but she said she still struggles to maintain her motivation.
“I still try my best to put my best smile on, and I enter that building as positive as I can be,” she said.
