Georgia gun laws are already among the most lax in the nation. 

Now lawmakers, pandering to their base, want to do away with the few remaining guardrails. 

Gov. Brian Kemp fully supports a GOP-led push to do away with gun carry permit requirements. 

Kemp, who is facing serious Republican primary challenges, cuddled up with the NRA and gun lobbyists in announcing his support of what he and others are erroneously calling “constitutional carry” legislation. 

Georgia laws require a concealed gun carry license but the state allows those who have a permit to carry weapons almost everywhere. 

State Sen. Jason Anavitarte (R – Dallas) is sponsoring Senate Bill 319, which would permit lawful weapons carriers to carry without a permit.

In rolling out the controversial bill, Anavitarte said, “I am proud to be leading the fight to bring Constitutional Carry to Georgia. Georgians should not need a permit to exercise their 2nd Amendment rights, defend themselves and protect their families. This law will keep safeguards in place to ensure that only law abiding citizens can purchase and obtain a firearm while eliminating the bureaucratic red tape that infringes on Georgians’ constitutional rights. I look forward to carrying this bill across the finish line and having it signed into law.”

That statement itself recognizes that safeguards are needed but the problem is once you allow people to carry weapons without a license you pretty much remove all safeguards. 

Our state has certainly not been immune from gun violence and, in fact, gun crimes are on the rise. 

Across the nation, the general public supports gun regulations and that support always grows in the aftermath of a mass shooting or school shooting. 

Gun control is not a Second Amendment issue.

Placing guardrails around deadly weapons in public spaces is not the same as telling people they cannot have a hunting rifle or shotgun or that they cannot protect their home and family. 

Gun owners often say that law-abiding gun owners should be able to carry their weapons. So, if this issue is really about what law-abiding gun owners can and cannot do, what is wrong with abiding by the law and having a license to legally carry a gun? 

Any Georgia resident who operates a vehicle on public roads must have a license to do so and no one considers requiring motorists to have a license to drive to be unconstitutional. 

There is also nothing unconstitutional about requiring the people of Georgia to have a license to carry a weapon in public. “Constitutional carry,” as this piece of legislation as been branded, is a misnomer. 

We are in no way advocating for doing away with Second Amendment rights but we do strongly believe that requiring a license to carry a deadly weapon in public is reasonable, responsible and right.