Duluth Gun Store Closing Due To Shootings Targeting Children

DULUTH, GA — After two years, Georgia Ballistics gun store is closing in response to the increased number of mass shootings targeting children, according to multiple media reports.

Georgia Ballistics opened in March 2021 at Peachtree Industrial Boulevard, according to the reports. The store's status was listed as permanently closed Monday.

Patch attempted to contact Georgia Ballistics Monday afternoon but was unsuccessful.

Store owner Jon Waldman, who is a father, told 11Alive the reason for the closure was because he did not want to have a hand in selling weapons that may be used in violence against children.

"I don’t want something that I’ve personally touched, that I’ve helped a client with be used on children," Waldman told 11Alive. "What stops this (holding a gun) from being used against my kid, and that’s the problem I have, you never know the person getting it just because they pass a background check."

According to EducationWeek, there have been 24 school shootings this year that have resulted in injuries or deaths with the latest shooting occurring on May 24 in Pittsburgh, where a student was shot and killed.

In recent months, Atlanta Police have reported multiple shootings that have injured or killed children. In some of those shootings, teens have been identified by police as the accused shooters. Recently, a 16-year-old was shot to death while attending a gathering at Benjamin E. Mays High School in Atlanta.

According to the Washington Post, Georgia Ballistics housed 23 firearms as of Friday. Waldman said he planned to sell them all by June 15, the national outlet reported.

As for what is next, Waldman told The Post he is unsure what the future holds for him.