The Spectator The independent student newspaper of Valdosta State University
Georgia House Bill 615 will be presented on March 3. If the bill goes through, one will be allowed to carry a weapon on any Georgia college campus with a permit. Bill 615 would affect at least 400,000 Georgians who hold gun permits.�
Republican House Representative Tim Bearden is co-sponsor of this bill. He explains the rights this bill would entail if it were to go through and become a law.
“People with carry permits [will] be able to take their guns in churches, bars, schools and Atlanta’s Hartsfield Jackson International Airport,” Bearden said, even though Hartsfield Jackson International Airport is a gun-free zone.
Although the proposal would allow one to carry a weapon in churches, schools, bars, etc., he or she would not be permitted to carry a weapon in a prison or a courtroom.
National Rifle Association and the gun rights group Georgia Carry, support this proposal.
However, students on Valdosta State University’s campus do not seem to be in favor of the proposal.
“This is really scary and unsafe,” Simi Fatukasi, VSU freshman, said. “If it goes through, I would keep to myself. What if people had guns in the classroom? People could get angry and just start shooting.”
Professors on campus seem to be fearful of the proposal at hand as well.
“This makes me very nervous. Just the thought of guns…it has the potential for wrongful use,” Dr. Fred Downing, professor of Philosophy and Religious Studies, said.
If this proposal goes through, it would make a Georgia Firearms license a permit to carry any weapon. In other words, one would not be limited to just a pistol or a handgun if he or she were to have a Georgia Firearms license.�
Other guidelines to this proposal include the right to carry a concealed weapon without a holster, as well as the right to bring a weapon in all all parks, historic sites, recreational areas, and wildlife management areas. Also, all licensing would no longer be in the hands of the county probate judges, but in the hands of the Secretary of State.
For one to purchase a permit, he or she must be 21 years of age. Renewable permits would be $15 whereas lifetime permit would be $40.
Tags 2009-2010 2010-01-28 Mallory McLendon
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Ditto to all previous comments. I am a full-time college student, and I also have a Georgia Firearms License. I have never shot anyone nor have I pulled my weapon against someone before for any reason. I become angry and depressed just like everyone else, but like most GFL holders I know right from wrong and understand the great responsibility of possessing a firearm.
The people responsible for legally disarming you do not care about your ultimate safety. They don’t post well-armed and trained guards at every entrance to every building in a “gun-free zone” or even inside every building. In fact, the one sheriff’s deputy I have seen on my campus is one overweight deputy who couldn’t run anywhere to respond to a shooting if he tried, unless it was in the same building. To add to that, he only seems to be present when there is a lot of business going on in the bookstore. Any other police officers would have to be dispatched and would take minutes to get to a situation in which one bad guy only take one second per trigger pull. “Gun-Free zones” are an illusion, because you cannot make criminals, who by their very definition break laws, abide by the one law that prevents them from using a useful tool.
Think about where you are on the campus one day (whether you’re a faculty member or a student), and think about all the ways that someone bent on committing a crime COULD bring a gun into the building. They could hide the weapon in their car and retrieve it. They could conceal it and bring it inside (and don’t think it’s not possible: I carry concealed constantly and no one suspects I have it). A student who gets mad at a professor can go outside, retrieve his/her weapon, re-enter the building and then shoot the professor. Even college faculty members, as we’ve seen in a recent shooting, can “slip” and shoot their co-workers. There is LITERALLY no way to prevent guns from being taken illegally on campus, unless you posted well-trained, armed guards at every single entrance to a building on campus with metal detector checkpoints, which would make going to class pointless as you would get their 15 minutes late because of the line getting into the building. Plus, the college could (or would) never authorize that expensive undertaking, and your local law enforcement doesn’t have the resources to do it. The only way to have first responders on a shooting scene is by letting those who carry firearms daily also carry on campus. You may have 1 or 2 people in each building who are armed and can respond to a threat. They are not paid to be there; they are there because they choose to be. They are just like many of you: students, janitors, professors, deans, fathers, mothers, freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors. They are normal people who take the responsibility to protect themselves and those who they love by legally carrying a firearm.
