The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Deal’s remarks bring on a scramble
State legislators hope to address governor’s campus-carry issues.
Gov. Nathan Deal’s decision this week to question the state Legislature’s decision to legalize firearms on all public colleges in Georgia has lawmakers, lobbyists and activists scrambling for a response just days before the legislative session ends.
Separate bills dealing with the state’s gun laws are still under consideration in the House and Senate, with committees in both chambers
passing out gun-related legislation Tuesday that could eventually be used to stop parts of House Bill 859 that Deal does not like. None of them, however, was changed Tuesday to address the governor’s concerns.
The original bill, HB 859, won final passage Friday, and it cannot be changed as it sits on Deal’s desk for his signature. The bill would allow anyone 21 or older with a weapons license to carry a gun anywhere on a public college or university campus, except for inside dormitories, fraternities and sorority houses, and at athletic events. Everywhere else on campus, including child care centers, music concert venues and classrooms, would be open under the bill.
The governor, however, issued a statement late Monday calling on lawmakers to make revisions to that plan, saying he was concerned that guns would be brought into child care centers. He also said he had concerns about high school students who are dualenrolled in college courses on campuses that allow firearms — which happens to include every single public college and university in Georgia.
Of course, other vehicles exist that could be used to accomplish the governor’s goals. Other, minor, gun bills are moving in both the House and Senate. Two questions on lawmakers’ minds Tuesday, however, were: What exactly is the governor asking for? And why now, after the original bill passed?
Deal, facing a phalanx of reporters Tuesday, said the timing seemed right for his call for a gun bill overhaul.
“Well, because this is the first time I’ve had the chance to speak about it,” he said when asked why he waited until after the legislation reached his desk to press for changes to it. “I never knew what the final version of the bill would be.”
But that runs contrary to how the governor has historically worked with lawmakers. Deal has long said he likes to be involved in the process to avoid problems like this after a bill has passed.
Deal was more circumspect about what specific fixes he sought. He said he likely wouldn’t dictate to lawmakers how to make the changes he seeks, saying he’s “a little reluctant to try to tell them how to draft legislation.”
With just three session days left before lawmakers adjourn for the year March 24, the development has the House and the governor in a staring contest to see who blinks first: Will the House, which originally pushed HB 859, backtrack on its desire for campus carry? Or will the governor veto a pro-gun bill in an election year?
On Tuesday, Deal said the best route could be giving state higher education officials more flexibility to draft their own rules and regulations. House leaders may be re- luctant to hand over so much authority to the higher education officials, who over the years have been among the biggest opponents of campus carry.
Lawmakers, lobbyists and advocates on both sides said their biggest question was whether Deal wanted any college that hosts a dual-enrollment program to be exempt from campus carry. It’s an important distinction because if that’s what the governor wants, House leaders are unlikely to go along. All 29 University System and 22 technical college system schools offer dual-enrollment programs for those younger students, meaning every college and university would be exempt from the bill, making it essentially pointless.
Speaker David Ralston, R-Blue Ridge, made clear in his statement that the governor must offer specific recommendations.
If it becomes law, the bill would make Georgia the ninth state to allow campus carry, with nearly two dozen others allowing individual schools to decide. Supporters of the legislation have linked their effort to the safety of students, noting events such as recent robberies at Georgia State University’s downtown Atlanta campus library, which is only steps from the state Capitol.
William Woodall, a lobbyist for the gun rights advocacy group Georgia Carry, said he believes the governor will do the right thing concerning campus carry supporters.
“I’m confident the governor will totally vet and deliberate on campus carry,” Woodall said. “He’s always been a good advocate for the Second Amendment. He’ll make the right decision for the state of Georgia.”
Another gun rights group, however, was less charitable.
“Governor Deal’s newfound concerns about this critical campus safety bill are baffling,” said Catherine Mortensen, a spokeswoman for the National Rifle Association. “Two weeks ago he said the existing argument against it ‘lacks validity.’ The evidence is clear, students are safer on campuses that allow law-abiding gun owners to protect themselves and their fellow students. We are urging our members and supporters in Georgia to contact Governor Deal and respectfully express their support for this campus safety bill.”
The NRA’s statement opens a rift between the gun rights group and the governor it supported in his 2014 re-election campaign. The group spent at least $610,000 on radio and TV ads, mailers and a phone bank backing Deal over former state Sen. Jason Carter of Atlanta.
It also contributed at least $2,500 directly to Deal’s campaign and praised him over the years for his stance on gun legislation, including his decision in 2014 to sign the so-called “Guns Everywhere Bill” expanding where permitted gun owners can take their weapons.