Breitbart News recently sat down with Gov. Brian Kemp’s (R) deputy chief of staff Bert Brantley and discussed pro-Second Amendment actions Kemp can take to preserve Georgia’s gun-friendly reputation.
Breitbart News pointed out that Georgia already has campus carry and constitutional carry, the latter of which Kemp signed into law on April 12, 2022.
We asked Brantley if there are other things Kemp can do, and he said, “Number one, we can keep attending events like the SHOT Show, which we attended this year. Being there gives us a chance to continue to show the governor’s pro-Second Amendment stance to the gun industry and others.”
A man wearing a shirt endorsing Constitutional Carry attends a campaign event for Republican Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp on September 27, 2022, in Alpharetta, Georgia. (Elijah Nouvelage/Getty Images)
Brantley noted that Georgia has seen “incredible growth” from gun companies fleeing anti-gun states to relocate in Georgia and he stressed, “We’re going to keep doing that; working with those companies to show them why Georgia is their best choice for a gun-friendly business environment.”
He stressed that the companies relocating to Georgia are not just gun makers, but also ammunition manufacturers, barrel and choke makers, etc.
Remington 20-gauge semi-automatic shotgun, a Colt AR-15 semi-automatic rifle, a Colt .45 semi-auto handgun, a Walther PK380 semi-auto handgun and various ammunition clips with a copy of the U.S. Constitution on top of the American flag. (KAREN BLEIER/AFP via Getty Images)
Brantley stressed that many great companies in the gun industry are located in Georgia. Those include H&K, Glock, Taurus, TruLock, Remington, Daniel Defense, and others.
He also stressed that Kemp is focused on preventing banks and financial institutions from discriminating unfairly against members of the gun industry.
Gov. Brian Kemp hands a pen to Rep. Mandi Ballinger after he signed a bill which will allow permit less carry at a sporting goods store in Douglasville, Georgia, Tuesday, April 12, 2022. SB 319 allows a “lawful weapons carrier” to carry a concealed handgun everywhere license holders currently are allowed. (Bob Andres/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)
Brantley said, “There is legislation this year, they’re going to debate it, but we have to make sure that a company that is making a legal product that is supported by a whole lot of people around our state and the country, that such companies are not made to endure undue discrimination.”
He pointed out that Kemp wants to “preserve free enterprise, but there are anti-discrimination laws for a reason.”
We concluded our time with Brantley by recalling the 2020 coronavirus shutdowns that swept the nation and discussing Kemp’s plans should any future shutdown talks begin.
Brantley said, “What we did in Georgia is we said every business was essential. We didn’t pick and choose winners and losers. And going forward, what we want to do is make sure, when the next thing happens, you don’t have some overreaching government saying, ‘Hey, you can’t make this legal product.’ Whether that’s guns or cars or ammunition or whatever, we in Georgia want to be sure you know you can’t just pick industries to shut down.”
AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio and a Turning Point USA Ambassador. AWR Hawkins holds a Ph.D. in Military History, with a focus on the Vietnam War (brown water navy), U.S. Navy since Inception, the Civil War, and Early Modern Europe. Follow him on Instagram: @awr_hawkins. You can sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com.
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