You no longer need a permit to conceal and carry a handgun in Georgia.
Georgia Governor Brian Kemp, a Republican, signed into law the contentious “Georgia Constitutional Carry Act,” which allows everyone in the state to carry around concealed weapons without a permit. Unlicensed people can now carry a handgun anywhere that a licensed permit holder can.
It makes Georgia the second state this year to adopt a permitless carry law for handguns. Alabama signed into law a similar measure this year as well.
The only exception to Georgia’s law are people with felons or someone who has had mental health treatment in the past five years.
The bill also allows people authorized to carry weapons in other states to carry weapons in Georgia without a permit.
During the signing ceremony yesterday, state senator Jason Anavitarte, Republican, claimed it was a victory for the constitutional rights of Georgians, and that the law is about self-protection and “disincentivizing” (sic) criminals.
But others disagree, saying that the law puts Georgians in danger, especially with a surge of mass shootings across the country. Just yesterday, a shooting in New York injured at least 23 in the New York City subway, on the same day that this measure was passed in Georgia.
Gov. Kemp is up for re-election this year. If he wins the Republican primary, he will likely face off against Stacey Abrams in the midterms, the Democratic candidate.
Abrams tweeted yesterday that Kemp knows very well that states that pass “#criminalcarry” see an increase in gun violence, and furthermore, that he knows Georgians, regardless of politics, oppose the bill.
According to some studies, 70 percent of Georgians disapprove of the bill.
Kemp says the bill protects against crime and lawlessness. He specifically pointed at “daughters” now being allowed to protect themselves without state government protection when he signed the bill into law.
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