Gov. Nathan Deal’s call for changes to legislation that would allow guns on college campuses could go unmet.
House Speaker David Ralston, R-Blue Ridge, said Monday that he expects no new legislation to move in the final two days of the legislative session addressing concerns raised by the the governor about the bill.
“I consider those issues closed,” Ralston said in comments to be aired 7 p.m. Tuesday on Georgia Public Broadcasting’s “The Lawmakers.” “I think it’s a good bill.”
Meanwhile, opponents of the “campus carry” bill called for Deal to veto it.
House Bill 859, sponsored by state Rep. Rick Jasperse, R-Jasper, would let anyone 21 or older with a weapons license carry a gun anywhere on a public college or university campus, except for inside dormitories, fraternities and sorority houses, and athletic events. The Georgia Legislature passed the bill earlier this month.
Last week, the governor's office said in a statement that he wants lawmakers to consider exempting on-campus child care centers from HB 859. The statement also addressed the governor's concerns about high school students who are joint-enrolled in college courses on campuses that would allow firearms.
Because HB 859 has already won approval in the General Assembly and awaits the governor’s signature to become law, any changes that Deal wants would have to be written into other pieces of legislation. But lawmakers have to decide whether they want to do that. They have until Thursday, the last day of the session, to act.
Supporters of "campus carry" say the legislation would address safety concerns about crime on the state's universities and colleges. Many cite the recent robberies at the Georgia State University library as examples of why enabling students to carry guns on campus would make them safer.
The University System of Georgia and leaders of the state’s institutions have expressed concerns that students may not be mature enough to understand responsible gun usage. Opponents of the bill also claim allowing students to have guns on campuses would make the job of campus police more difficult, especially in emergency situations.
Also Monday, a coalition of ministers, rabbis and other “campus carry” opponents used a press conference to urge Deal to veto the bill.
The coalition, which calls itself Outcry, said the legislation would “make Georgia a less safe, more violent place.”
One member, Reynolds Couch, a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps who belongs to Trinity Presbyterian Church in Atlanta, said he is “very strongly opposed” to campus carry.
“This bill … would allow college kids — just out of their teens — to carry loaded, semiautomatic handguns on campus with no required training whatsoever,” Couch said. “The bill sponsors, who most likely think they’ve introduced a good idea, know little or nothing about gun safety and training.”
Deal has 40 days after the session ends, which would be May 3, to either veto or sign into law any bill that passes the General Assembly.
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