Governer Kemp Makes Georgia 25th member of Constitutional Carry Club

 

On Tuesday, April 12, Governor Brian Kemp of Georgia signed SB319, the Constitutional Carry (permitless carry) bill. The bill became effective when the Governor signed the bill. 

Second Amendment supporters have been attempting pass Constitutional Carry through the Georgia legislature for years. Governor Kemp pledged support for the measure in 2018. From fox5 atlanta.com: 

Kemp said the bill is a public safety measure.

"SB 319 makes sure that  law-abiding Georgians — law-abiding Georgians, including out daughters and your family too — can protect themselves without having the permission of the state government. The constitution of the United States gives us that right, not the government," Kemp said Tuesday. "HB 218 ensures that individuals who are licensed to carry in another state are also authorized to do so here in Georgia."

The governor initially promised the measure when he first ran for governor in 2018, but little was done to advance it. It’s been revived now that Kemp faces opposition in this year’s primary from former U.S. Republican Sen. David Perdue and others. Longtime proponents of gun rights have credited Kemp’s advocacy for moving the issue forward.

In 2022 Governor Kemp is in a tight primary race, in part because of his lack of performance during the 2020 elections. More and more evidence is accumulating of significant irregularities during the election in Georgia, which was a pivotal state in the presidential election.

Governor Kemp vigorously championed Constitutional Carry in Georgia during his primary campaign. The large signing ceremony for the bill was carried out in front of Gable Sporting Goods. Gable Sporting Goods is a long established sporting goods store in Douglas, Georgia, which is in the Atlanta metropolitan area. 

With Governor Kemp's signature, Georgia becomes the fourth state to pass Constitutional Carry (permitless carry) in 2022, and the 25th member of the Constitutional Carry club in the United States. Half of all states have now restored their legal system to situation where no permits to carry were required, as was the case in all the United States in 1791 when the Second Amendment, as part of the Bill of Rights, was ratified. The 25 states who have restored the right to carry handguns in most public places, openly or concealed are: 

Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wyoming.

With the addition of Georgia, states where no permit to carry is required cover about 2,343,089 square miles or 61.6% of the land area of the United States. 

Constitutional Carry has become a strong movement as people seek a return to a Constitutionally limited government in the United States. In 2002, only Vermont had Constitutional Carry. It had always maintained the right to carry without a permit, openly or concealed. In 2003 Alaska enacted a Constitutional Carry law. Arizona followed in 2010, Wyoming in 2011, and Arkansas in 2014. From 2015 to 2022, 20 more states joined the club.

Nebraska narrowly failed to join the club, by two votes in its unicameral legislature, the day before Governor Kemp signed Constitutional Carry in Georgia. Pennsylvania and Louisiana both passed bills with strong majorities, only to have Democrat governors veto them.

©2022 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.

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