It's legal for licensed *** owners in Georgia to pack heat in bars, schools, churches and some government buildings.
Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal, a Republican, on Wednesday signed the state's "Safe Carry Protection Act," which critics dubbed the "guns everywhere bill," in north Georgia, on the edge of the Chattahoochee National Forest and Cohutta Wilderness area.
"Our state has some of the best protections for *** owners in the United States. And today we strengthen those rights protected by our nation's most revered founding document," Deal said in signing the bill.
The new law, which goes into effect July 1, allows licensed *** owners in Georgia and visitors from 28 other states to bring a *** into a bar without restrictions and carry a firearm into some government buildings that don't have security measures. It also allows school districts to decide whether they want some employees to carry a firearm and religious leaders to decide whether to allow licensed *** owners to tote to their church, synagogue or mosque.
Since Jan. 1, 6 states have eased *** laws, 6 states have strengthened them and 4 states have both eased and strengthened firearm laws, according to Laura Cutilletta, senior staff attorney at the San Francisco-based Law Center to Prevent *** ********.
Deal signed the bill here because state House Speaker David Ralston, who championed the measure in the state House, represents the area, according to Deal's office.
The new law provoked intense debate. Both supporters and opponents flocked to the state. The National Rifle Association called it "the most comprehensive pro-*** reform legislation introduced in recent history." The *** rights group GeorgiaCarry.org believes the bill will "restore our right to carry and be allowed to protect ourselves anywhere we go," according to executive director Jerry Henry.
Opponents include Americans for Responsible Solutions, the group co-founded by former Arizona congresswoman Gabby Giffords, which called it the nation's most extreme *** bill and said it "moves Georgia out of the mainstream." Moms Demand Action for *** Sense in America also lobbied against the bill. It's "a very, very dangerous **** bill," said their national spokeswoman, Lucia McBath, whose 17-year-old ***, Jordan Davis, was ****** in November 2012 in Jacksonville, Fla., in a dispute over loud music.
STORY: Ga.'s 'guns everywhere' law awaits governor's signature
STORY: Proposal would allow Georgia firefighters to carry guns
The bill also drew some in-state opposition. People will be able to carry firearms in government buildings that don't have metal detectors, such as city halls, libraries, recreational centers, city office buildings and fire stations. The Georgia Municipal Association, which represents the state's 538 cities, asked Deal to veto it. "Local elected officials are responsible for securing and maintaining public safety, and insurance coverage, in buildings owned and operated by the city. Therefore, they should have the authority to make a decision about whether to allow weapons in such buildings," GMA said in a letter to Deal.
The new law removes a restriction that prevented those convicted of certain misdemeanors from getting a *** permit. And in a provision that has some *************** officials concerned, police will not be able to detain a person "for the sole purpose of investigating whether such a person has a weapons carry license."
As Deal signed the bill in Ellijay, a community of 1,600 about 65 miles north of Atlanta, the Georgia *** Sense Coalition had an event in downtown Atlanta that included a moment of silence for all *** victims. In 2011, the most recent available, gunfire ****** 1,175 people in Georgia, including 443 who were ********, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The *** bill had failed in three previous legislative sessions but ****** late on the night of March 20, the session's final day this year.
A year ago this month, a man in Suwanee, Ga., faked a heart ****** and took five Gwinnett County firefighters hostage at gunpoint in his house, knowing that the emergency responders would not be armed. Though the incident ended well for the firefighters — a SWAT team rescued them four hours later but ****** the gunman — some Georgia legislators believe that this incident provided the impetus for the legislation to pass.
arty: Guns should be any place people are.
