When will Lt. Governor Casey Cagle step up to the plate and say something about Gov. Deal's vetos of HB 1060 (omnibus gun rights bill) and HB 859 (campus carry)? Is he going to keep silent and look like Deal's lapdog, and then pretend later to care about Second Amendment Rights when he officially runs for Governor of Georgia?
What you need to ask yourself is this: is Cagle a politician? If you answer yes you have your answer.
When did Republicans begin to be confused with some species of vertebrate? I really believe Cagle orchestrated the passage with Deal planning to veto it. It's Deal's last term and it lets Cagle look like a 2A supporter. I recall someone posting on here his senator complaining that he was ordered from on high to vote for the bill. It sailed through just too dang easy.
Well, here's to hoping it sails through next year with enough votes to overcome another veto. And no more watered down stuff anymore - just an honest decriminalizing of campus carry for us. Adding licensed carriers to 16-11-130 would be the best method.
On this note, do we have a list of support broken down by legislator? I'm somewhat wondering how many "safe" and "hostile" votes we have, with names of those not in either so we can do some targeted vote whipping.
Deal is a lying snake. Cagle is the belly of said snake. Kaiser blades are good for getting rid of serpents. Would you like some mustard for that biscuit?
What if full-bore absolutism fails and we have to resort to incrementalism. How can we move the ball for both campus and church carry? Go with "Not in buildings without permission"? Something else?
Heard on WSB Radio earlier this evening that Speaker Ralston intends for a new campus carry bill to be introduced early in the session that will address Governor Deal's concerns. A veto override for HB 859 is not planned.
That is not what he said in the interview that I heard. http://gpbnews.org/post/georgia-house-speaker-david-ralston-upcoming-legislative-session Starts around the 12:45 minute mark.
Everything he said in the interview confirmed all of what I wrote. He specifically stated that his "preference" is not to do a veto override but to revisit the issue (ie, a new bill) and "address the concerns out there" (ie Gov. Deal's concerns, who else's?). It was fairly straightforward. If I misrepresented anything at all, please educate me, as I'm starting to have doubts now if I know the meanings of words.
This is indeed an odd development. We have Casey Cagle as Lt. Governor, who we can safely assume to run for Governor soon, who wants to presumably court our vote as a supposedly pro-Second Amendment candidate. Why doesn't he just pick up the phone or send a note to Speaker Ralston and communicate the following?: "Speaker Ralston, what's this talk about further compromising a campus carry bill with a lot of restrictive nonsense? If licensed carriers of weapons can be trusted to carry everywhere else in Georgia, such as at state, local, and city parks where children gather, why not at schools to stop criminal and terrorist attacks? Now draw up a bill that simply decriminalizes campus carry, and if Governor Deal vetoes it, well just override the veto. The Senate is with you, so be strong!" Lt. Governor Cagle, we're waiting. You do honestly support our Second Amendment Rights, don't you?
There is no addressing the concerns. The goal posts will always move. The veto message raises concerns with which it is impossible to comply. Even if the legislature does comply, there will be additional concerns raised after that, and so on.
For one thing, the veto message https://gov.georgia.gov/press-releases/2016-05-03/deal-issues-2016-veto-statements says that because Heller said schools could be sensitive places, then students should be "shielded from weapons." How do you address this "concern?" It is impossible to comply with it and have campus carry. "That college campuses should be a “gun free zone” is a concept that has deep roots in Georgia . . ." Word for word quote. How do you comply with that or address it to the satisfaction of the Governor. You cannot. The other concerns he raised prior to veto but AFTER passage were intended only to try and keep the bill from coming to his desk.
Well, if Lt. Gov. Cagle already knows that Gov. Deal is hell-bent on not signing a campus carry bill, what could he possible do? Could it be within Cagle's power to advocate for a no-compromise bill, and then advocate for a veto-override? If he does, I can guarantee you we'd get that into law in spite of Deal's veto. Will it happen? Does Cagle honestly want our support when he runs for Governor? I personally despise Cagle for what he's done in the past to us, but if he does the above I guarantee you, he'd have my vote.