GA: Campus Carry Passes House on March 3rd, 2017

HB280, the Georgia campus carry bill, has passed the Georgia House 108 to 63, with 4 not voting and 5 excused. The vote was taken on 3 March, 2017.  Less than 2/3 of the House voted for the bill, not enough to override a veto.  The bill is now on the way to the Senate.

The bill would allow most people with a concealed carry permit to carry in most public areas of public institutions of higher learning.  From the bill, HB 280, the following paragraphs define who can carry where:

"(20)(A) Any weapons carry license holder when he or she is in any building or on real property owned by or leased to any public technical school, vocational school, college, or university, or other public institution of postsecondary education; provided, however, that such exception shall:
(i) Not apply to buildings or property used for athletic sporting events or student housing, including, but not limited to, fraternity and sorority houses;
(ii) Not apply to preschool space if at each entrance to the preschool space it is advertised that such preschool space is designated for operations licensed or regulated under Article 1 of Chapter 1A of Title 20; provided, however, that this division shall not apply if such public institution of postsecondary education has more than three buildings on the campus housing preschool space;

That is a fair number of exceptions. It seems unreasonable that adult students with concealed carry permits could not carry on campus in their on homes, for example.  But Second Amendment supporters have made considerable progress in restoring rights, one small increment at a time.

It seems likely that the bill will pass the senate.  A similar bill did so in 2016, with 34 in favor and 17 against.  Governor Deal then vetoed HB 859 on May 3rd, 2016.  Another veto by Governor Deal seems likely in 2017.


©2017 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.

Gun Watch