Georgia House Bill 615

M

Mello2u

New member
For those Georgia citizens who are interested:

Georgia House Bill 615 addresses certain issues regarding what, where and how a weapon (not just handguns) may be carried, and how it may be carried.

As reported by www.examiner.com:

"HB 615 has picked up steam. It currently has 40 cosponsors in the House and is set for a committee hearing next week. HB 615 is assigned to the House Judiciary Non-Civil Committee. The calendar shows that HB 615 is scheduled for a hearing on January 7, 2010 in Room 132CAP from 9:30 to 12:30. Those people interested in the bill should probably plan to attend."

For the text of the bill this link should bring up a .pdf version.
http://www.legis.state.ga.us/legis/2009_10/pdf/hb615.pdf

I plan on contacting my representative to urge his support.
 
Looks interesting.

The way I understand it this bill allows me to OC without a license, correct? Anything else it does that I didn't pick up on? That legal mumbo jumbo is tough to wrap your head around.
 
IT actually does bunches:

3 the laws concerning the carrying of concealed weapons; to revise the method by which
4 licenses to carry weapons are issued; to prohibit the carrying of certain items in certain
5 buildings; to provide exceptions; to provide a penalty; to prohibit the seizure or registration
6 of firearms during official states of emergency; to prohibit any additional limitations on
7 carrying firearms during states of emergency; to provide civil remedies for violations; to
8 provide for related matters; to amend Part 1 of Article 3 of Chapter 3 of Title 38 of the
9 Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to emergency powers of the Governor, so as
10 to revise the powers of the Governor to suspend or limit the sale, dispensing, or
11 transportation of firearms during states of emergency; to provide for related matters; to
12 amend Article 4 of Chapter 18 of Title 50 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating
13 to inspection of public records, so as to provide that records concerning licenses to carry
14 weapons maintained by the Secretary of State are not subject to disclosure; to provide for
15 related matters; to provide an effective date; to repeal conflicting laws
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Big Changes:

A person
53 possessing a license issued pursuant to Code Section 16-11-129 shall be permitted to carry
54 a firearm in every location in the state not listed in subsection (a) of this Code section,
55 notwithstanding any other Code section, provided that nothing in this subsection shall limit
56 any pre-existing right to exclude others from private property.
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Deleted:
(f) A person licensed or permitted to carry a firearm by this part shall not consume
90 alcoholic beverages in a restaurant or other eating establishment while carrying a firearm.
91 Any person violating this subsection shall be guilty of a misdemeanor."
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Big addition:
(a) No officer or employee of the state or any political subdivision thereof, member of the
328 National Guard in the service of the state, or any person operating pursuant to or under
329 color of state law, receiving state funds, under control of any official of the state or political
330 subdivision thereof, or providing services to such officer, employee, or other person, while
331 acting during a declared official state of emergency, shall:
332 (1) Temporarily or permanently seize, or authorize seizure of, any firearm the possession
333 of which is not prohibited under Article 4 of Chapter 11 of this title, other than as
334 evidence in a criminal investigation;
335 (2) Require registration of any firearm for which registration is not required by Article 4
336 of Chapter 11 of this title;
337 (3) Prohibit possession of any firearm, or promulgate any rule, regulation, or order
338 prohibiting possession of any firearm, in any place or by any person where such
339 possession is not otherwise prohibited by Article 4 of Chapter 11 of this title; or
340 (4) Prohibit the carrying of firearms by any person otherwise authorized to carry firearms
341 under Article 4 of Chapter 11 of this title, solely because such person is operating under
342 the direction, control, or supervision of an agency of the state or political subdivision
343 thereof during a declared official state of emergency.
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The most important content of this bill is Section 5 and Section 6. When Roy Barnes was governor, he railroaded through the "Emergency Confiscation" bill. Such laws are a recipe for getting people, most likely cops, killed.
 
It's good to see the anti-confiscation clause (which was stricken from a similar bill last year) brought back.

A few procedural concerns spring to mind, though.

  • Sonny Perdue has gone on record saying he won't sign anything allowing carry in churches, so that may get the ax.
  • Casey Cagle was...less than enthusiastic about revisiting gun-related issues at the beginning of last year's session. Has he thawed at all?
  • Some of the political fallout from last year ended up with the Brady Campaign getting involved and retroactively gutting one portion of bill. They're having a bad year, and they may decide to get involved again.
  • University faculty and alumni are going to be unhappy with the idea of campus carry, and they've got money and clout.
  • Folks will do their best to confuse college campus carry with carry on elementary school playgrounds. This isn't a matter of correcting a misconception: people will deliberately obfuscate the issue. Consider the main source of print media for metro Atlanta.

Worth following, though.
 
Great for Georgia, too bad I am in NYS...I hope it passes. It would be nice to see a bit of common sense applied in our favor concerning firearm laws

University faculty have money?
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Not in my neck of the woods..LOL
 
Me: Anyone know the status of this bill?
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Google search ain't helping. Any of you guys had contact with your reps or know anything on the status of this bill? I'd (well I guess all of us) really like to see it pass.
 
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