Georgia: Anti-Gun Legislation Introduced in the House

House Bill 232 was recently introduced in the Georgia House of Representatives.  Sponsored by state Representative Pedro Marin (D-96), HB 232 would change Georgia’s current carry laws to require first-time applicants to take basic firearm training in order to obtain a weapons carry license.  While the National Rifle Association is the foremost firearms training organization in the United States, training should not be a requirement to exercise a constitutional right.  Please contact your state Representative and urge them to OPPOSE HB 232.

House Bill 232 would require most gun license applicants to first complete a training course that would introduce the features of the handgun and a brief explanation of the loading, firing and unloading of a firearm.  However, it would not require the applicant to actually fire a firearm. HB 232 does not provide specifically where the training would come from, nor does it provide a guide on potential costs associated with this training.  All that HB 232 provides is that the instructor must be a law enforcement officer, nationally recognized organization that promotes gun safety or a licensed firearms dealer.  HB 232 is another added burden of cost and time for a person who may be in a dire self-defense situation and would like to exercise their constitutional right to carry a firearm for self-defense.

Also, with a complete disregard for the U.S. Constitution and the fundamental rights of Georgia residents, state Representative Mary Margaret Oliver (D-82) introduced House Bill 10 which would ban commonly owned semi-automatic firearms and require their confiscation.

HB 10 would ban the possession, sale, transport, distribution or use of the most popular and commonly owned semi-automatic firearms sold today by classifying them as “assault weapons.”  In addition, it would prohibit the sale and transfer of standard capacity ammunition magazines labeling them as “large-capacity magazines,” as well as .50 caliber cartridges.  This gun control legislation would do nothing to prevent crime and would only burden law-abiding gun owners and sportsmen in Georgia, potentially turning them into criminals overnight.

Please contact your state Representative and urge them OPPOSE both House Bill 232 and House Bill 10.