Georgia Football: Concealed weapons soon to be allowed at tailgates

The Peach State has passed a new law allowing legal, concealed weapons at Georgia football tailgating events — there are mixed opinions on this.

Georgia has passed a new firearms law, dubbed “campus carry”,  allowing for legal, permitted handgun owners to have their concealed weapons on campus in public, state institutions.

The law is limited to handguns only. HB 280, which goes into effect on July 1, will not allow anyone to bring the weapons into stadiums at athletic events, but it does allow students that are so inclined to bring their weapons into a class as long as there are no underage students in that classroom.

Many are up in arms about the law. Proponents believe this could make our campuses safer. They believe allowing students to defend themselves, as opposed to leaving their safety in the hands of a third party, might stop campus violence.

Furthermore, they believe guns will not equal more violence — it may actually help. Proponents feel gun-free zones do not ensure safety.

Of course, the law has its detractors (many of them), also. Opponents state that the guns could be a distraction in the classroom and could normalize the idea of campus violence.

They also feel that it would encourage illegal gun owners to commit violent crimes on campus. It is true that most of the campus shootings that have occurred in the past were by students carrying weapons that they obtained illegally.

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There are, of course, exceptions to the law, but for now it is part of Georgia state law. In addition, several other states, such as Texas and Tennessee, have passed similar legislation. It will be interesting to see how this plays out in upcoming weeks. I will keep you abreast of any updates as they come in. What do you think of the new law?