To amend Part 3 of Article 4 of Chapter 11 of Title 16 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to the carrying and possession of firearms, so as to change certain provisions regarding the transportation of certain firearms; to provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.
Part 3 of Article 4 of Chapter 11 of Title 16 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to the carrying and possession of firearms, is amended by revising Code Section 16-11-126, relating to the offense of carrying a concealed weapon, as follows:
This Code section shall not forbid any person who is not among those enumerated as ineligible for a license under Code Section 16-11-129 from transporting a loaded firearm in any private passenger motor vehicle
in an open manner and fully exposed to view or in the glove compartment, console, or similar compartment of the vehicle; provided, however, that any person in possession of a valid permit issued pursuant to Code Section 16-11-129 may carry a handgun in any location in a motor vehicle.
The key here is that current law demands that a lawfully licensed gun owner has to keep their gun (1) in an open manner and fully exposed to view, or (2) in the glove compartment, console, or similar compartment of the vehicle. Georgia House Bill 89 would do away with that, thus allowing the concealed carry of a gun anywhere in their motor vehicles. Carrying or concealing a gun under their seats, between seat cushions, under visors, on the floorboards would become legal.
First let me get to the mouthbreathing leftist moonbats at the local newspaper. The article’s headline asks:
Do motorists need to hide guns in their cars?
Well, I simply cannot answer that because I don’t have the wisdom to speak for all Georgia motorists … and neither does this author. Leftists and their assumed Moral Authority to speak for all us “great unwashed” sometimes amazes me.
Georgia law already allows gun owners 21 and older to obtain a concealed weapons permit after submitting to a criminal background check. Felons, certain people with a history of mental illness or substance abuse problems, and illegal immigrants are prohibited from obtaining a permit. But Bearden’s bill would allow even those without such permits to hide guns anywhere in their motor vehicles.
Oh my. This heinous piece of legislature, according to the article’s author, would allow felons, certain people with a history of mental illness or substance abuse problems, and illegal immigrants to hide their weapons in their cars. But wait a minute – isn’t it reasonable to assume that felons, certain people with a history of mental illness or substance abuse problems, and illegal immigrants (people ALREADY breaking the law) are ALREADY hiding their guns in violation of existing laws? Criminals already hide guns in their cars, and this law won’t make a difference in how police officers approach a vehicle.
And then within HB 89 is the following:
This Code section shall not forbid any person who is not among those enumerated as ineligible for a license under Code Section 16-11-129 from transporting a loaded firearm in any private passenger motor vehicle.
OK, so what does Code Section 16-11-129 enumerate?
No license or renewal license shall be granted to:
(1) Any person who is prohibited from possessing firearms pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 922;
(1.1) Any person under 21 years of age;
(2) Any person who is a fugitive from justice
(3) Any person who has been convicted of a felony
(4) Any individual who has been hospitalized as an inpatient in any mental hospital or alcohol or drug treatment center
(6) Any person not lawfully present in the United States.
Uh, so the above enumerated persons cannot own a license and cannot transport a loaded firearm in any private passenger motor vehicle. Therefore the newspaper article’s author is either ignorant or a liar. I wonder which it is?
A high-ranking Georgia Senator, President Pro Tempore Eric Johnson (R-Savannah), supports this bill. “A car is an extension of your home,” Johnson said. “The government can’t tell me I have to keep my gun in the garage. Why should they tell me I have to keep it in the trunk? It’s my gun and my car.”
Well, no it isn’t. Your home generally stays where it is, while your car, by its nature, constantly ventures forth into the public. It would be more correct so say that your car is an extension of your body, not your house. What you can carry on your body, not keep in your house, should be allowed in your car.
Forsyth County Sheriff Ted Paxton said the passage of HB 89 won’t make a difference in how deputies approach motor vehicles during traffic stops, which he said are “inherently dangerous.” “Laws are made for honest people,” said Paxton, chairman of the sheriffs’ association training and standards committee. “[Lawbreakers] already carry guns in cars in those places that are not permitted. They already carry them under the seats, they already carry them between the seats. … We are already in a dangerous business as it is.”
In all honesty, why should a lawful gun owner have to pass one set of criteria if they want to carry their gun in the glove compartment or have it lying on the seat next to them but have to pass an entirely different set of criteria if that same gun is under the seat?
Georgia, firearm, handgun, gun, House Bill 89
