Georgia Republicans Ram Gun Ban Through

NRA endorsed Republican State Senators Jesse Stone and Hunter Hill rammed gun control through the Senate Judiciary Non-Civil Committee late yesterday.

NRA lobbyists at the Capitol continue to play games with gun owners, saying they "have the Senate covered," yet their endorsed elected officials routinely stab gun owners in the back.

The Executive Director of another gun group at the Capitol, Georgia Carry, said this last week about the gun bill in the Senate: "Expect them to pass it with some changes and not necessarily bad changes."

Virtually every Senator causing problems is both NRA and Georgia Carry endorsed! Not to mention both the Governor and Lt. Governor are endorsed by them as well.

Are these gun groups naive, power hungry or just afraid to tell their endorsed friends how wrong they are!

We certainly aren't afraid to call out gun-grabbing Republicans when we see them!

We call Senator Stone's and Senator Hill's gun control compromise the "Little Lautenberg Gun Ban."

They added language into the bill that would ban a whole new class of people from getting a weapons license in Georgia for something as simple as spanking your child too hard or getting into verbal disagreement with your ex-spouse.

A similar bill was passed at the federal level in the late 1990s -- the Lautenberg Gun Ban.

But what's even worse, the new version of HB 875 also gutted "church carry" and added a brand new mental health mandate, banning those who receive "involuntary treatment" from possessing a firearm FOREVER!

Banned for something as simple as being ordered to alcohol rehab at some point in your life!

There are now two gun bills still alive -- HB 60 and HB 875. Both are sitting in the Senate waiting for action.

But at this point, with Governor Deal and Lt. Governor Cagle now in full control, gun owners should be on guard for last-second gun control compromise language.

There are just TWO days [next Tuesday and Thursday] left in this session of the General Assembly.

That's why it's vital you call the Governor, Lt. Governor and Senate President Pro Temp AT ONCE!

Tell them you will not support any compromise of your gun rights and that you expect them to stop trying to kill gun bills!

Unfortunately, the group “Georgia Gun Owners” exists primarily to raise funds for its owners, and has had only a negative effect on restoring gun rights in Georgia.

Here’s the inside baseball on this: Gov. Deal and Lt. Gov. Cagle are not pro-gun, but they’re “Republicans” and they know it would be political suicide to veto a gun bill. So instead they make back room deals to kill gun bills in the Assembly so they don’t have to vote on them.

HB875 started as a strong pro-gun bill with no negatives, and passed the House by an enormous margin. It then went to a Senate committee that determines whether or not they send it to the full Senate for a vote.

That committee was chaired by a senator who is up for a $130k/year judgeship that is appointed by Gov. Deal. Since Deal doesn’t want any gun bills to hit his desk, he had the senator rewrite HB875 to water down all its good elements and insert a bunch of bad ones. It was basically a poison pill to ensure that the bill wouldn’t make it out of committee and spineless senators wouldn’t have to make a publicly recorded vote on a gun bill, and Deal wouldn’t have to sign or veto it.

But the House was clever, and tired of the Senate and Governor making secret deals to avoid a public vote on a gun bill as they did in 2012. So they took HB60, which was a relatively non-controversial bill about carry permits for retired judges that had already passed the Senate, and rewrote it to include almost all of the original pro-gun language from HB875. They then voted to pass their new version of HB60 by another large margin.

Because HB60 had already passed the Senate in its original form, the new version does not go to another Senate committee. The Senate as a whole has to vote on it and those votes are public record.

HB875 is dead. It was the intention of those in the Senate and the governor to kill it, and it will not even be voted on in its new form. So its poison-pill language is irrelevant. The only active gun bill in Georgia now is HB60, and it’s a great pro-gun bill as it exists now. It doesn’t have everything we want but it doesn’t have any negatives.

The best action going forward is to call, write, fax, and/or email Deal, Cagle, and your senator, and politely ask them to support HB60 as it’s currently written. Forget about the dead HB875, and remember the old adage about catching more flies with honey.

Originally, the NRA was not as involved in the political process as it is today. In 1980, they endorsed a US presidential candidate (Ronald Reagan) for the first time in their history. Since then, the NRA has had many important speakers attend Congressional hearings and make public appearances. There is a large, 75-member board of directors that meet and discuss important current events and issues regarding firearms. The NRA also publishes five different gun-related magazines. Some gun control groups challenge the NRA’s operations, stating that they are promoting gun use and that guns should be controlled. This hasn’t stopped the National Rifle Association, and they still remain one of the most influential groups of civil rights activists in the nation today.
The NRA, or National Rifle Association, is an American non-profit organization originally established in 1871 in New York that helps to protect gun owners and ensure they are able to exercise their right to bear arms. According to the Second Amendment of the United States Bill of Rights, citizens are afforded the right to purchase and own guns. The NRA also focuses on gun safety, and offers courses to those who are interested. There are currently over four million members of the NRA, and statistics show that this number is steadily growing. The organization also promotes gun shooting skills and self-defense, as well as the ability to own guns and use them as a means for self-defense.

