Marta Murder

Cabbies and Guns

First of all, I'll bet that most cabbies DO have a gun in their vehicle for their protection, legal or not. And I'll bet most cops would look the other way if it were learned that a cab driver took his vehicle (and thus his weapon) onto MARTA property, or to the airport, or to the Greyhound bus station, or any "public gathering."

If this guy had a gun and was murdered anyway, how is is family going to sue? How can they say that BECAUSE OF THE LAW, he was disarmed when he would have otherwise been armed and been able to successfully defend himself? Nevermind the more obvious problem that MARTA disarmament is mandated by the legislature, not some internal rule that MARTA itself created (and thus has the power to change).

The real answer to this problem is to repeal the public gatherings clause, the mass transit weapons ban, the school and school zone ban, and allow anybody with a carry permit to carry ANYWHERE other than the sterile, controlled-access areas of airports, courthouses, prisons, etc.

And I'd be willing to make GFL permits tougher to get (i.e. mandatory training, both in the classroom and on the range) in exchange for being able to carry on a daily basis in ordinary places that common citizens normally go.

why tighten standards

although some of Georgia's gun control laws appear to apply to off-duty cops as well, most of them don't. Therefore what we (civilian packers) want is basically to be able to carry the same way off-duty cops do. Not because we have to, as part of our job description, but simply because we're safer that way and we don't present much of a risk to the public. We, like cops, are much more likely to use our guns lawfully and in a way that benefits society than we are to commit crimes involving our guns. That's our position in a nutshell, right?

Well if you talk to ordinary civilians about this (and some legislators), I think you will find a very common response: "We can't let regular people carry the same way cops do, because cops are SPECIAL. Cops are trained! Regular people with gun permits are just that-- regular people. They aren't trained in the law, and they aren't trained in gun marksmanship or gun safety."

As long as that attitude is what's getting in the way of allowing CCW civilians to pack at restaurants and in public buildings and other gathering places, I think we can overcome that obstacle by offering to GIVE TRAINING to armed civilians. The same kind of training cops have, but perhaps less of it (since civilians are so much less likely to EVER have to use deadly force).

As to the argument that armed civilians with pistol permits are ALREADY just as qualified as LEO's to use deadly force, and thus no additional training is necessary and would have no measurable benefit, all I can say is that this is not the public's perception. They THINK that cops are safe with guns, categorically, while civilians with guns ... well... some of them are, but some aren't, and it really depends on the individual and the circumstances...

So then it doesn't really matter if extra training for GFL holders actually does make civilians better and safer gun-packers, so long as the public (most importantly, the legislators) BELIEVE that such training will have that effect.