Six Georgia legislators have introduced a bill, HB 156, titled the “Georgia Constitutional Carry Act of 2017.” The bill would do away with prohibitions of carrying arms in parks, historic sites, or recreational areas, and changes references that allow the carry of arms from “license holder” to “lawful weapons carrier.”

The effect of the bill would be to allow people who may legally possess firearms to carry them in most public places. The current Georgia carry license is for both open and concealed carry.

The bill wouldn’t repeal the existing Georgia carry shall issue law, leaving it in place for reciprocity between the states, and to act as an alternative for the NICS check to purchase firearms.

Georgia is one of 25 Republican trifecta states. The Governor is a Republican and the GOP has majorities in both legislative houses. While Governor Nathan Deal was a Democrat until 1995, Nate Silver of the fivethirtyeight.com rated him the 4th most conservative in the country in 2013.

Governor Deal signed the Safe Carry Protection Act in 2014. It was a significant carry reform bill, in an election year. He also vetoed a campus carry bill in 2016. His final term ends in 2018.

Georgia Gun owners says they have over 100,000 signatures on a petition in support of constitutional carry in Georgia. Passage would make the Peach State the twelfth constitutional carry state in the nation.

In 2017,  Indiana, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Texas, Virgina, Utah, and Wisconsin are currently considering constitutional carry. The number considering constitutional carry may increase as the year progresses.

©2017 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.

Gun Watch

31 COMMENTS

  1. I think he means West Virginia. Virginia just killed it’s annual constitutional carry bill. Again.

  2. You also left out Wyoming.

    Not that any of them are actual “constitutional carry.” Lots and lots of “infringements” left in all of them. Yes, of course, it’s better than New Jersey or California. But it is a problem if you object to other people having any control over how you defend your absolute right to life, and to defending your life.

  3. The final sentence listing the states with constitutional carry is incorrect. Several of those states do not have constitutional carry.

    • Pretty much. There are still a number of restrictions regarding where one might carry like most other CC states, most of which are mitigated by getting an enhanced permit ($132 permit + basic safety course, but it’s worth having). And you can’t legally carry on your waistband without a holster, which is a weird caveat but who would carry that way?

  4. The “trifecta” means very little. Florida has had that for a very long time and we can’t even get licensed open carry.

  5. Well, someone says the states mentioned concern 2017 legislation, others think the states are current Constitutional Carry states. Who really knows? Dean, let’s write an article on the current status of Constitutional Carry in the US, noting current CC states and pending legislation, and correlate it to a map. Let’s set the record straight and give readers proper, correlated info. I’ll click your freaking Brownell’s ad for that. Missouri is Constitutional Carry, is highlighted in the map, but not mentioned in the article. Who knows what you had in mind for this article?

    • The states listed were those that are considering constitutional carry legislation. Kansas should not have been in that list. A couple of words were mistakenly removed.

    • Whether you can get a concealed carry permit in California depends on where you live. In the coastal cities, not a chance. Elsewhere, good to excellent.

      • so ?VERY wrong on numbers
        70,000 CCW for the WHOLE state of 38 MILLION better chances at winning the lotto!

    • As much as I’d like to say you’re right- you’re not. Much of the state is purportedly almost shall issue- it’s the rathole counties where people live that are the problem

      If you live in Shasta, or Nevada, or San Berdoo, Kern, etc. you should be good to go.

      From what I hear, ALL of NJ is a no go for virtually everyone- even VIPs have trouble.

  6. “Passage would make the Peach State the twelfth constitutional carry state in the nation joining Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Texas, Virgina, Utah, and Wisconsin.”… wow guys fact check first, publish second.

    North Dakota has not yet passed constitutional carry (it’s been introduced again but is not yet law).

  7. Not a fan of Deal, since he vetoed campus carry and because of that would find it hard to ever vote for him for anything. GA state level politicians are mostly in the pocket of whatever special interest group gives out campaign money. That is why craft beer brewers can’t sell take out and why we will get casino gambling this year….you pretty much get the legislation you can buy here.

  8. Constitutional Carry was proposed in Michigan by 4 legislators a year ago. I’ve heard absolutely no news since. My guess is it’s being completely ignored by the state house. Anyone heard the gear squeak? …at all??

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