Georgia judge dismisses lawsuit challenging a city ordinance outlawing guns left in unlocked cars

Associated Press

SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — A Georgia judge has thrown out a lawsuit challenging a Savannah city ordinance that imposes fines or even jail time for people who leave guns in unlocked cars. Chatham County Superior Court Judge Benjamin Karpf dismissed the case Nov. 22. He ruled that Georgia gun owner Clarence Belt lacked legal standing to sue because he lives outside Savannah and hasn’t been cited under the law. Savannah’s city council voted unanimously in April to make storing guns in unlocked vehicles punishable by up to a $1,000 fine and 30 days in jail. Belt’s attorney argued the ordinance violates a Georgia law that prohibits local governments from regulating the possession, ownership, transport and sale of firearms.