UPDATE-Marietta Police Safety Seminar 11-11-10
I thought the crowd was impressive also, They thought that 20 people would show up, I'd say a rough estimate would be at 150 people. It was a well done general safety class, which touched on some of the laws and the Sgt. did a good job holding the attention of the audience. I found a few items unsettling. After the seminar they had an individual Q & A. There were 2 Firearm instructors and the Sgt taking questions. Here is some of what I heard directed to the Instructors:
Q-Is it legal to open carry.
A- No not in the state of Ga, wait hold on, hey (to the other instructor) is it legal to open carry? I don't think so, Hey Sgt it ok to open carry .. Yes.
Q-If i get a permit in Cobb County can I carry all through GA?
A- I don't know Hey Sgt if you have a permit issued in Cobb can you carry in Cherokee County?
Sgt- Yes you can
In another instance I over heard the instructors telling three women
If you have a permit you can carry publicly, he went on to list places and included the building we were in (City Hall Council Chambers).
When I asked the Sgt about it being against the law to open carry he told me no and that you did not need a license and that its been that way since the 1800's. You only need it to conceal (he did slip with calling it a CC license)
Needles to say , I did discreetly hand out some GCO cards to a few folks.
My criticisms are not meant to knock down Marietta Police in their attempt to inform the community. They took a good first step in my opinion. What I intend to do is email the Sgt and politely inform him of some of the misinformation that was given out.
What I would like to see in the next seminar is a little more emphasis on the correct laws the next time around.
I am going to try and scan the package they handed out and have a link posted to the location.
