Clayton Cramer’s column in the current edition of Shotgun News, a national periodical with circulation in the hundreds of thousands, recommends GCO as the cure for a law that is “not very well thought out.”

It’s a good thing that the shooter was carrying his handgun, apparently in violation of Georgia law.  I don’t think Ojeda returned to the bar with a gun because the bar was out of swizzle sticks.  It makes you wonder: if he had [not] been shot, might Ojeda have killed several people in the bar, and become a national headline instead?  . . .

What is clear is that the current Georgia law, and that of other states that criminalize handgun possession for simply being in a place where alcohol is being served, make no sense.  This incident in Norcross is one more example of how a gun-free zone makes people less safe, not more.  If you live in Georgia, you might want to contact GeorgiaCarry.org at http://www.georgiacarry.org to see what you can do to correct this not very well thought out law.

Pick up a copy at your local newstand!

The Newnan Times Herald reported GCO’s victory in the Georgia Court of Appeals, and the county attorney is quoted indicating that he will present the court’s decision to the Board of Commissioners before any decision is made on appealing to the Supreme Court. From the end of the news story:

“We are pleased the court of appeals saw the clear and obvious preemption of Coweta County’s ordinance by state law,” said John Monroe, lead attorney for Georgia Carry.

“Coweta County residents and park visitors all can feel safer now, knowing that the county’s attempt to make its parks ‘victim disarmament zones’ has been thwarted.”

The order is still subject to review, said Lee, though he doesn’t expect any major changes. When a final order is issued, he will present it to the commissioners, who will decide whether to appeal the decision.

Georgia has a statewide preemption law, but a small minority of Georgia cities and counties insist on violating it by enacting local ordinances regulating the carry and possession of firearms. GCO has been alone on the front lines of enforcing the state preemption statute against recalcitrant local governments. As a result, on December 4, 2007, a unanimous panel of the Georgia Court of Appeals issued a concise opinion holding that the preemption statute means exactly what it says in “plain language.”

[W]e are mindful of the “golden rule” of statutory construction, which requires that we follow the literal language of the statute unless doing so “produces contradiction, absurdity or such an inconvenience as to insure that the legislature meant something else.” And the plain language of the statute expressly precludes a county from regulating “in any manner [the]. . . carrying . . . of firearms.” Under these circumstances, the preemption is express, and the trial court erred in concluding otherwise.

(Emphasis added). You may read the entire Court of Appeals opinion here. GCO wishes to thank attorney John Monroe for his diligent efforts on behalf of GCO and the right to bear arms in Georgia.