Georgia State Rep. Wants to Suspend Enforcement of Concealed Carry Laws During Chinese Virus Crisis
Matt Travis
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The Georgia Generaly Assembly approved an executive order for a public health state of emergency on March 16th. This was done to give Governor Kemp some power to overide Georgia state laws, if needed, to lessen the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
One Republican representative in Georgia, Matt Gurtler, is calling for the Governor to use his powers to stop the enforcement of concealed carry laws.
Gurtler believes that families have a right to defend themselves, particularly with police departments very possibly being overwhelmed with problems associated with the coronavirus pandemic. The state representative says,
We need to suspend enforcement especially during the state of emergency, when so many individuals need to be able to defend themselves and their families and their loved ones and their property.
This is being suggested by Gurtler on the brink of surging gun sales, not just in Georgia, but across the entire country.
Some lawmakers take Gurtler’s approach, seeing more guns in the hands of law abiding citizens, as a net positive. They are happy that the second amendment is allowing citizens the option to be able to defend themselves, especially since police departments are being stretched thin.
On the other hand, there are politicians who are worried about spiking gun sales.
One of Gurtler’s Democrat collegues, Senator Jen Jordan, insists that Gurtler is pushing a dangerous policy.
Jordan believes, “the fact that we’ve seen a spike in sales of guns and ammunition underscores just how wrong Gurtler is.” She also says that the gun sales spike is a result of fear mongering by the NRA, a relatively common Leftist talking point throughout this pandemic.
This particular battle between pro-second amendment politicians and pro-gun control politicians in the Georgia Senate and House is not entirely new, though.
Gurter has advocated for ending the concealed carry permit system in Georgia for some time. He was one the main sponsors of a piece of legislation to allow constitutional carry in Georgia in 2018.
Gurtler would like to see the law changed so that Georgia citizens wouldn’t have to get approval to carry a concealed handgun, and he sees such laws as even more neccessary in times of crisis.
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