Republican Governor Nathan Deal from Georgia decided to veto bill that allows college students to carry concealed guns onto campuses with some restrictions. The bill has been passed by legislature and will become law.
On July 1, if Governor Nathan Deal signed the deal and not veto the bill, it will effectively become law on that date. However as Washington Post reported, the governor vetoed a bill, rejecting the proposal that a legislature controlled by his own party had easily approved in an election year.
The bill, known as HB 859, was introduced by State Rep. Rick Jasperse (R) and supported by five other representatives. It would allow anyone 21-year old and above to carry a concealed handgun with the proper permit on a public college or university campus, hence the name campus carry.
Across the United States there are eight states that allowed the mandatory enactment of campus carry, they are Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Mississippi, Oregon, Texas, Utah and Wisconsin. While 23 states give the decision to each institution to whether allow the campus carry or not. While 20 states including Georgia disallowed the campus carry.
"If the intent of HB 859 is to increase safety of students on college campuses, it is highly questionable that such would be the result," governor Deal said in his statement as quoted by CNN. "From the early days of our nation and state, colleges have been treated as sanctuaries of learning where firearms have not been allowed. To depart from such time honored protections should require overwhelming justification. I do not find that such justification exists."
Following the veto, Rick Jasperse State Rep. Rick Jasperse expressed his disappointment with unexpected decision.
"I'm disappointed, of course, in the vetoI thought we had made a very good case to the legislature and the public," he said and he promise to continue fighting for the bill to pass. "Don't let the fear of striking out keep you from swinging the bat."
Georgia House Speaker David Ralston also expressed his disappointment in a written statement., "At a time when our Second Amendment rights are under attack, I believed and still believe that it is very important that we do all that is necessary and proper to strengthen our constitutional protections. Georgians should not be required to give up their constitutional rights when they set foot on a college campus."
Previously, the opponent of the bill including Georgia-native the R.E.M frontman Michael Stipe urged the Georgia Governor to veto the bill. In his op-ed for USA Today, Stipe wrote, "Like many other Georgians, I am worried about how guns on campus would affect college life. I worry about what it means when loaded guns are allowed at a tailgate where alcohol is being served."
In his second and final term, Georgia Governor Nathan Deal vetoed bill that allow college students to carry concealed guns onto campuses with some restrictions. He announced the decision on Tuesday.