This is what the media doesn’t want you to know, Real short and simple;
Georgia Firearm Licence holders are the “Good guys”, criminals are the “Bad guys”.
Having a concealed gun doesn’t make you a bad guy. Having been issued a licence means that you have been thoroughly checked out and have been found to be one of the Good guys.
What I find really ironic, in a sad sense, is that the article paints a picture that HB 615 (and SB 308 if you want to get technical) is universally discouraged across Georgia school campuses – but these comments seems to allude to the complete opposite.
To print: “National Rifle Association and the gun rights group Georgia Carry, support this proposal.
However, students on Valdosta State University’s campus do not seem to be in favor of the proposal.” This reads as if to convey *all* students are at odds with the NRA and GeorgiaCarry.Org. That would appear to be inaccurate from the comments I’m reading.
“When you trust your television, what you get is what you got; ’cause when they own the information they can bend it all they want.” – John Mayer
Please go out into the world and form your own opinions, and don’t rely on biased, irresonsible “journalism.”
Typical responses include: “the thought of someone carrying a gun! … scares me … what if there was an argument and someone started shooting?”
My response is this: Don’t you worry about that now? There always might be a person (or persons) with a gun … anywhere … bars, schools, churches, Wal-mart, the movies, etc. This law would change nothing … people can carry guns into classrooms now, just like they could if this law passed.
Arguments against these bills nearly always smack illogical.
This article seems to lean towards the liberal side. Keeping people scared of the gun is the name of the game. People are killed by cars way more often than guns. Ban them.
Out of 80,000,000 + gun owners, approx 79,999,997 killed no one yesterday.
I’m in full support of HB615.
Criminals endanger our lives everyday.
Do you think they care about gun free zones?
The operative phrase here is GFL holder, 21 years of age, passed a background check w/ NCIC and the GBI. These are folks who carry of campus everyday and don’t run around kiling people they disagree with. GFL holders are the most law abiding citizens in the State. The fact they would be carrying in class isn’t relevant as their track record has already been proved. A fair amount of these students are former military, or grad students. There is no reason to give in to the hyperbole and run around like chicken litle. Take a look a Utah where campus carry is allowed, no shootouts at the OK Corral or dorm shoot em ups. Just responsible people taking responsibility for their own safety instead of blindly trusting a cash strapped administration to spend the bucks to really do the job right. Most of you scared little darlings have no idea how many time you’ve sat beside someone carrying in at you favorite place to eat or at a movie and guess what? Nothing bad happened at all. People’s morals and judgement don’t change with their geography. Think about how much that “Gun Free Zone” affects the plans of somebody who wants everthing you’ve got and might just kill you for the fun of watching you die. Would you rather have a buddy carrying the “Gun Free Zone” sign or a buddy with a GFL and a firearm in just such a situation? Criminals love “Gun Free Zones” it’s their version of “Safety at Work”, no resistance guranteed, safe easy pickens. You’re going to school for a chance at a better life, why not live to enjoy it?
I had an occasion to question Dr. Kaufman, at the recent hearing on HB-615. My feelings on the conversation follow:
I was disheartened that Dr. Kaufman, as a retired military officer, and combat veteran, sees fit to send 17 and 18 year old soldiers into combat, but draws the line at allowing 21 year old students to protect themselves on and around campus. Georgia Tech had some 48 instances within 1,000 feet of the campus last year, and that included three shootings. Only three states have this ridiculous 1,000 foot law.
The Regents is well aware that there are already students carrying firearms on Georgia colleges and universities now. The students are active duty military (in postgraduate or commissioning programs), and court clerks, part-time judges, law enforcement officers, and others exempt under the provisions of OCGA 16-11-130. I discussed that with Dr. Kaufman today. I understand our UGA President came to us from Colorado. In Colorado, carry on campus is legal. What makes Georgia citizens less worthy of Second Amendment rights than Colorado citizens, and why does he see us as so different?
It’s about time! I’m allowed to carry everywhere I go except school, which is where I spend the majority of my M, W, & F. Ridiculous!