I’m glad to see Congressman Bob Barr, who has done more for gun rights in this country, both in and out of Congress, than a lot of other folks, speaking about the Heller case, and also praising some of the excellent work done by GeorgiaCarry.org:
While the debate over firearms rights in Georgia is often seen as a black and white issue — with gun control advocates lining up against the National Rifle Association (for which I serve as a board member) and other pro-Second Amendment groups, and with various media outlets taking sides reflective of the views of their editorial directors — the fact is, there is probably more that is not known about Georgia�s gun laws than is known. At least one group — GeorgiaCarry.Org — is working to educate not only lawmakers, but also journalists and the citizenry, concerning the history and extent of our state’s gun laws.
And closes with this:
These and other firearms-related issues likely will — and should — occupy the attention of our legislators during the 2008 session. One hopes that organizations like the NRA and GeorgiaCarry.Org, will continue to proactively educate and advocate on behalf of the inherent Second Amendment rights of all law-abiding Georgians, just as the lawyers representing such citizens in the District of Columbia will be doing in the Supreme Court early next year.
Hopefully NRA and GeorgiaCarry.org will be able to resolve differences over bills and work together. HB 915 is mostly a fine bill, with laudable and necessary objectives, but including the provision scuttling the parking lot bill was guaranteed to ensure NRA would not get behind it. Sometimes to work together, you have to put minor differences aside. Car carry is important to some gun owners, and while I don’t agree with it, if HB 915 is important to you, it’s not exactly a winning move to be selfish about your concerns, while saying someone else’s don’t matter.
I think reasonable people can disagree on the property rights aspects, I certainly have my views, which contrast against NRA’s and more than a few of my readers, I understand that taking that position has its consequences with other gun owners who disagree with me.
I do as well and it is not like we have not put reached out with an olive branch of peace toward them. Sadly, they have snubbed it, which is the focus of our [both the GCO and Georgia GFL holders] frustration with them. Perhaps, in the future we can find a middle ground to work on. I just don’t think, regrettable, it will be this. I also believe you are right with the need to tone down the rhetoric, of which I am even guilty of myself. Perhaps, now or in the future the leadership of both should sit down and have a dialog with each other, to prevent this sort of blood letting of happen again.
Setting up a competing bill that scuttles their favored bill, and then bashing them for not getting behind your bill, isn’t an olive branch of peace. That’s actually an underhanded political move that guarantees the creation of bad blood.
Rightly or wrongly, NRA committed themselves to getting the parking lot bill passed, and they will have to follow through for the sake of their membership that supports the measure.
I think HB89 will do much more in a practical sense for Georgia gun owners than HB915. As Sebastian pointed out in an earlier comment, most NRA members in Georgia aren’t carrying concealed, but they do want to be able to have their hunting/target gun in their vehicles at work without fear of being fired. Much as carry advocates might not want to admit it, the NRA is actually better serving the larger portion of the GA membership by pushing HB89 instead of HB915.
Really, push the bill that has a huge affect on 85% of your members, or the bill that has a big affect on only 20% of your members? Joe Hunter that works at the GeorgiaPacific mill in Bittytown, GA and doesn’t even own a handgun (and makes up the bulk of NRA’s GA membership) doesn’t really give a rats ass that he can’t legally walk by a bus stop with a concealed weapon. The only public transportation he’s ever used was the school bus, anyway.
And, carry permit holders do benefit from HB89 too, since they have protection for keeping their carry gun in their car at work.