No License shall be granted to:

• Any person who is prohibited from possessing firearms pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 922;
  • Has been convicted in any court of a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding 1 year;
  • Is a fugitive from justice;
  • Is an unlawful user of or addicted to any controlled substance;
  • Has been adjudicated as a mental defective or has been committed to a mental institution;
  • Is an alien illegally or unlawfully in the United States or an alien admitted to the United States under a nonimmigrant visa;
  • Has been discharged from the Armed Forces under dishonorable conditions;
  • Having been a citizen of the United States, has renounced his or her citizenship;
  • Is subject to a court order that restrains the person from harassing, stalking, or threatening an intimate partner or child of such intimate partner; or
  • Has been convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence cannot lawfully receive, possess, ship, or transport a firearm.
• Any person under 21 years of age;
• Any person who is a fugitive from justice or against whom proceedings are pending for any felony, forcible misdemeanor, or violation of Code Section 16-11-126, 16-11-127, or 16-11-128 until such time as the proceedings are adjudicated;
• Any person who has committed a felony;
• Any person who has committed a forcible misdemeanor and has not been free of all restraints and supervision for 5 years from the date of application;
• Any person who was convicted in violation of Code Section 16-11-126, 16-11-127, or 16-11-128 and has not been free of all restraints and supervision for 3 years from the date of application;
• Any individual who has been hospitalized as an inpatient in any mental hospital or alcohol or drug treatment center within five years of the date of his or her application. The Probate Judge may consider the reason for the hospitalization and decide whether to issue a permit or not;
• Any person who has been convicted* of an offense arising out of the unlawful manufacture, distribution, possession, or use of a controlled substance or other dangerous drug.
  * 'Convicted' means a plea of guilty, a finding of guilt by a court of competent jurisdiction, the acceptance of a plea of nolo contendere, or the affording of first offender treatment by a court of competent jurisdiction irrespective of the pendency or availability of an appeal or an application for collateral relief.
• Any person not lawfully present in the United States;

A Firearms License is good for 5 years no matter where you might move to. It costs between $39 and $47.  A firearms license does NOT cover knife carry.  However it does exempt a firearm buyer from a NICS background check.

The place to apply and issuance of the license is the County Probate Court in your county of residence. Documents required are Photo ID and Proof of Residency (a Georgia Drivers License usually covers both requirments).  Call your County Probate Court to find out what they will accept.

For each county's Probate Court contact information as well as some member supplied county license process', see the
License Process by County Database