On wednesday, Georgia governor Nathan Deal has signed the state's gun act which critics had dubbed the "guns everywhere bill." The signing of the Safe Carry Protection Act was done in north Georgia, on the edge of the Chattahoochee National Forest and Cohutta Wilderness area, USA Today reported.
Deal said about the new law, "Our state has some of the best protections for gun owners in the United States. And today we strengthen those rights protected by our nation's most revered founding document."
The law, which will have native licensed gun owners and visitors with licensed guns to carry firearms in public areas like bars or certain government buildings which do not have security measures, will be in effect on July 1st. The law will also provide freedom to school districts and religious leaders to decide whether to permit the carriage of firearms in their buildings.
USA Today said Deal's office said that the governor had signed the bill in north Georgia because House Speaker David Ralston represents the area. Ralston reportedly championed the measure in the state House.
The new law has ignited intense debate between supporters and opponents of firearms. According to the National Rifle Association, the state law was the most comprehensive pro-firearm reform legislation that was introduced in recent history. Executive director Jerry Henry of GeorgiaCarry.org had thought that the bill allows individuals to protect themselves everywhere they go.
Former Arizona congresswoman Gabby Giffords-co-founded Opponents include Americans for Responsible Solutions expressed their dismay over the passing of the bill, and said the new law moved Georgia out of the mainstream. It can be recalled that Giffords suffered head trauma after being shot in a 2011 shooting in Tucson. Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America national spokeswoman Lucia McBath, whose son Jordan Davis was fatally shot over a dispute to loud music, said that the bill is a very dangerous kill law.
