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DEL.ICIO.USMore on guns
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The U.S. Supreme Court affirmed the right of Americans to have guns on Thursday. A new state law taking effect Tuesday will give Georgians with carry licenses the right to take weapons on MARTA, into state parks and into restaurants that serve alcohol.
Now comes a new state study committee led by pro-National Rifle Association senators to study the state’s “complex firearms laws and recommend new legislation for the 2009 session.”
Three of the four members of the study committee backed the new Georgia gun carry law.
Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle announced Friday that the committee will be led by Sen. Mitch Seabaugh (R-Sharpsburg), a strong firearms rights supporter. Seabaugh sponsored the resolution creating the committee.
According to the resolution creating the study committee, it will “examine Georgia’s firearms law and the way these laws are applied in our state to ensure that the constitutional right to bear arms and the right to self-defense are properly protected.”
-James Salzer-
Jim Galloway is on vacation. If you’ve got news, pop an e-mail to our political team: editor Susan Abramson at sabramson@ajc.com; staffers Aaron Sheinin at asheinin@ajc.com; James Salzer at jsalzer@ajc.com; Ben Smith at bsmith@ajc.com; and Jim Tharpe at jtharpe@ajc.com.
Comments
By eliana
June 27, 2008 12:39 PM | Link to this
Following the Supreme Court’s landmark decision on gun rights, the cable news networks had one crucial task: rounding up the best gun-totin’, pistol-packin’, bullet-blastin’ stock footage they could find to spice up their otherwise boring legal voiceovers. Did they succeed? Judge for yourself with our roundup of the best gun b-roll used by the networks during the last news cycle: http://www.236.com/news/2008/06/27/newsnetworkstockfootagearc17408.php
By Ed
June 27, 2008 12:46 PM | Link to this
Liberals think only urban males with a NY hat on sideways, pants to their knees and nasty, foul smelling braids should be the only people carrying guns. The Supreme Court thinks different.
By GA Republican
June 27, 2008 1:44 PM | Link to this
The Supreme Court ruling comes just in time…..Looks like Shirley plans to lay off over 200 Atlanta police officers since her property tax hike was rejected by the commission.
By disgusted
June 27, 2008 1:58 PM | Link to this
The christian conservatives on the supreme court give big oil relief from judgments and allow guns to become the norm. Following this ruling to a logical conclusion nobody will be prohibited from owning or carrying a gun. This is a sorry state of affairs and I no longer will claim to be a conservative.
By Bill Kecskes
June 27, 2008 2:01 PM | Link to this
Mitch Seabaugh for LtGov in 2010!
By Earl
June 27, 2008 3:28 PM | Link to this
disgusted, that must be what people think of you and what a dang liar you are. Read the entire decision you dimwit. Convicted felons and the mentally ill ( this means you disgusted) still cannot own a gun. But, every hoodrat thug in the pojects will still have one. Does this make you happy now you idiot.
By Sicem
June 27, 2008 3:53 PM | Link to this
Thank God for the NRA! In every city where gun bans have been shoved down citizens throats the violent crime rate went up. Look it up. GUN BANS DONT WORK! It has been proven every time the dumbocrats whine their way into stupid gun laws.
By disgusted
June 27, 2008 4:20 PM | Link to this
Earl: I have read the fuill decision and it states that this ruling does not affect the other existing laws because those questions were not raised. I am a lawyer and I am telling you that taking the gun decision to the logical end, no one can be prohibited fropm owning a gun. Your name calling shows your lack of intelect. Anyone with more than a second grade education can see the direction this decision will take us.
By goodness
June 27, 2008 4:49 PM | Link to this
“If” you are a lawyer, disgusted, I don’t see how you passed the bar.
Just because you went to John Marshall, doesn’t mean you are a lawyer. It simply means you lack basic reading comprehension and analyitical skills.
There is no way the opinion does what you say it will.
By Sicem
June 27, 2008 5:22 PM | Link to this
The existing law states that you can not be issued a carry permit or buy a weapon if you are a convicted felon or have been institutionalized for a mental disorder. There is a background check before a carry permit is issued as well as before a firearm is sold to any individual. Research before spouting off disgusted. GEEEZ bleeding heart liberals sicken me!
