Nathan Deal received 100 times more calls, letters against campus carry...

Gov. Nathan Deal encourages Georgians to contact him, and they did so by the thousands in opposition to campus carry.

But Deal ignored them, signing the controversial bill opposed by the University System of Georgia and campus police into law on May 4. There were a lot of voters to ignore, according to records released this week by Deal's office.

Between Jan. 3 and May 10, 14,873 calls, emails and letters opposed to concealed carry on the state's public campuses flooded Deal's office. During that period, the Governor's Office reported only 145 calls, emails and letters in favor of campus carry.

Deal received 100 times more missives against House Bill 280 than he did in support of the legislation. Yet, he signed bill.

I asked Deal's office yesterday for a response. I will share when I get it.

This shows the tally of calls, emails and letters to the governor's office in May on House Bill 280, campus carry. The very bottom row -- the 145 pro and the 14,873 con -- reflects all the messages from January to last week. (State of Georgia)

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About the Author

Maureen Downey

Maureen Downey has written editorials and opinion pieces about local, state and federal education policy since the 1990s.