Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue is faced with the decision to either sign or veto a bill that will loosen state handgun laws. If passed, the bill would allow private citizens to carry concealed guns onto trains, buses, into state parks, historic sights or restaurants that derive at least 50 percent of their revenue from food sales.
Loosening gun laws will not improve safety. Law enforcement, transit workers, business owners and Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin are in agreement that Perdue should veto the bill.
Many of Georgia’s Republican leaders argue that the bill simply protects citizens’ rights to bear arms. The guns will not be allowed into athletic events, churches, political rallies or bars. But allowing guns in other populated public places could be equally dangerous.
If Perdue does pass the bill, Georgia will not be the first state to loosen the laws and allow guns in public. Texas has already adopted similar loose gun laws.
The real danger lies in Georgia’s relaxed rules governing gun permit requirements. A citizen must be 21 years old, fill out an application and submit to a background check. But Georgia has a reputation of easy access to guns.
Gun violence is related to a large number of homicides and more than half of the suicides in the U.S. . Putting more guns on the street will not make it safer. There is a public safety issue if concealed guns are allowed in public places.
The Georgia Restaurant Association agrees. The organization is concerned with arms carriers consuming alcohol. Ron Wolf, the executive director of the association, said in a recent Los Angeles Times article “the blending of firearms and alcohol” is a major concern.
The law would not allow gun carriers to consume alcohol, but it does allow guns in restaurants that sell alcohol. Even with these restrictions, restaurants will not be able to enforce the law unless they subject each customer who orders an alcoholic beverage to a frisk.
The dangerous effects of alcohol are apparent. “Alcohol intoxication brings out people’s natural tendencies in the expression of anger,” said Dominic Parrot, co-author of “Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research,” based on a University of Georgia study. Restaurant workers will be forced to work among patrons possibly carrying firearms.
There is also a safety issue for public transportation workers. Train operators and bus drivers would have to work in conditions they may deem dangerous. To allow this bill to pass, Georgia’s government needs to provide bulletproof glass separating the workers from the passengers.
Georgia Republicans want to strengthen the right of citizens to bear arms, but while ensuring private citizens’ gun rights, the state will be ignoring possible safety issues for workers.
The law will be strengthening the rights of law-abiding citizens to protect themselves in Georgia. The state would also be lowering the law down to a criminal’s level by legalizing the right to concealed weapons in public places such as restaurants and transportation.
Ashley Deffebach is a senior journalism major and a contributing writer for the Daily Forty-Niner.
