Gun-Carry Protection

Background. On April 3, 2009, the last day of the legislative session, Senator David Shafer introduced S.B. 291, a gun-carry bill with several components. During the 2010 session, it passed the Senate March 24th, the House April 27th, and the governor vetoed it June 8, 2010.

Far-reaching components of that 2009/2010 bill, allowed anyone with a gun-carry permit to have that licensed firearm in the vehicle when dropping off or picking up passengers at airports or airport facilities. The GBI would have done a background check on U.S. citizens, charged a fee for the investigation and I.C.E. officials would have verified renewal eligibility of non-citizens. Licenses issued to former law enforcement officers would have had a distinctive style or color, making them readily identifiable. And there was more to that bill.

Most importantly, S.B. 291 repealed a Georgia law that violated the Second Amendment. It would have prohibited the seizure of firearms by state and local officials, including the National Guard or other personnel of a political subdivision receiving state funds. If S.B. 291 had not been vetoed, it would have authorized lawsuits against any person violating these provisions.

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