Campus Carry passed the Georgia House on Friday and is now headed to the Senate. The bill–HB 280–would allow students with concealed carry licenses to carry guns on campus for self-defense.
Campus Carry passed the Georgia House and Senate in 2016, only to be vetoed by Governor Nathan Deal (R). Opponents of the bill rallied around the lack of exemption for on-campus preschools located on various campuses. This time around, WALB reports that HB 280’s sponsor, state Rep. Mandi Ballinger (R-Canton), has included an exemption for the preschool facilities.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution quoted Ballinger, saying her bill “allows those Georgians who choose to do so to protect themselves should the need arise.”
Georgia House Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee chairman Alan Powell (R-Hartwell) said he believes HB 280 differs enough from last year’s bill to appease Governor Deal. He said, “We’re not doing all we’d like to do, we’re doing what we can do to advance this cause.”
State Rep. Karla Drenner (D-Avondale Estates) voiced opposition to the bill. Drenner said the problem of “crime on campus” cannot be solved “by arming our children.”
Campus Carry legislation is also being considered in Florida, Iowa, and West Virginia.
The West Virginia legislation is HB 2559, which the NRA-ILA reports would allow concealed carry permit holders to carry their firearms on campus for self-defense. NRA-ILA observes, “Students who are officially licensed to carry a firearm for self-defense off-campus should not be prevented from doing so just because they seek a higher education.”
AWR Hawkins is the Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and host of Bullets with AWR Hawkins, a Breitbart News podcast. He is also the political analyst for Armed American Radio. Follow him on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com