Gov. Nathan Deal has vetoed the controversial House Bill 859, also known as the “campus carry” bill, a source told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Tuesday. Opponents noted that the state does not require firearms training to receive a concealed-carry permit and raised concern about endangering young children in campus daycares and preschools.
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Addressing the idea that the desire to prevent campus shootings had sparked Georgia’s legislation, Deal suggested that the state’s General Assembly consider stiffening the penalty for the unauthorized possession or use of a firearm on college grounds as one way to deter such crimes.
Vraj Patel, a sophomore from Columbus studying cognitive science and psychology, felt that Deal’s veto was a necessary voice for the college campuses. It was absolutely about those folks over 21 who are college students, folks who have traditionally never had a problem with law enforcement.
Georgia State’s Student Government Association (SGA) President-Elect Fortune Onwuzuruike said he’s relieved that the State leaders had the common sense to keep deadly weapons away from an active school’s campus.
But legislators ignored Deal’s last-minute plea for specific changes to the bill, leading to public pressure for the bill’s veto.
While the bill was opposed by newspaper editorial boards, faculty groups and state Democrats, it was national gun control organizations that kept the heat on Deal to issue a veto once the bill reached his desk.
In March, he discussed the cases of business owners in other states objecting to providing services for same-sex weddings but said no examples “of the things this bill seeks to protect us against” existed in Georgia.
The University System of Georgia released the following statement regarding Gov. “It is irrational and irresponsible to believe that allowing students, faculty, and administrators to carry guns will somehow make Georgia’s college campuses safer”.
“Losing my son, losing Christopher was very hurting, it was a great loss for me”, Starks said. I feel like if we mixed guns and the college atmosphere, it wouldn’t be good.
Nathan Deal chose to finally shoot down the ever-polarizing House Bill 859 (HB 859), declining the legalization of carrying handguns on college campuses.
The sponsor of the “campus carry” bill, state Rep. Rick Jasperse, says there will be another effort next year to expand gun rights at colleges and universities.
Nine states now have laws on the books allowing concealed handguns on campus, including: Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Mississippi, Oregon, Texas, Tennessee, Utah and Wisconsin.
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On Tuesday, he referred back to Thomas Jefferson and James Madison opposing guns on the University of Virginia campus and to writings by recently deceased U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. I just want people to know, this group of folks we’re talking about have been stellar citizens.
