Georgia grants greater firearm freedoms

[Pilch]

Interested to see this with all the anti-gun sentiment in the states and the tightening of laws in many of the states.

Georgia has gone the opposite way of the trend which is a first for a while as far as I can remember?

In the US state of Georgia, a new bill has been signed into law allowing gun owners the right to take their weapons into schools, churches, bars and even some government buildings.

The law also stops police from detaining gun carriers in public to determine if they have a licence.

Opponents are calling it the most extreme gun law in the country, while the National Rifle Association says it's a historic victory for people's Second Amendment rights.

It's yet another major win for the NRA, as Republicans and Democrats step up their campaigns for mid-term elections in November.

From here: Georgia grants greater freedom to carry weapons

Not saying I agree with a few things there but at least there are still some steps forwards for shooter rights these days.

[WesleySnipes]

Gun rights in the US is pushing forward, not losing.

Even after all the mass shootings the gun controllers keep getting shot down so they can't push anything.

The last state in the US to create a Concealed Carry permit for citizens was Illinois, passing last year and then experiencing the lowest 1st Quarter gun crime since 1958 from memory.

Only time will tell if the next 3 quarters will see the same results, but it's well documented that more CCW permit holders the lower the violent crime rate.

And the Assault Weapons Ban keeps failing because it's ridiculous. Banning an AR 15 because of it's cosmetic features and magazine limits are just stupid.

So statistics speak, the anti gunners can't push their crap when they are going against every statistic out there.

[Kipper]

Gun rights in the US is pushing forward, not losing.

Not across the entire country.

Ask Eduardo, he's posting from the US in NYC and they have many restrictions, and growing from what he's posted here. Limits on what FA can own, no concealed carry. etc.

Same for some other major cities.

You can't say the US as a whole is moving forward. 50 different states, 50 potential different sets of laws.

[wrenchman]

California has the worst gun laws and the most drugs and crime the place is a joke.

Colorado dems found out what a recall vote is and they are scared they pushed gun control on the state now the dems are getting pounded by recalls even if the win it cost them millions because if they win they have to run again when there turm is up.

Many of the dems got in by promising streets of gold and said we don't want your guns but like most politics they lie.

[WesleySnipes]

Not across the entire country.

I said across the US, meaning broadly. Of course there are the nanny states of NY, CA and Il but they are exceptions. The rest of the country is mostly increasing gun rights or not doing anything at all. The addition of CCW in recent years is certainly a good thing if you're a law abiding citizen.

And if you look at said nanny states they have a lot more crime than the ones with lax gun laws like Texas, Tennessee etc.

[Kipper]

No probs.

I just mentioned it as a lot of people seem the thing the US is just one place with the same laws across the whole thing.

[Antie]

The rest of the country is mostly increasing gun rights or not doing anything at all.

Guess the media don't report that side of things as much.

Not as juicy as articles about the "assault weapons" ban?

[salate]

Not saying I agree with a few things there

"The law also stops police from detaining gun carriers in public to determine if they have a licence."

Gotta say, that's ridiculous.

So they have a licensing system, but police aren't allowed to check if you have a license? WTF?

[Wobble]

No doubt they still see that as infringing on their rights.

Police: Is that a gun you're carrying?
Citizen: Yes.
Police: Can I see your license?
Citizen: Sure, here.
Police: Thanks, have a good day.

How hard is that?

[Wobble]

Same for storage while I think about it.

I'm lost as to how some people argue that being told to lock up your guns is an an infringement of their rights.

[Boatman]

I'm all for more gun freedoms but agree with the storage thing.

IMO it would solve a huge chunk of the USA's issues if they were made to lock up their stuff. I know some do, but plenty obviously don't.

I dunno how anyone can say having them under your bed or in the cupboard isn't irresponsible.

[Eduardo]

Gun rights in the US is pushing forward, not losing.
Even after all the mass shootings the gun controllers keep getting shot down so they can't push anything..

But they are absolutely beating us down in places like NY, CA, NJ, CT and even ML. They got through a whole slew of gun controls just last year and are eagerly working on their next batch of "save us from ourselves laws".

