Sermons, happy hour and curbside loading might never be the same again in Georgia.
Two bills allowing licensed guns to be carried in churches, bars and parts of airports on Wednesday were passed by the Senate, closing out a marathon day of legislation.
SB 308, sponsored by Sen. Mitch Seabaugh of Sharpsburg and clarifying language regarding where guns can be carried in the state, withstood strong objections from the Board of Regents and at least 10 amendments that were either rejected or withdrawn. It passed with bipartisan support, 41-12.
The other bill, SB 291, which permits concealed weapons in vehicles that pick up and drop off passengers at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, was sponsored by Sen. David Shafer (R-Duluth). It passed 43-10.
However, protests did not die down when the voting was complete.
“A gun to be carried in a bar or sanctuary is ludicrous,” Sen. Steve Thompson [D-Marietta] said.
Said Nan Orrock [D-Atlanta], “We had snakes on a plane; now we have guns at the airport.”
Seabaugh’s bill, which he called the “Common Sense Lawful Carry Act,” cleared up confusing language in the current law that affects the state’s 400,000 licensed gun owners.
“The majority of lawfully carrying citizens want to obey the laws,” Seabaugh said. “They asked for a cleaner law that doesn’t put them in a ‘gotcha’ situation and the Senate delivered. Georgia laws should be simple to read.”
In the bill's final version, it is a crime to carry a gun onto private property unless the property owner grants permission.
That means if a bar owner or a church pastor approves gun possession on his or her property, it is legal for patrons or parishioners to carry one. Still, not everyone was placated by these decisions.
“It is idiotic to allow firearms in churches and bars, [the latter] where inebriated people can get into an argument,” Sen. Vincent Fort of Atlanta argued. “The extreme right wing is in control of the politics of the Republican Party. Extremism dominated the floor of the state Senate today.”
The bill also grants public colleges and universities the right to determine if guns are allowed on their campuses. An early version of the bill allowed guns on campus, which university officials fought. The current version of the bill allows schools to make their own rules, but it is remains possible for someone to carry a gun just outside of campus. The existing law bans guns within 1,000 feet of a campus.
Having passed the Senate, the bills now go to the House of Representatives, where Seabaugh is hopeful it will become law.
About the Author
