GA: Governor Deal Decides on Campus Carry Today

Georgia Governor Nathan deal has said that he will either sign or veto the Campus Carry bill passed by the Georgia legislature today, 3 May, 2016. The bill was very popular in the legislature, passing with wide margins. The bill passed the House 113 to 59, and the Senate 37 to 17.  As the Legislature is adjourned, their is no reasonable possibility of a veto override.

From 11alive.com:

The May 3 deadline is here for Gov. Nathan Deal to make his decision whether to sign or veto the 'Campus Carry' bill.

After the religious freedom bill, which Deal vetoed earlier this year, HB 859 was arguably the most contentious. If Deal signs the bill into law today, it would legalize concealed-carry weapons on Georgia's colleges.

 Governor deal has expressed reservations about the bill, and asked for some modifications.  The legislature did not share the Governor's concerns, and did not modify the bill.  From gov.georgia.gov:

The governor’s office released the following statement in response to “campus carry” legislation passed by the General Assembly:

“As a lifetime defender and staunch supporter of Second Amendment rights, Gov. Deal has signed every pro-gun bill to reach his desk. However, he believes legitimate points have been made in regards to certain aspects of the ‘campus carry’ bill and he calls on the General Assembly to address these concerns in related legislation before Sine Die. Specifically, these areas of concern include dually enrolled k-12 students who leave school to attend classes at a university or technical college campus, as well as daycare centers on these same campuses. Deal also believes the governing boards of universities and technical colleges should have the discretion to set reasonable rules regarding disciplinary hearings and faculty and administrative offices. Addressing these issues is an important step in ensuring the safety and freedoms of students, faculty and staff in our institutions of higher learning throughout our state.”

Why would daycare or k-12 students on campus be more at risk than the same students off campus?  Day care outside of campus would be equally at risk if the exercise of Second Amendment rights were suppressed there.  How would it make sense to have one set of laws for the state, and one for the public property on the grounds of institutes of higher education?

Governor Deal's decision is expected to be made public today, 3 May, 2016.

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