NEWS Cagle draws line on weapons bills

[Red Hat]

Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle on Monday shot down plans one lawmaker has to expand the places gun owners in Georgia may legally carry concealed weapons.

Cagle, speaking with reporters at his Capitol office, said he had “no appetite” to revisit the concealed carry law. Sen. Mitch Seabaugh (R-Sharpsburg) has been considering a bill that would expand the places where guns would be allowed. The current law bans weapons at places the public gathers, a description that includes churches and college campuses.

Seabaugh’s state study committee has been considering a proposal to drop the ban on some of those locations.

Seabaugh acknowledged that Cagle has the “right and authority to be able to dictate a lot of the agenda that goes on in the Senate,” but said the lieutenant governor has always respected each senator’s right to pursue specific issues.

“I look forward to being able to sit down and talk about those with the lieutenant governor,” Seabaugh said.

Cagle was emphatic in his opposition Monday.

“Let me be clear,” he said, adding that the issue was dealt with last year. “People should be content with where we are.”

Only two bills dealing with firearms have been filed so far for the 2009 legislative session, which begins Monday. One would end the requirement that concealed weapons be kept in a holster. The other, sponsored by Sen. Ronald Ramsey (D-Lithonia), would require all handgun ammunition to be individually coded for identification.

The holster bill is sponsored by Sen. John Douglas (R-Social Circle). Douglas said Monday that he hopes Cagle’s concerns do not include his proposal.

“I haven’t talked to him directly about it,” Douglas said. “I feel like it’s a pretty innocuous bill that shouldn’t cause a great deal of controversy.”

By Aaron Gould Sheinin
Source: ajc.com

I hope that crap about " individually coded ammo " doesn't go anywhere.

[tattedupboy]

Georgia is one of the worst shall issue CCW states precisely because of the "public gathering" provision in its law, which in the past, LEOs have liberally interpreted to include retail stores, churches, and many other ridiculously unreasonable places. The public gathering provision needs to just be eliminated.

[ronwill]

Sent a letter, as I hope many will, and politely let him know this type of attitude would not get my vote in future elections. Rumor has it he will be trying for the Governor's seat and if enough people write him he may change his tune, but now it may be to late to trust him.

[jjohn7077]

This individually coded ammunition stuff is just another way to increase the cost of owning and operating a handgun to the point where the avrerage person will not be able to afford it and will give up.

For many years New York has required handguns sold in NY be "ballistic fingerprinted." A round is fired through a new gun and and a "picture" is put in a State Police database of the "unique" markings that every gun makes. After spending 100's of million's of dollars on this debacle (I mean database) , not even ONE crime has been solved in New York from this database.

[{TEX}Hawaii((]

tattedupboy wrote:

Georgia is one of the worst shall issue CCW states precisely because of the "public gathering" provision in its law, which in the past, LEOs have liberally interpreted to include retail stores, churches, and many other ridiculously unreasonable places. The public gathering provision needs to just be eliminated.

Disagree on GA being "one of the worst"... The pubic gathering law is confusing and many LEs in GA admit that they do not know what the law means as well. Overall, GA still has some of the best laws that protect lawful gun owners and those of us who carry. Chruches fall under a different provision, not PG... I would like to see the PG eliminated or clarified, but I wouldn't go around saying GA is one of the "worst shall issue" states.

[wolfhunter]

If the Lt. Gov. doesn't want to discuss changes to CCW laws regarding public gathering because "people should be content where we are", He should apply the same rule to the ammo coding bill.

[fredmaidment]

The Lt. Governor had better remember who got him where he is: People like me, who believed him when he spoke about individual rights. While I could not in good conscience have voted for Ralph Reed, it was these statements that gave him my vote.

If Mr. Cagle stands stalwart in front of these bills that would return to us the individual freedoms that had, at one time, been legislated away, then he stands in opposition to liberty and will be hotly challenged in the next Primary.

[fibertech]

I don't think Ga is the worst shall issue state but they do need some improvements in the law. the PG needs to go away as I think the Church should be open.Remember in the Church shooting in Colorado Springs it was a private citizen with her conceled weapon that stopped him before he could hurt more people.I'm not sure when the mind set changed but the best I can tell the ones that go out and take the proper steps to get the ccp are not the criminals..why do law makers think they have to protect the public from us?

[tattedupboy]

Originally Posted by {TEX}Hawaii((

tattedupboy wrote:



Disagree on GA being "one of the worst"... The pubic gathering law is confusing and many LEs in GA admit that they do not know what the law means as well. Overall, GA still has some of the best laws that protect lawful gun owners and those of us who carry. Chruches fall under a different provision, not PG... I would like to see the PG eliminated or clarified, but I wouldn't go around saying GA is one of the "worst shall issue" states.

I would, and it's precisely because of the public gathering law. Get rid of that, and I may change my position, but until then, yes, it is one of the worst.