Georgia Supreme Court Rules in Favor of Second Amendment Restrictions

On Monday, the Georgia Supreme Court handed down a unanimous vote against citizens’ Second Amendment rights on school property. The ruling pertained to a pair of bills that were previously passed by the state Legislature and signed into law in 2014.

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Although House Bill 826 allows licensed gun owners to bring their firearms onto school property, House Bill 60 only allows guns on school property is when someone is dropping off or picking up a student, stating firearms on school property in any other situation is still prohibited.

Georgia Governor Nathan Deal signed HB 826 allowing firearms on school property on April 22, 2014, but immediately signed HB 60 the next day to prohibit guns on school property except when picking up or dropping off.

The justices said Monday, their decision came down to one thing: when the bills became law. Since both laws “cannot ‘reasonably stand together,’ the later enacted bill controls,” the court ruled. “We agree with the trial court’s conclusion that their provisions relating to the carrying of weapons within a school safety zone are in irreconcilable conflict.”

John Monroe, attorney for the gun rights group GeorgiaCarry.org which introduced the case to the Supreme Court, said he wasn’t surprised by the decision.

“There’s not (fundamentally) a difference in theories between school carry and campus carry… people have an emotional knee-jerk reaction to the idea of campus carry in any context. It’s just an emotional reaction,” Monroe said of Monday’s ruling.

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Georgia Carry’s suit was joined by two fathers in Gwinnett and Fulton Counties who said the law left parents questioning when a licensed gun owners could legally carry in and around their childrens’ schools.

“As a parent, it’s my responsibility to look out for my family,” said James Johnson, whose children attend New Prospect Elementary School in Alpharetta.

Thanks to Governor Deal’s decision to sign one bill into law after another, parents and citizens in Georgia are now only able to carry to protect their families and innocent children in school zones while dropping off or picking up students.

Way to go, Governor.

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