Alphecca: Gun Rights Expanding in GA

February 13, 2007

Gun Rights Expanding in GA

It ain't a done deal until signed by the Governor, of course, but the Georgia House is hard at work invigorating the 2nd Amendment:

Proponents say House Bill 89 would let motorists keep firearms in easy reach to defend themselves against carjackers and other criminals. But critics say the measure would circumvent the state's concealed handgun background check requirements and endanger police making traffic stops.

The House approved HB 89 on a bipartisan vote of 130-38 Monday, capping its first extended —- and heated —- debate of this year's legislative session.

The bill now goes to the Senate, where one of the chamber's Republican leaders said it has a good chance of passage.

State law now requires motorists who do not have concealed handgun permits to keep their loaded firearms "fully exposed to view" or in the glove box, console or similar compartment.

The bill sponsored by state Rep. Tim Bearden (R-Villa Rica) would allow people to hide guns under seats or wedge them between seat cushions and center consoles.

[...]

The measure is one of several gun-related bills pending in the Legislature. A second would ban police from confiscating guns during a state of emergency such as a hurricane. A third would prohibit certain employers from banning firearms in locked vehicles at employee parking lots or garages.

The question is, will Governor Sonny Perdue sign these bills into law or will he "compromise" with anti-gunners as has been his history in past years?

Posted by Jeff Soyer at February 13, 2007 05:11 AM

Comments

GA only need look to MS as an example on how well this has worked over several years.

Posted by: Diamondback at February 13, 2007 06:55 AM

Thanks for highlighting this bill. We need so many changes in Georgia law .... get rid of the prohibited locations (we have the worst list of any state and the case law made it worse by incorporating bus stops, parking lots, and journeys to and from a public gathering) .... revamp the licensing process (we got judges who are willingly violating the law by not issueing licenses within the required time frame). Its so bad, we've formed a group to take on the Judges (www.georgiacarry.org).

BTW - here is a link to the last time Sonny killed concealed carry reform:

http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/insider/0205/022205.html

But we all know, he supports the second amendment. Right?

Posted by: Mike at February 13, 2007 08:46 AM

One of the reasons Missouri has an apparently low number of permits is because they included a 'car carry' provision in the law. According to some of the folks intimately involved it was actually intended as a 'throw-away' provision that then Govenor Holden could object to and get tossed in exchange for signing the bill. He decided that he was never going to sign it, vetoed, got overridden, and lost the next election. (sigh) Happy memories.

The other reason for fewer permits than expected is that the most populous counties tried to fight the law and those who wanted to carry just got Florida or other out of state permits which are fully recognized by our law.

Haven't heard of any incidents tied to someone legally carrying in their car sans permit and I'd expect that to be a major news item. There have been incidents where the coverage stated that the person involved had the gun in their car and didn't need a permit because of the law but no follow up. Presumably those cases were either someone who was found to have acted legally or someone who was a prohibited person.

Interestingly, the advent of CCW in Kansas has caused a surge in Missouri permits. The new KS AG has declared he'll only recognize 'home state' permits.

Posted by: KCSteve at February 13, 2007 02:10 PM

House Bill 89 is one small step toward giving law-abiding GA citizens an additional right and way to protect themselves. Many more changes must be made, including those that would reduce restrictions on where gunowners with GFL's may carry their guns. It is not the location in which a legal gun owner keeps his/her firearm in their vehicle that is important; it is the right for that gun owner to keep his/her firearm in a location that allows them to better protect themselves and their families from crime. This is what is important. Law enforcement Officers need not worry about legal GA gun owners harming them. There are plenty of criminals to do that. There is far too much misinformation out there; if more GA Police Officers were trained to ask upon a traffic stop, etc., "Do you have a firearm in the vehicle, are you LEGAL to carry your firearm, AND/OR do you have a GFL?" before things got out of hand, everyone would be safer. For the police, AND legal GA gun owners.

Please feel free to check this website for accurate gun rights information, and to learn about Georgia Gun Laws: http://www.georgiapacking.org/index.php

Posted by: Michael L. (Watch_Their_Hands) at February 18, 2007 11:32 PM

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February 13, 2007

Gun Rights Expanding in GA

By Golly, you're reading an archived post. Click Here to head to the main page and read current stuff...

Check it out:

My group sci-fi blog novel:

Colony: Alchibah