ATLANTA — Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens said "enough is enough" when it comes to gun violence.
In a Barrow County community roughly 45 miles away from Atlanta, a 14-year-old killed four people in a school shooting at Apalachee High on Wednesday, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation said. Nine others were sent to the hospital for their injuries.
Dickens said as a father, his heart pains for the lives lost.
"The students and faculty members that were killed and injured didn’t deserve that," Dickens said. "All of the families, classmates, and colleagues of those victims are devastated and hurting. In all honesty, every community in Georgia is hurting and needs healing."
The mayor said, "guns in the wrong hands at the wrong time is the problem." He called for more action to be done by policymakers.
"The violence in Winder wasn't only caused by the actions of one deranged individual. They were aided by the intentional INACTION of policymakers throughout the government," he said.
He claimed guns are placed over the lives of children.
"It's a policy decision made by those in halls of Congress and throughout our state," he said. "This is unacceptable. We can and must do better."
As Dickens calls for more to be done, political consultant Melanie Collier, who is a part of the GOP, said it's the individual who is at fault when it comes to gun violence.
"Individuals who have responsibilities to their children, their education and understanding and handling of guns – they’re who are at fault, the individual," she said. “There’s a responsibility here. If you’re going to own a gun, you need to know how to use it, you need to understand how deadly it can be in the wrong hands and you need to make sure if you have a child in the house that they are protected.”
Collier said to limit those who are law-abiding citizens because of the irresponsible actions of one person isn't acceptable. While she supports the Second Amendment, Collier said she knows what happened at Apalachee High was a tragedy.
"No doubt, this was a horrifying experience in Barrow County," she said. “My heart goes out to the community as a whole and most definitely to the victims and their families. This is just devastating to this community.”
Collier said she firmly believes people should have consequences for their actions when laws are broken.
“Let the people who are law-abiding citizens own guns. Let the people who are criminals go to jail," she said.
But for Dickens, action needs to be taken now.
"Enough is enough," he said. "Enough was enough a long time ago."
Colt Gray is facing murder charges behind the Apalachee shooting. His father, Colin Gray, is charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter, two counts of second degree murder and eight counts of cruelty to children.
The GBI said Colin Gray "knowingly allowed his son" to have the weapon.
11Alive's Joe Ripley contributed to this report.