Many in Washington, D.C. consider the National Rifle Association to be the most powerful of all lobbying groups. They have fought tirelessly for the rights of American citizens to bear arms, The NRA is now the oldest continual group dedicated to fighting for civil liberties in the United States. The NRA hosts an annual Rifle and Pistol Match at Camp Perry, Ohio, where marksmen from across the country come to compete. It is known as one of the most important competitive shooting events in the country. Aside from the annual contest, the NRA also oversees other official marksmen events. Until 1992, they were also the governing body for the US Olympic shooting team.

I'm pinging the GA ping list on this 2A activism tip from Turbopilot. See his #47 and please contact Cagle and others on HB60. His post is worthwhile reading for what feels like an accurate take on what happens behind the scenes.

I'm also going to post the GACarry.org item on this issue, as it has contact info:

Senators Jesse Stone and Hunter Hill Severely Weaken HB875 March 13th, 2014

Wednesday, March 12, the Senate Judiciary Non-Civil Committee met without inviting the sponsor of HB875 and introduced a substitute bill to severely weaken the bill. The substitute which changes churches to opt in with the permission of the owner of the church, gives preemption to local governments on carry into government buildings and adds family violence battery (which means if you touch your wife and she does not want to be touched, you have committed family violence battery) was introduced by Senator Hunter Hill. These changes are not acceptable to GeorgiaCarry.Org nor are they acceptable to the NRA.

This move appears to be another step in the assurance of the appointment of a judgeship to Senator Stone.

The vote was a 3-3 tie until Senator Stone voted to break the tie.

The only Senator who spoke up for the Second Amendment and voted against the substitute was Senator Josh McKoon who stated his displeasure with the weakening of the bill. Every Member of GeorgiaCarry.Org should contact Senator Josh McKoon and email thank him for standing up for them and the Second Amendment.

This is exactly why GCO worked with the House to get HB60 passed to the Senate as we were certain Jesse Stone and his committee would introduce this type substitute to a very good gun bill that would render it almost useless in advancing the Second Amendment in GA. The Senate now has a good gun bill (HB60) and a very weakened gun bill (HB875) that insures they will have to decide whether they are Second Amendment Proponents or Second Amendment Opponents. Their vote in the next couple of days will be evidence of where they stand.

What is the current status of each of the bills?

HB875 will now go to Senate Rules Committee with the possibility of going to the floor for a vote. HB60 is still on the floor and available for a Senate vote whenever the Lt. Governor sees fit to bring it to the floor.

What do we do now?

Continue to Contact Officials

Now, we need you to continue to contact the Governor Nathan Deal, Lt. Governor Casey Cagle, President Pro Tempore David Shafer and your Senator in that order. We need you to call, write, FAX and email the above people if at all possible. We would like to see everyone’s email box and voice mail full if they are not already full. We need to send the following message to everyone in those positions:

Simply tell them, “I am a “member of GeorgiaCarry.Org and I want this bill passed as it passed the House. There is no reason for the State of Georgia to continue to deny my God given constitutionally enumerated rights to self-protection. It is time the Senate passes a good gun bill that allows law-abiding citizens such as myself to protect myself wherever I might be. Please pass HB60 as it was amended and passed by the House.”

It is imperative that you let these people know that you want to see HB60 passed as it was amended and passed the House. Be short and to the point in all communications with your senator. As stated in the past and we continue to state, please show your elected officials respect when contacting them in any manner. Threats of never voting for them get you nowhere very quickly and hurt, rather than help our cause.

Contact Information for Governor Nathan Deal

Address:

The Office of the Governor
State of Georgia
203 State Capitol
Atlanta, Georgia 30334

Address for mail:

206 Washington Street
Suite 203, State Capitol
Atlanta, GA 30334
Phone:
Fax:

In order to email the Governor, you must go here and fill out the form:

====================

Contact Information for the Lt. Governor, Casey Cagle

Office of the Lieutenant Governor

240 State Capitol
Atlanta, GA 30334
Phone:
Fax:

In order to email the Lt. Governor, you must go here and fill out the form:

====================

Contact Information for President Pro Tempore, David Shafer

Capitol Office

321 State Capitol
Atlanta, GA 30334
Phone:
Fax:

Email: david.shafer@senate.ga.gov

District Information

P.O. Box 880

Duluth, GA 30096

Phone:

Email: david.shafer@senate.ga.gov

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.