[Eduardo]

Beat me to it I see.
Exactly right. There have been some wins at the national level but for some of us languishing in the blue states it's a constant war to maintain our rights. Having to attend rally's, write our congressmen, support the right candidates. It seems to never end, they really do suck the fun out of this sport for us which I guess is their aim. The ex-mayor of NYC, Mike Bloomberg (whom we affectionately call Bloomturd) just threw $50 million into the anti-gun agenda, looking to take on the NRA head on. Things are likely to get worse. NY just proposed another new law to ban .50 cal (which have never been used in a crime) and to require firearm storage in a safe. This after scoring a huge win against us last year.

Gun rights in the US is pushing forward, not losing.

Not across the entire country.
Ask Eduardo, he's posting from the US in NYC and they have many restrictions, and growing from what he's posted here. Limits on what FA can own, no concealed carry. etc.
Same for some other major cities.
You can't say the US as a whole is moving forward. 50 different states, 50 potential different sets of laws.

[Eduardo]

Same for storage while I think about it.
I'm lost as to how some people argue that being told to lock up your guns is an an infringement of their rights.

I've been asked this question before, this was my answer.

Bronx, NY around 1983 or so.
My older brother (17) and I (12) stayed home from school one day. The doorbell rings and there are two guys standing there. One asks if the home is for sale, my brother responds “no” and suspecting something is wrong starts to close the door. One of them shoves his foot in the door and the two force their way into the front foyer. My brother (large for a 17 y\o) struggles with them to keep them from entering the second door into our home. I show up about this time to see what the commotion is about. One guy pulls a small gun and my brother grabs it and they start to wrestle for it. The other guy starts to try and choke my brother from the back. My brother yells to me “GET DAD’S GUN!”. I then run and get my father’s gun which was store in a safe place, but accessible to all family members. I run back up the hallway and the two men see me running towards them with what must have appeared to be a giant hand cannon. They start to make their way out the door as I hand the gun to my brother. The two men jump into the back seat of a waiting car (with a driver, so there were three men) and speed off. My brother had been pistol whipped and had a nasty gash on his forehead but was otherwise fine.

The same day we flip through mug shots and I positively ID the two men. Turns out the two men were wanted for several other home invasions, one in which they tied and beat two women nearly to death. If my brother and I did not stay home that day, my mother would have been alone.

Had my father’s gun been secured, I would not have been able to retrieve it and may not be here to write this today. My father (an Olympic level marksman) used education to ensure there we treated firearms with respect, not hide them away. All that does is increase a child’s curiosity.

Hope that helps.

[Eduardo]

FYI - more children are killed by drowning in swimming pools and accidentally poisoning themselves with household cleaning supplies every year than they do by accidental shootings in the US. Tragic yes, but again I maintain that education is a better answer to this problem. My 83 year old father who lives alone should not be forced to make his gun inaccessible because of some law. I do store my gun collection in a very secure safe, but I do keep one handy just in case (as does my Dad).

I'm all for more gun freedoms but agree with the storage thing.
IMO it would solve a huge chunk of the USA's issues if they were made to lock up their stuff. I know some do, but plenty obviously don't.
I dunno how anyone can say having them under your bed or in the cupboard isn't irresponsible.

[WesleySnipes]

Same for storage while I think about it.
I'm lost as to how some people argue that being told to lock up your guns is an an infringement of their rights.

I've been asked this question before, this was my answer.

Bronx, NY around 1983 or so.
My older brother (17) and I (12) stayed home from school one day. The doorbell rings and there are two guys standing there. One asks if the home is for sale, my brother responds “no” and suspecting something is wrong starts to close the door. One of them shoves his foot in the door and the two force their way into the front foyer. My brother (large for a 17 y\o) struggles with them to keep them from entering the second door into our home. I show up about this time to see what the commotion is about. One guy pulls a small gun and my brother grabs it and they start to wrestle for it. The other guy starts to try and choke my brother from the back. My brother yells to me “GET DAD’S GUN!”. I then run and get my father’s gun which was store in a safe place, but accessible to all family members. I run back up the hallway and the two men see me running towards them with what must have appeared to be a giant hand cannon. They start to make their way out the door as I hand the gun to my brother. The two men jump into the back seat of a waiting car (with a driver, so there were three men) and speed off. My brother had been pistol whipped and had a nasty gash on his forehead but was otherwise fine.

The same day we flip through mug shots and I positively ID the two men. Turns out the two men were wanted for several other home invasions, one in which they tied and beat two women nearly to death. If my brother and I did not stay home that day, my mother would have been alone.