By betty boop
June 27, 2008 10:04 PM | Link to this
I gotta tell you. An evening out at a local watering hole, watching a Braves game on the big TV does not look near so appealing now that Betty knows that the drunk at the next table probably has a gun. I wonder how many nut jobs — heretofore not certified insane — are going to be packin on Marta, at Church, in the workplace (where hardly week passes that some disgruntled employee doesn’t threaten a coworker) or on the street or at the mall.
Betty really wonders what happens when one of these armed tragedies ready to happen pulls out an automatic and three or four or forty other untrained, scared civilians pull out their pieces and everybody starts firing at everybody in a frenzy of “self-protection”. Too bad the Justices who inflicted this on us and the legislature that thinks its a good idea will not be in their sights.
There are too many hot headed idiots out there, most of whom barely know which end the bullet comes out of, buying and now carrying a weapon way beyond their skill. It is a license for chaos and I fear that innocents will be in the way. I guess I had better buy a new black suit cause it looks like I might be going to more funerals.
Betty Boop
By betty boop
June 27, 2008 10:45 PM | Link to this
By the way, Sicem, God does not belong to the NRA; rather, his Son tried to teach us to to love our neighbors, not shoot them.
Betty Boop
By enoch
June 28, 2008 7:09 AM | Link to this
So you don’t like the second amendment. The constitution offers a mechanism to fix that…it’s called amendment. Ignoring the second amendment or saying that it does not say what it plainly says is not a constitutional solution.
Four justices on the supreme court do not think that you or I have a constitutionally guaranteed right to own a firearm in our own home for our own protection. That is just striking! Amazing that these four justices cannot find a right to arms in the second amendment when they can find all kinds of rights in the constitution. They can’t find a right to bear arms but they found constitutional rights for terrorists in Afghanistan who are neither US citizens nor in US Territory The court made it clear that regulation of firearm ownership was constitutional but that the legal standard for such regulation will have to pass constitutional muster. Laws like the ones in DC or the law in Chicago will not pass muster. It’s not enough to give people the right to own guns in theory and deny that ownership in fact. We are one supreme away from losing the right to bear arms in America.
By Sicem
June 28, 2008 12:44 PM | Link to this
Betty boop, We carry permit holders have been around you all along and you never knew it and you wont now unless some scumbag forces us to defend ourselves. It is a statistical fact that concealed permit holders are the most law abiding citizens in this country. It is not us you need to worry about it is the criminal in the bar sitting at the next table who may rape you as you leave at which point you will be very glad that one of us may be in the parking lot to help you with our weapon. By the way I do love my neighbors unless one of them wants to harm me and then yes I WILL shoot them because it is better them than me in my opinion because you see I love my family and I more than my neighbor!
Also the new law states that you cant carry a weapon if you are drinking and believe me at least 99% of concealed permit holders will obey this law just like we do all others.
Again dont worry about us worry about the punk thugs that we now can defend ourselves as well as you against in parks, eating establishments and public transpotation. This law will decrease violent crime I can assure you of that.
By Sicem
June 28, 2008 1:28 PM | Link to this
NRA-ILA ROCKS! Thank God they work so hard to make sure our God given right to freedom and the second amendment shall not be infringed!
Life Member.
By betty boop
June 28, 2008 3:04 PM | Link to this
Betty Boop grew up around guns and hunted on a family preserve. Unlike our current VP, my family did not allow you to carry a gun and drink, even one glass. It was carefully monitored since the hunts were conducted on our land. Good law abiding gun toters got sent home every hunt for drinking and carrying a gun. Betty does not have any more faith in the current permit holders than she had in those hunters; and, since we are talking about concealed weapons, there is nobody around to monitor you. How many times have you had a drink and carried that gun; how many times have other gun-toters had a drink while they carried. I have seen my share of off-duty cops tossing back a few in the local bars, still armed, still toting, still dangerous.
Pooh — don’t try to fool me with the old, responsibility argument. It only takes one armed hothead to make a tragedy. There are plenty of them every year right here in Ga.And, don’t you worry bout ole Betty. I am not worried about a thug in a bar. I worry about you and your earnest belief that you can protect me and yourself. Leave me out of your equation cause it doesn’t add up.Betty Boop