Georgia Governor Brian Kemp
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

From the Firearms Policy Coalition . . .

Firearms Policy Coalition issued the following statement in response to Governor Brian Kemp signing Senate Bill 319. Effective immediately, the law removes concealed carry permit requirements for adults 21 years of age or older who are not otherwise prohibited from owning a firearm. Under this new law, the existing system remains optional for residents who still want to have a permit.

While tyrants at the local, state, and federal levels regurgitate tired and disproven arguments in their efforts to eviscerate the Second Amendment, Georgia Governor Brian Kemp has chosen to advance liberty by signing permitless carry legislation passed by state lawmakers of both houses earlier this month. The FPC-supported Senate Bill 319 rightfully eliminates the unconstitutional permit requirement for people to carry concealed or open, and codifies the inalienable, natural right to defend one’s life.

FPC applauds Gov. Kemp for his leadership in making Georgia the 25th state to pass legislation returning the natural right to keep and bear arms to the People. We also thank the Georgia lawmakers who courageously stood for liberty and the rights of individuals, specifically the bill’s authors, Sen. Jason Anavitarte and Rep. Mandi Ballinger. Along with the three other states which have passed similar permitless carry legislation in 2022 (Alabama, Ohio, and Indiana), Georgia has proven instrumental in the fight to restore the fundamental human right to self-defense.

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78 COMMENTS

    • Would have been 26 today, if not for Nebraska failing to pass their version yesterday.

      C’mon, California!

      • “Would have been 26 today, if not for Nebraska failing to pass their version yesterday.”

        *Maybe* Florida can get their act together in the upcoming ‘special session’.

        We can now truthfully say fully1/2 the country doesn’t require a permission slip, with just one more, we can then say ‘Over one-half of America’ doesn’t need a permission slip, and rub their noses in it while giggling like an 8 year-old school girl.

        C’mon, Florida, and Nebraska! 🙂

        And we still have the upcoming announcement of the SCotUS “NY Pistol” case, still to be announced, that should enrage Leftist Scum far and wide… 🙂

      • “The “glass” is now half full. Before it was nearly empty.”

        A glass half empty means there is plenty of room for more.

        • Things are much much better than they were before. And yes it can get even better. At one time it was only “Vermont carry.” Now it’s in 25 states. And hopefully more to come.

          But only if people in those states are willing to put in the work to make it a reality.

  3. “Its victory if you were shy of half before.”

    In what arena do you celebrate only half success? Even “better’n nuthin'” isn’t victory.

    Is it good to have 25 states with permitless carry? Yes. Is it fist pumping time? NO !

    And never forget, the 25 states who have permitless carry are always at risk of being reversed at the polls. Permitless carry is temporary. Even if you use it, you can lose it.

      • “And Sam I Am wins the wet-blanket award for the day!”

        Simply being realistic. We are too easy/quick to celebrate “victory” that is less than overwhelming. In sports, do we celebrate victory as being a “base on balls”, “single to center field”, first pass completion in a Super Bowl game, a Master’s green jacket for hitting the first ball off the tee?

        Yes, another state with permitless carry is a temporary good thing, but rather than satisfaction we should be focused on number 49.

        I am the servant on Caesar’s chariot reminding, “All fame is fleeting”.

        • Half the nation is pretty much about half a nation more than we had only 20 years ago. I call that progress in the right direction.

          Sam, did you parents ever encourage you along the way during any of your childhood endeavors, or save all their praise for only when you completely succeeded at the end?

        • Freedom is always one generation away from being lost. Which is why it’s always been so important to teach it to future Generations.

        • “Sam, did you parents ever encourage you along the way during any of your childhood endeavors, or save all their praise for only when you completely succeeded at the end?”

          For some strange reason, I have a hard time imagining Samuel had parents… 🙂

        • “it’s indicative of a progressing trend…”

          “progressive trend”? Sam I Am, progressive?

          Actually….I am an adherent to Genghis Khan. One village is not enough; destroy them all. There is no victory until the Dems and Leftists are no longer recognizable political movements. Using all legal means, reduce Dems and Lefties to the equivalent of public interest in the Whig party.

        • “Actually….I am an adherent to Genghis Khan. One village is not enough; destroy them all.”

          That’s exactly what Putin is doing right now… 🙁

    • Georgia didn’t have constitutional carry, now Georgia has constitutional carry – its a victory.

