Late Thursday, Gov. Nathan Deal (R) signed campus carry into law, making campus carry the law of the land in one-fifth of the states.
Deal vetoed campus carry in 2016, pointing to the lack of an exemption for daycare facilities on public college and university campuses. On March 31, 2017, Breitbart News reported that Georgia lawmakers sent campus carry to Deal again, and this time around it contained an exemption for the daycare facilities.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that other exemptions in the new campus carry bill “include dormitories, fraternity and sorority houses, and buildings used for athletic events.”
According to Get Schooled–an Atlanta Journal-Constitution blog–Deal signed the campus carry legislation–HB 280–and released a statement, saying:
It is altogether appropriate that weapons not be allowed in sensitive areas on college campuses, and I appreciate the thoughtful consideration given by the General Assembly in expanding these excluded areas within a college campus in this year’s bill. While HB 280 addresses the rights and restrictions relating to weapons carry license holders on a college campus, …[its] effect may have greater significance for students who are going to or coming from a campus. Unfortunately, in parts of the state, the path to higher education travels through dangerous territory.
At the present time, assailants can, and do, target these students knowing full well that their victims are not permitted to carry protection, even those who are weapons carry license holders, because they are either going to or coming from a campus where no weapons are allowed. In recent years, we’ve witnessed college students fall victim to violent attacks in or while traveling to libraries and academic buildings, and while traveling to and from their homes to class.
Breitbart News spoke to Georgia Carry’s Jerry Henry about the Governor’s signing campus carry. Henry said:
We are happy to see the campus carry bill signed into law. It now means there is one less place for criminals to literally pick their victims simply by determining where they are standing or walking. As with all good firearm legislation, this is one more place where the playing field is now level. Event though there are several places on campus that are still off limits, the crook will still face the possibility of putting themselves in harm’s way when attacking persons on campuses who may now be armed.
Campus carry is currently the law of the land in Colorado, Utah, Wisconsin, Mississippi, Oregon, Texas, and Idaho. Campus carry will take effect in Kansas on July 1, 2017 and in Arkansas on September 15, 2017. The addition of Georgia makes ten campus carry states, or one-fifth of the country.
Ohio has campus carry as well, but the Ohio law contains so many opt-outs that public colleges and large universities chose to leave law-abiding students defenseless instead.
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.