You can carry a gun in a bar in Georgia if you qualify as a lawful weapons carrier and the bar owner hasn’t banned firearms on the property. Bars aren’t on the state’s list of prohibited locations, and since 2022 you don’t need a Weapons Carry License to carry there. Two things can still bite you: the owner’s right to throw you out, and a separate crime for discharging a firearm while intoxicated.
Who Counts as a Lawful Weapons Carrier
In April 2022, Governor Kemp signed SB 319, the Georgia Constitutional Carry Act, which dropped the license requirement for most adults legally allowed to possess firearms.
Under O.C.G.A. 16-11-125.1, a “lawful weapons carrier” now includes anyone eligible for a license under O.C.G.A. 16-11-129, even without applying. It also covers residents of other states who would qualify for a Georgia license, and anyone licensed to carry in another state.1Justia. Georgia Code 16-11-125.1 – Definitions If Georgia law doesn’t prohibit you from having a gun at all, you can carry without a permit.
Why Bars Aren’t Off Limits
Georgia’s list of places where even lawful weapons carriers cannot bring firearms is spelled out in O.C.G.A. 16-11-127(b). That list includes courthouses, jails, certain government buildings, state mental health facilities that admit involuntary patients, nuclear power facilities, places of worship that haven’t opted in, and areas within 150 feet of a polling place during an election.2Justia. Georgia Code 16-11-127 – Carrying Weapons or Long Guns in Unauthorized Locations Bars and restaurants aren’t on it.
Under O.C.G.A. 16-11-127(c), a lawful weapons carrier is authorized to carry anywhere in the state that isn’t listed in subsection (b) or otherwise prohibited by statute.2Justia. Georgia Code 16-11-127 – Carrying Weapons or Long Guns in Unauthorized Locations Bar carry has been legal by default since 2014, when Georgia repealed the earlier restriction.
Under current law there’s no distinction between a bar and a restaurant that serves alcohol. The old rules drawing lines between food-primary and alcohol-primary establishments were eliminated. A dive bar and a family restaurant with a beer menu follow the same rule.
The Bar Owner Still Gets the Final Say
State law permits carrying in a bar, but every private business owner in Georgia has the right to exclude firearms from their property. O.C.G.A. 16-11-127(c) preserves that right, allowing property owners or anyone in legal control of the premises to eject a person possessing a weapon.2Justia. Georgia Code 16-11-127 – Carrying Weapons or Long Guns in Unauthorized Locations
Notice can come as a posted sign at the entrance or a direct statement from an employee. Either counts. Once you’ve been told firearms aren’t welcome, staying on the premises with your gun stops being a firearms issue and becomes criminal trespass under O.C.G.A. 16-7-21.3Justia. Georgia Code 16-7-21 – Criminal Trespass
Criminal trespass is a misdemeanor, which in Georgia means up to a $1,000 fine and up to 12 months in jail.4Justia. Georgia Code 17-10-3 – Punishment for Misdemeanors If you see a “no firearms” sign or someone asks you to leave, leave.
Drinking While Armed
Georgia used to prohibit WCL holders from consuming alcohol in a restaurant while carrying. That restriction was repealed in 2010. No current Georgia statute makes it illegal to drink alcohol while carrying a firearm in a bar or anywhere else.
The law draws its hard line at pulling the trigger. Under O.C.G.A. 16-11-134, it’s illegal to discharge a firearm while under the influence of alcohol or drugs, or with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08 or higher. The statute also prohibits discharging if you have any amount of marijuana or a controlled substance in your system. The only exception is self-defense involving a genuine threat to life, health, or property.5Justia. Georgia Code 16-11-134 – Discharging Firearm While Under the Influence
A conviction for discharging while intoxicated is a misdemeanor of a high and aggravated nature, which carries steeper consequences than a standard misdemeanor.5Justia. Georgia Code 16-11-134 – Discharging Firearm While Under the Influence If a bar confrontation escalates to brandishing or threatening someone with a firearm, separate charges like reckless conduct or aggravated assault come into play, with penalties well beyond the misdemeanor range.
If the Bar Bans Firearms, Your Vehicle Is Protected
Under O.C.G.A. 16-11-135, no private employer can prohibit an employee or invited guest from having a firearm locked out of sight in a privately owned vehicle, whether in the trunk, glove box, or another enclosed compartment, as long as that person is a lawful weapons carrier.6Justia. Georgia Code 16-11-135 – Public or Private Employers
So if a bar bans firearms inside and you decide to leave your gun locked in your car in the parking lot, the statute generally protects that choice. The business also can’t search your locked vehicle looking for firearms, with narrow exceptions for law enforcement with a warrant or an immediate threat to safety.6Justia. Georgia Code 16-11-135 – Public or Private Employers
Federal Prohibitions Still Apply
State law isn’t the whole picture. Under 18 U.S.C. ยง 922, you cannot legally possess a firearm if you’ve been convicted of a felony, are under indictment for a felony, have been adjudicated as mentally defective, are an unlawful user of controlled substances, or fall into several other prohibited categories. Constitutional carry doesn’t override any of that. Carrying in a bar while federally prohibited from possessing a firearm at all is a federal crime on top of any state charges.
O.C.G.A. 16-11-126(f) also states you cannot carry a handgun into any place where federal law prohibits it.7Justia. Georgia Code 16-11-126 – Having or Carrying Handguns, Long Guns, or Other Weapons Most bars aren’t affected, but establishments on federal property or inside federal buildings are.