      We had 24 states with constitutional carry, we now have 25 states with constitutional carry – its a victory.

      If you are expecting the whole country then you can say its not a victory, but its not realistic at this point to expect the whole country. So any gains towards more than what we had is a victory.

      Its not a game or an arena. Its a goal for each state, and when that goal is achieved its a victory. Before Georgia had no constitutional carry, now it does – 100% victory in that arena and Georgia is the arena in which the difference between half and all in achieving the goal is a victory.

      • “So any gains towards more than what we had is a victory.”

        Actually we have 25 bricks in the wall. The wall is the victory; the bricks are the necessities for victory.

        Can we get to 49? Maybe not, but less than 38 leaves us at risk, while simultaneously presenting the heavy burden of holding the 38. We need 75% of the states to pass and hold permitless carry, if we want a game-changing wave.

        Raise a shot glass of favored liquid, then push forward, excelsior!

      • “If I’m batting .500 in the majors I’m kicking butt!”

        True, dat.

        However….(you knew there would be a “however”)….

        The point of batting is not achieving a certain batting average, but to get hits and home runs so your team can win. Teams don’t win because an individual successfully bats 50% of the time.

        The point is to not get too self-assured when playing the long game.

  4. We should start a betting pool on the next state to pass constitutional carry.

    I honestly cannot venture a guess. What do the rest of you think?

    • “We should start a betting pool on the next state to pass constitutional carry.”

      Florida looks reasonably likely, a special session to deal with skyrocketing insurance rates is being called, and DeSantis has stated he will sign it, if the send it to him.

      We will see, I’m not holding my breath…

  5. Good News For Georgia!! Unfortunately Nebraska fails to pass constitutional carry it died earlier this week. Hopefully FL and maybe other states will join as well.

    • Yes I cant can not understand why Nebraska is not a constitutional carry state. Seems like it should be.

  6. Good news is halfway there. Bad news is this will be one of those stupid political footballs constantly being beaten back and forth as state legislatures change party makeup. Unless, of course, SCOTUS steps in. Same-sex marriage was legal at least in part in 38 states before SCOTUS decided Obergefell. If we take shall-issue states into account we’re way past 38.

  7. Hey, actual serious legal question here, anyone with half a brain is welcome to chime in! Is a non-resident from another constitutional carry state allowed to carry in GA without a permit from their respective state? I understand that GA now has reciprocity with every other state’s carry permit, but what about other CC states? Thanks for your help with this!

    • Nathan Freeman,

      Your question is a very important question. Some states apply their constitutional carry status to non-residents and some do NOT. I do not know if Georgia’s constitutional carry law applies to non-residents.

      Anyone?

    • Just going by what I’ve read in news reports, no. You will have to have a CCW permit from your home state to carry in Georgia, and in most other states with permit less carry. As with Alabama’s recent change, carry is with a reciprocal permit only for non residents. Just my opinion, any state with permit less carry should allow anyone from another permit less carry state to have the same right.

  8. One more state free, 25 more to go.
    No one should rest until we are all free!
    At this point as we move past half, it is a good indicator for precedent if this were to go to a challenge. That is critically important.

  9. no noticeable rise in the crime rate in states that have this speaks volumes….and belies the leftist narrative…they said the same thing when cc first became popular…

  10. The more people that carry a gun for self protection, the better off we all are.

    If people were armed in the New York subway today things might have turned out very differently.

  11. “If people were armed in the New York subway today things might have turned out very differently.”

    Would like to think that to be true, but more people shooting blindly through smoke?

    • You assume, like a lot of those on the left, that Americans are too stupid to know when to hold their fire. If that were true then the streets really would be rivers of blood.

    • I do not advocate anyone fire guns blindly. I would not suggest anyone do anything blindly. That is infact exactly what is happening. Just blindly going about their lives without a care in the world, so tunnel vision oblivious to the world around them that no one notices a bad guy doing bad things until its too late to do anything about it.

      I am absolutely saying that people need to open their eyes to the world around them. I’m suggesting the exact opposite from what you described.

      Don’t just buy a gun or even wear it. Practice with it, know it, and understand it. Be aware of its limitations and yours.

      The more people that live by that, that can think for themselves, and put forth effort to be a responsible human…the better off this world would be.

      • “The more people that live by that, that can think for themselves, and put forth effort to be a responsible human…the better off this world would be.”

        Can’t disagree with that.

    • “Would like to think that to be true, but more people shooting blindly through smoke?”