Had my father’s gun been secured, I would not have been able to retrieve it and may not be here to write this today. My father (an Olympic level marksman) used education to ensure there we treated firearms with respect, not hide them away. All that does is increase a child’s curiosity.

Hope that helps.

I agree. Having them locked in a safe somewhere in the house is pointless in a time where you actually need it.

Most of the problems in the US wouldn't of been avoided by having all their guns locked in safes... It's not hard to get a gun illegally.

Adam Lanza killed his own mother to get her guns, and everyone had a cry about how she should of locked her guns up securely. Wouldn't of changed a thing.

And as I said, there are some nanny states, but they are the minority. As people become more aware of how ineffective all these new bills will be and how important the right to bear arms uninfringed is, the more they will fight back, which seems to be happening more and more recently.

[Wobble]

Hi Eduardo,

I appreciate the situation you shared. That kind of thing is terrible obviously, I can only imagine...

But...

I'm sure you can come up with tonnes of cases where having a firearm handy has saved someone.

I'm sure I could also find heaps of cases where an unsecured firearm has resulted in someone being injured or killed.

I don't want to turn this into some pointless debate or argument.

I suspect we can both agree that neither situation is perfect, but I'm sure some middle ground could be met.

As far as middle ground for storage goes it could be something as simple as securing your firearms while your out of the house or away.

I'm definitely not arguing for something strict, just something sensible.

I also agree education is important but would also acknowledge that kids are kids. As a kid you're less mature, less experienced, possibly don't appreciate the full consequences of your actions, are most susceptible to peer pressure, less responsible, they have more curiosity than foresight and the list goes on. That's not an ageist comment, I did everything listed there as a kid, it's just a fact.

I have no problems with kids shooting and they can learn and overcome all the things above. In the times before kids are educated and responsible though, there still need to be some protections in place until they can protect themselves.

I don't have all the answers, but I do think that leaving firearms unsecured as a matter of principle or protest against gun control is definitely not an answer. (That's not directed at you, just at the mentality I have heard elsewhere).

[pajamatime]

That is a bit strange, I suspect some states are preparing for civil war though.

I watch this chickas videos she seems to explain everything really well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=20RoAfflGCM

[Eduardo]

Hey Wobble,

Don't really disagree with you, not at all in fact. For me, hunting and marksmanship training constitutes 95% of why I own guns. I live in a fairly good neighborhood and have developed enough wits to stay out of the bad ones so the self defense aspects of gun ownership don't really rank that high for me. I have a large safe that stores my full collection and a small biometric safe that sits on my nightstand (thanks to my wife).

However, I don't feel that my home could never be invaded, it does happen and given my history I have made it a point to ensure that a gun is available to me and my family. I could do better though, something I think of often (but am not a slave to) is that if my firearms are in one of two places, my garage and my bedroom - what do I do if someone breaks in my front door while I'm watching TV in my living room?

When I was a kid, my Dad hid guns in various strategic locations in the house (because we lived in a s**ty neighborhood). It's because of this that I was able to get to the closest one when our home was invaded. As a result I sometimes keep a handgun closer at hand, but not as consistently as I probably should. I will eventually setup safe places to store firearms in more than just two places (3 will probably do). Regardless, my guns are certainly put away when I am not present.

Every situation is different though. My personal situation is that my children are older, my youngest is 16 and my oldest is 23. All have been taught how to safely handle firearms. My Dad never has young people visit his place, so he only locks up his firearms when he is away. If I had young children I would likely not make my firearms available to my children without supervision, regardless of training.

However I still maintain that education is the better option (although the best option is security and education). Kids will find that shotgun you have hidden in your closet, they can even guess safe combinations. And if they don't, they can find guns when they visit friends homes. The point is you have to assume that in the many years in which you have a gun in your home, your children will eventually come into contact with them without your supervision. In some cases even if you do not own a firearm.

My best friend has young children that come over to visit frequently. I always lock everything before they come over. But when they come of age I will be teaching them gun safety as well. It's as fundamental as teaching your kids how to operate a fire extinguisher or dial 911.

[crys]

That is a bit strange, I suspect some states are preparing for civil war though.

Yeah, just a whiff of anti-government sentiment there.

[Wobble]

Hey Eduardo,

Sounds like we're more or less on the same page.

It's complicated and little differences can make sticking points. What else can you say...

If I come up with the perfect solution I'll let you know

[Norton]

If you come up with the perfect solution sort out Australia first.