So, what's the plan for next sessions bills? I'm going to be working on my own SB27 and SB28 re-iterations. I figure if I'm taking the time to go down there for meetings and testify before House Motor Vehicles and Senate Public Safety and Homeland Security, then I can do so for amendments to 16-11-127 and 127.1. What I'd like to personally see fixed are: 1. remove Marta as a locale where one cannot carry concealed. Either Require them to allow you to store the firearm with the Operator OR allow one to carry. The latter is preferable, fewer people handling strange firearms. 2. Expand places to carry by dialing down "Public Gathering" to just Government buildings and perhaps hard core bars. This was tried a few years ago, and seemingly the NRA didn't support the bill so it died. I had a strong conversation with my Rep about it, Mary Margaret Oliver. I think I can swing my State Senator over on it, but I'll need some good arguments. He apparently Carries himself, so he's not afraid. If we can point out that CCW is really severely limited then we might be able to get him on board. He's reasonable enough from my several meetings with him.
I take it she was against it? I must say that I am offended by not being able to carry in public buildings. They are, after all, public. Alabama has no issue with it. Many other states have no problems with it, either.
I'd be completely satisfied if at a public building like a court house, I'd walk up to the metal detector, show the CCW, be ushered into a side room, have a lock box presented to me with a key on it, draw my weapon, place it in the box with my spare ammo and take the key. Honestly, I've had almost the same kind of experience with the folks that do courthouse and State Senate building security when it comes to my pocket knives. They have zero problems with doing that with knives which are prohibited items in the .ga.gov buildings, what's wrong with the same with firearms? Hell, I'll even drop a $1 bill in a drop box so all of us can calmly pay for the lock boxes on a gradual basis to keep the general taxpaying public from having to pay for it. I want to be able to legally carry on Marta if that's my way to some destination or go out to dinner and not worry about if they serve alcohol befre I leave the car.
And town hall? County commission building? Board of Educ? Library? Convention center? Rest stop bathrooms? Tax Commissioners office? Police station? City owned rec center? I might be inclined to agree if I can rest assured that I may pass unmolested if they fail to provide a convenient lockup. The other issue is dealing with surly government employees in some of the more populated regions, who could make even locking it up an "experience" for those of us without badges. And I don't want to lock it up unless they have to, too.
I'm thinking specific buildings like Court Houses and Legislative buildings. That's it. Everything else....If you're licensed, you carry there. Ain't no difference between me and a Prosecutor who's legally able to carry. I've beet treated nicely with spare mags, pocket knives and such in Atlanta at Trinity and at the Ga Senate Office Building. I don't know about the outlying counties. But seems like the outlying counties are more surly than Atlanta and DeKalb are about these things which is odd.
I'm glad to see this topic get started. Now is the time to think about next year. I'm unsure on what's the best strategy -- shoot for the moon to be like Alabama, or chink away at it by getting rid of 'but not limited to' in the public gathering. At least with a list of places and that phrase gone, you wouldn't have the ambiguity, guess work, and uncertainty if arrested. Is the harder part deciding on the text, recruiting a sponsor, getting the NRA on board, or just pushing through the committees and houses?
For my lifestyle the two most important places to get legal are church and restaurants in that order. I know many of you probably don't go to church but I consider it the one place I need to go. The most important thing right now is to remember this is an election year in GA. Primaries are July 18. I have a State Senator to vote against. Now is the time to check voting records.
Malum I know about you and I should of said MAY instead of know my apolgies. No offense was intended. ops I was just saying it may not be as important to others as myself. I personally think that the list of off limits places should be very small, should include metal detectors and secure storage
Our church is less than a mile from the house in a rural area so carry to church is not really an issue for me, but I do agree that one should be able to if he felt the need.
"Church or church function" is part of the public gatherings law. I guess this means you better not have some church members over to your house . . . could be a "function." Many sermons remind us that the "church" is not the building. Christ did not shed his precious blood to purchase a building. Of course, I am sure that is exactly what the legislators meant.
Malum, Your point is well taken. I'm not certain whether I would carry (I always IWB) at church or not. That is really not an issue with me like it is with some.
Georgiaglocker, you are talking about your personal choice, which is fine. As it stands now, however, you will go to jail. Tough break, huh?
Malum, Yeah, it is. I know carrying to a church is very important to some. I think Gunstar1 has the right idea about all this when he suggests that we change the law to exempt those (us) who lawfully carry to a public gathering. I don't recall who said it, but someone said that the public gathering law had been on the books since 1870 and it will probably always be there. So it seems to me that GS1 has the right idea if we can get it passed.