      Well, consider whether the guy tossing the canister has to be the only one present who can use smoke as cover…

      You are kinda presuming he’s it. Of course, looking at what facts we know, he was. But we’re at hypotheticals, yes?

      • “Well, consider whether the guy tossing the canister has to be the only one present who can use smoke as cover…You are kinda presuming he’s it. Of course, looking at what facts we know, he was. But we’re at hypotheticals, yes?”

        That seems like a discussion to continue. Elaborate?

        • Elaboration. There’s a lot of folks in society who are veterans, plus the number of non-vets who have had some level of training. Even my kid knows to stay close to the floor in a smoke-filled room. Smoke can be used as cover by anyone present who knows how, depending on the nature of the smoke. Chemical, less so, but fog only? Again, hypotheticals. Consider the possibility that a normally mild mannered citizen could don his sheepdog hat and use the smoke as cover to get the drop on the perp. The chance is somewhere between slim and none, but I haven’t seen Slim leave town yet. Hypotheticals. And yes, the chance of bullets randomly flying around through the smoke is probably higher.

  12. “You assume, like a lot of those on the left, that Americans are too stupid to know when to hold their fire.”

    Nope, you are assuming you understand my response to a posted comment.

    A comment was posited that made notation that “if” people on the subway were armed, the attack this morning might have gone differently. Since a smoke bomb was used to mask the attacker, I questioned the commenter if things would have gone better if armed people were shooting through smoke, because….there was smoke, and responsible gun owners would not shoot through smoke. Thus, people being armed would not have changed the unfolding events.

    • You are playing word games. You just said gun owners would blindly shoot into a smoke filled passenger rail car. You really are a leftist. You just can’t admit it to yourself. You assume the worst about gun owners just like the left does. The “wild West”???

      • “You are playing word games. You just said gun owners would blindly shoot into a smoke filled passenger rail car. ”

        Surprised you also lept on a wrong conclusion.

        Let me say it again:
        – a comment was posted that posed the idea that if there had been armed people on the subway, events might have turned out differently.
        – the conditions on the subway included activation of a smoke bomb
        – my question was whether armed persons shooting into a smoke cloud (a cloud that existed) would have changed things positively
        – the initiating comment did not take the smoke into account; negating the posit of the commenter about armed citizens making a difference
        – my comment was about re-thinking the original comment and embedded assumptions

        “You assume the worst about gun owners just like the left does.”
        You assume that all gun owners are smart, aware, reasonable and responsible. I happen to know people who shouldn’t be in the same zip code with firearms. So, yes, there are stupid gun owners, who will and do act stupidly. However….

        As a 2A absolutist, I accept that even stupid people have an unalienable right to keep and bear arms. It is a risk I don’t like, but it is a risk inherent in being absolute about RTKBA.

      • “You assume the worst about gun owners”

        No need to assume, the guy in Brooklyn clearly demonstrated his evil intent with a handgun he was carrying in public spaces.

        • All gun owners are criminals? I’ll bet the perp had no permit and he was in a gun free zone. miner, you claim that you are not for gun control, Yet you support biden and you try to paint all gun owners as felons in waiting.

          You are a liar.

        • “you claim that you are not for gun control, Yet you support biden“

          My position is clear, I believe individuals should attend mandatory classroom training regarding rights and obligations of carrying a firearm in public spaces, as well as demonstrate proficiency on a live fire range, before they are permitted to carry firearms in public spaces.

          I believe any adult American should be allowed to own firearms, subject to any restrictions from previous convictions or mental illness.

          And I believe Joe Biden is a far better leader than Donald Trump ever thought about being, I believe Joe Biden is sincerely trying to govern the country, as opposed to the self-enrichment Trump grifter model of ‘leadership’.

        • If joe biden is trying his best then he is a miserable failure. And your required training is nothing but a poll tax. Especially on inner city residents. You’re making a deliberate effort to disarm POC.

          But then it’s obvious from your comments that you embraced fascism long ago.

        • MinorIQ,

          “And I believe Joe Biden is a far better leader than Donald Trump ever thought about being . . . ” Tell me, MinorIQ, which part of Biden’s “success” are you most fond of? The way he f***ed up Afghanistan? His rampant inflation? His unwillingness and/or inability to take action to protect our southern border? His and Pete Buttgig’s masterful handling of our supply chain crisis?? The massive increase in fuel costs?? His brilliant strategies to maintain our energy independence?? His known proclivity to avoid answering press questions about his incompetence??? His brilliant foreign policy?? His complete inability to articulate a single coherent thought?? His masterful handling of China and Russia?????

