The Georgia Legislature has formally approved clearer gun carrying laws for citizens who have the necessary permits to do so.
The bill will allow bar patrons the chance to carry their weapon onto the premises, presuming the bar owner permits it.
Also the bill eliminates the existing 1,000 foot no-weapon school safety zone for those with carrying permits, though guns will remain completely banned from all public and private schools.
The new law allows those with a gun-carrying license to keep their weapon in a vehicle parked in a school parking lot, which is the same courtesy currently extended to Georgia teachers, according to a news release from the legislature.
In the same manner, those with a gun-carrying license will be allowed to leave their weapon in a parked vehicle on college and university campuses, but they will face a misdemeanor charge if they are caught carrying said weapon onto campus.
It will remain a felony for a non-license holder to carry a weapon onto a campus, according to the news release.
The bill also removed “the confusing public gathering clause and provided specifics as to where it is lawful to carry a weapon,” the release said.
The bill was sponsored by Sen. Mitch Seabaugh, R-Sharpsburg, who formerly represented Peachtree City before his district was changed several years ago.
