Georgia passes ‘campus carry’ bill legalizing guns at colleges

House Bill 859 now goes to the desk of Gov. Nathan Deal, who is expected to sign the measure into law.

A two-hour Senate debate preceded its passage, but the outcome was never in question. Republicans in the chamber hold a supermajority, and all but one — state Sen. Fran Millar, R-Dunwoody — voted to support the bill.

"Guns are already on campus, hundreds have been confiscated," said state Sen. Jesse Stone, R-Waynesboro, who carried the bill in the chamber. "The problem is not whether guns are on campus, but who should carry them."

The legislation would allow anyone 21 or older with a weapons license to carry a gun anywhere on a public college or university campus, except for inside four places: dormitories, fraternities and sorority houses, and at athletic events. Everywhere else, including campus child care centers, music concert venues and classrooms, would be open under the bill.

HB 859 also mandates that weapons be concealed — something proponents say makes it safer — since Georgia requires gun owners to apply for gun “carry” permits that include fingerprinting and background checks.

While guns would be allowed on campus, Georgians would still not be allowed to carry them in the state Capitol, where Friday’s vote was taken.

If it becomes law, the bill would make Georgia the ninth state to allow campus carry, with nearly two dozen others allowing individual schools to decide. Supporters of the legislation have linked their effort to the safety of students, noting events such as recent robberies at Georgia State University's downtown Atlanta campus library, which is only steps from the state Capitol.

Dozens of students, professors and parents, however, testified against the bill. Allowing guns on campus has long been opposed by the powerful University System of Georgia and leaders of the state’s universities and colleges because of concerns about the maturity of students and safety on campus.

That interplay — personal protection vs. campus safety — played out on the Senate floor Friday. In one of the most emotional exchanges, one of the bill's supporters, state Sen. Bill Jackson, R-Appling, questioned state Sen. Elena Parent, D-Atlanta, who opposed the measure in part because she said data showed campuses to be safer than their surrounding communities.

“What if you were snatched off the walkway and pulled into the bushes (on a college campus), raped, ravished or shot,” Jackson said. “Would you prefer not to have a weapon of some description to save your life?”

No, Parent answered, before adding: “I get why people think they would actually be safe with a weapon. It’s a gut reaction. But under your scenario, that gun would much more likely be used against me.”

“You’d be willing,” Jackson asked, sounding incredulous, “to give your life rather than having a weapon?”

Before the vote, Democrats in the chamber passed out letters opposing the measure, including one from the bishops of the Episcopal Church in Georgia. They also said the state is likely to incur millions of dollars in additional costs, as campuses face potential insurance premium hikes and look to shore up security measures.

Those arguments did not sway supporters.

"Allowing law-abiding citizens to exercise their Second Amendment right is responsible public policy," said state Sen. Josh McKoon, R-Columbus. "The fact of the matter is it is a fantasy for us to say right now guns will not appear on our campuses. All that means is someone of unlawful intent will be armed while licensed concealed carry holders will be disarmed."

Before the debate, Capitol police arrested a Kennesaw State University professor who tried to display a sign protesting the bill. Opponents, however, appeared to largely stay away from the Capitol and anxiously greeted the news from their homes and offices.

“I want to note that there are no locks on our classrooms,” said Ellen Rafshoon, a history professor and assistant dean of Georgia Gwinnett College’s School of Liberal Arts. “We are not protected adequately from violence in any sense.”

“From time to time, we witness fights break out in the halls,” Rafshoon said. “These are easily pacified by our diligent police force but would be blood baths if one of the parties had a gun. After concealed weapons are permitted, the campus police might fear being shot in one of these situations and resort to lethal force where a mere warning used to bring about peace.”

But Alex Ward, a second-year law student at Georgia State University, was happy about the Senate’s vote on Friday.

“As a student, on campus we are constantly receiving alerts about a robbery, about a battery, about all kinds of incidents that are happening on our campus,” Ward said. “Current law doesn’t allow for guns inside our buildings, and yet they are still there.

“Being a concealed-carry permit holder, with this bill I will be allowed to carry onto a college campus just like I can everywhere else, so if there is an incident, I have the means to protect myself.”

The University System issued a statement expressing disappointment after the vote, noting that its college presidents and campus police chiefs all opposed the measure.

Other opponents called on the governor to veto the measure, although Deal recently dismissed arguments against the bill as lacking "validity."

State Sen. Nan Orrock, D-Atlanta, cited a 2014 poll by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that showed 78 percent of Georgians opposed allowing guns on the state's college campuses, but she said opponents were up against mighty political interests.

“It’s a powerful gun lobby funded by the firearms industry,” she said. “And it’s fueled by a tiny right wing that is given far too much latitude in the General Assembly to influence policy.”