          MinorIQ, you’re too f***ing stupid to breathe.

  13. As a Georgia resident, I am happy this finally happened.

    On the flip side of the coin, Kemp is a P.O.S! and only did this because it is an election year. He is on the ballot for reelection as Governor and he is trying to paint himself in a positive light when the report just dropped that he fought against True The Vote and exposing the election fraud in Georgia.

    He’s a bought and paid for shill.

    NO VOTES FOR TURNCOATS!

    • Who else is running? What would be the alternative? I don’t much care for DJT, but would vote for him well ahead of anything the Dementiacrats could put forth. Not a big fan of Kay Ivey, but don’t see anyone better wanting the job. Sometimes you have little choice in who to vote for. Sometimes you vote for the 1 who will do the least damage, rather than either party or person.

  14. @I Haz A Question
    “Sam, did you parents ever encourage you along the way during any of your childhood endeavors, or save all their praise for only when you completely succeeded at the end?”

    Yes. Unearned praise leads to satisfaction with less than is required. My parents didn’t think simply showing up was an achievement.

    No, I didn’t think my parents didn’t love me. In my time, expectation of actual achievement was the norm for kids. Later, in flight school, I was astonished that students needed only be 80% competent in order pass all the academic courses. I remember asking my instructor why the Air Force was satisfied with 80% pilots.

    • As a pilot later on in your AF career, you’ve seen the results of 80 percent competency in flight control, I’m sure.

      One of my pop’s stories about rapidly exiting an airfield under mortar attack in the late 1960s in Nam in a C-130 was that he kept as low as possible as long as possible. The old adage of very few old, bold pilots applied…

  15. @Chris T in KY
    “Freedom is always one generation away from being lost. Which is why it’s always been so important to teach it to future Generations.”

    Yes !

    One of the few statements of Ronaldo Maximus I remember; always resonated with me.

    • He is still on of my favorite Presidents. Even with his “Mulford Act” history. He started the process to show the public, that government was not really your friend.

      • “He started the process to show the public, that government was not really your friend.”

        Inside government, we used to laugh and joke about that….before he said it.

  16. @Chris T in KY
    “But only if people in those states are willing to put in the work to make it a reality.”

    That is the point. The first 25 may prove to be the easiest to convert. Not only do other states have to “put in the work”, the first 25 must provide major assist to others. This latter is not a given. Americans have a long-standing, but bad, habit of thinking that once a problem is “solved/fixed”, the matter is over and done.

    • What got constitutional carry in Kansas was a football player, a lot of money, and a lot of bitching

    • “…well isn’t that just peachy”

      Georgia, peachy…

      Badump-bump! 😉

  19. @Geoff “I’m getting too old for this shit” PR”
    “For some strange reason, I have a hard time imagining Samuel had parents… 🙂”

    So did my parents.

  20. “That’s exactly what Putin is doing right now… 🙁”

    “War is all hell.”
    – Gen. William Sherman

    The Russians don’t do nice war. Fortunately, if anything can be fortunate in war, Putin hasn’t ordered utter destruction. To be in the same class with Genghis Khan, Putin would need to order that the Russian army simply burn, destroy, and kill anything above ground.

    My comment about Khan was political, not kinetic.

  21. @hawkeye
    “Consider the possibility that a normally mild mannered citizen could don his sheepdog hat and use the smoke as cover to get the drop on the perp.”

    Hhhhmmmm. That is something I did not consider. I don’t know what a subway ride in NYC looks like. Would it be possible to crawl unobstructed along the center aisle of a subway car?

    • I’ve not been on a NYC train, but have been on several others. I presume they are much the same. You’d get stomped in the aisle. I was thinking under the seats, on your back. Because of the angles, the perp would have to be on the floor too, or walking the aisle looking between the seats, to spot you, but all he’d see, if indeed anything, is the beginnings of a muzzle flash.

      However, if I’m the only one who thought that, then maybe Slim did leave town after all. I can’t ride every train. We need more hunters.

      • “I was thinking under the seats, on your back. Because of the angles, the perp would have to be on the floor too, or walking the aisle looking between the seats, to spot you…”

        Thanx. Might have taken a month or more or me to think about doing that. Just might work.

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