Governor Perdue finally signed HB 89 into law the very last day he could in 2008. By waiting so long he gave the liberal media and other anti-gun groups several extra weeks to rant and rave about the bill, then brought it back to the forefront, giving them another chance to say silly stuff. If he had signed it as soon as it hit his desk he could have avoided many of those anti-gun comments.
One of the more strange claims was made by Robert Hiett, president of the Georgia Transit Association, a group urging Perdue to veto the bill. He said “Whether it is a large urban bus, passenger rail or rural shuttle bus, the presence of firearms will create a sense of insecurity.”
These folks have a total disconnect from reality. How will passengers know about concealed weapons? They should be thankful if some on the bus have them. An Atlanta Constitution news article on May 16, 2008 titled “Abductor arrested but where is victim?” tells how “A man drove his car in front of a bus, forcing it to the side of the road, then boarded the bus and forced the woman off at gunpoint, Dekalb police said.
What are the odds those passengers felt secure, knowing no law-abiding citizen was able to have a gun on the bus at that time?
No mention if the “abductor” had a concealed carry permit. And he ignored the law. What a surprise. Thugs ignore the law, take guns where ever they want to and commit crimes, while some irrational people yell for laws restricting where law-abiding gun owners can take their guns. People with that mind set will never get the idea of self protection.
The new law does give you some additional places you can carry concealed legally with a permit, but be careful. Gun control fanatics will do everything they can to get around the law. For example, GeorgiaCarry.org reports a Marta official said “MARTA police plan to ask passengers with visible guns to conceal them. They will ask the public not to approach fellow passengers with guns, but to contact MARTA police.” If they harass you, you could get in the middle of a mess.
Be careful in restaurants. Up to now you could walk into KFC with a concealed gun and be legal but if you went next door to Applebys with your gun you would be breaking the law. Now you can carry in Applebys but can not have a alcoholic drink. Don’t mess up and have even one beer while carrying. Some fanatic may be trying to catch you to make a point.
In more discouraging news, Jay Wallace, owner of Adventure Outdoors, had to stop fighting the lawsuit filed against him in New York. After several rulings against him by a very anti-gun judge, he gave in to Bloomberg’s demands that his store be supervised by a court appointed federal monitor. I am sure the cost of the legal fight was part of the reason Mr. Wallace had to give in.
The New York Times crowed about this great win for Bloomberg. They trumped up some numbers to show Bloomberg is fighting crime, ignoring the continued downward trend of crime there for many years. But this is the same newspaper that went back and edited a April 15, 2008 news report. One of their reporters honestly called the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence an “antigun group.” Seems the New York Times won’t allow such honesty, claiming “While it supports some firearms restrictions and enforcement of legal regulations on gun ownership, it is not an “antigun group.”
I hope Mr. Wallace still has his civil suit against Bloomberg in the Georgia courts and does not have to drop it because of his action in the New York courts. He should get a more honest judge and fair treatment here, even if he will not get more accurate and honest coverage from our local liberal media.