Article 236 of the Criminal Code of Georgia – What the Law Punishes
Article 236 of the Criminal Code of Georgia deals with the unlawful acquisition, storage, carrying, manufacture, transport, shipment or sale of firearms, ammunition, explosive substances and explosive devices. The norm governs the circulation of objects that pose a particular danger to public safety, and for that reason the penalties attached to it are severe. For the defense, the decisive question is which form of the act the prosecution relies on and which object is charged, because the part of the article under which the case proceeds determines the applicable sanction and, ultimately, your legal exposure.
The first part of the article concerns hunting or sporting firearms and ammunition designed for such weapons. The remaining parts address other categories of firearms, ammunition, explosive substances and explosive devices. This distinction matters enormously in practice: the very same conduct – storage, for example – is punished differently depending on the category of the object involved. If a case has been opened against you under this article, the first question to answer concerns the exact qualification of the charge.