Gov. Kemp, hopefully as one of his last acts as Governor, signed our Constitutional Carry bill into law today. Better late than never but glad to not have to worry about visiting the probate court anymore and especially happy for our members in unfriendly counties (Fulton, Dekalb, Clayton) who don't have to deal with the months of waiting.

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Originally posted by YellowJacket:
Gov. Kemp, hopefully as one of his last acts as Governor, signed our Constitutional Carry bill into law today. Better late than never but glad to not have to worry about visiting the probate court anymore and especially happy for our members in unfriendly counties (Fulton, Dekalb, Clayton) who don't have to deal with the months of waiting.

I’m happy about it also, but for the record, I first got my license in DeKalb in 1990 and then in Fulton in 2009 and have renewed in Fulton twice (licenses are good for 5 years) and my wait time was not long at all in either initial application, and what wait there was was mostly due to the GBI background check, nothing to do with the counties. And my renewals have been essentially instant.

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Originally posted by TheMan:

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Originally posted by YellowJacket:
Gov. Kemp, hopefully as one of his last acts as Governor, signed our Constitutional Carry bill into law today. Better late than never but glad to not have to worry about visiting the probate court anymore and especially happy for our members in unfriendly counties (Fulton, Dekalb, Clayton) who don't have to deal with the months of waiting.

I’m happy about it also, but for the record, I first got my license in DeKalb in 1990 and then in Fulton in 2009 and have renewed in Fulton twice (licenses are good for 5 years) and my wait time was not long at all in either initial application, and what wait there was was mostly due to the GBI background check, nothing to do with the counties. And my renewals have been essentially instant.

Maybe you got lucky.

The probate judge in Chatham County got sued multiple times for witholding permits and because he was holding up applications. https://www.wtoc.com/2022/02/1...hatham-co-taxpayers/

I had a few friends who had inordinate wait times in Dekalb and Fulton.

This is great. I still will have my permit for other states carry reciprocity


From a local paper



Section two states the purpose of the law. It says that the purpose of Government is to secure God-given rights. Governments can punish people for breaking the law, but it can’t classify people as criminals who simply have the potential to deprive others of “life, liberty, or property.” It says “Evil resides in the heart of the individual, not in material objects”—therefore, since things themselves are not evil or dangerous, government shouldn’t ban or restrict people from having them.[1] In other words, it’s not a crime to have an object which is potentially dangerous, only to use it dangerously, so as long as you aren’t using it dangerously it shouldn’t be restricted.

Section three talks about parks and similar places. In parks, you can’t have any “fireworks, explosives, or firecrackers, unless stores so as not to be readily accessible,” and/or if you have prior permission from the commissioner of DNR. It then removes the prohibition of firearms other than a handgun in parks, and replaces it with language that says that you can use or carry any weapon if you are a “lawful weapons carrier.” The next part is already in the code, and it says that you can’t have bows and arrows, air rifles, or slingshots and the like unless you have prior permission from the commissioner of DNR.

Section four defines some things. A handgun is any firearm where the length of the barrel does not exceed 12 inches, and also not include a gun which has a single shot of .46 centimeters or less. A ‘lawful weapons carrier’ is someone who isn’t prohibited from possessing a handgun or long gun, someone who is licensed, or someone who is licensed in another state. A long gun has a barrel of 18-26 inches,[2] is intended to be fired ‘from the shoulder’ and uses a shotgun shell, ball shot, or any other single projectile per pull of the trigger. Again, they except shot that is less than .46 centimeters. Weapons include knives and handguns.

Section five removes a lot of language that was in the previous code about unlicensed gun owners and where you can take your gun.

Section six gives some more definitions about what a courthouse and government building are, etc. It then goes on to say that you can’t have a weapon or long gun in (1) a government building without being a lawful weapons carrier; (2) a courthouse; (3) a jail or prison; (4) a place of worship unless the governing body of the place of worship says it’s okay; (5) in a state mental health facility unless you fit under some exceptions to be described later; (6) at a nuclear power facility; or (7) within 150 feet of any polling place when elections are going on. It also expands the rights to carry to “any lawful weapons carrier” which, as stated above in Section four, is not the same as a licensed weapons carrier. It goes on to say that the prohibitions listed as 1-7 above don’t count if you are using a weapon or long gun for evidence in a legal proceeding, provided that you talk to security about it first; and if you are at a place described in 1-7 and you approach security or management first and tell them about your gun and you remove, secure, store, or temporarily surrender it as follows. 1-7 also don’t count if you have it under your own control in a car, or locked up in a car in a parking facility. You can carry a weapon into a government building if it isn’t restricted by the security personnel there. If they tell you that you can’t have it at a security screening, and you leave immediately with it, you aren’t guilty of anything


Section seven. This section removes language requiring a gun permit and replaces it with the requirement that you be a lawful weapons carrier when talking about weapons at school or in a school zone. You still can’t have one, but the language has been changed. However, the prohibition does not apply to someone picking up a student when the gun is legally kept in a vehicle or driving through a school safety zone, if they are a “lawful weapons carrier”, or someone who is a “lawful weapons carrier” and has the weapon in a locked compartment of the car if they are over 21 and not a student, high school or younger.

Section eight talks about who is eligible for getting a carry permit. It removes the prohibition of someone who has previously been convicted of carrying a weapon without a license.

Section nine makes some technical changes in statute numbers in the laws providing exceptions to people like police officers for when and where they can carry a weapon.

Section ten says that no private or public employer can deny employment or access to the parking lot if they have a firearm or ammunition in their car, if the firearm or ammunition or both is locked out of sight in the trunk, glove compartment, or other lock box, and the person is also a “lawful weapons carrier.”

Section eleven removes the requirement that you have your carry license in your possession while you are carrying your weapon. It also addresses temporary law enforcement holds on your person – that is, whether or not the police can say that you can’t leave or detain you, to see if you have a license or whether or not you are a “lawful weapons holder.”

Section twelve talks about bus or rail hijacking and whether or not you can have a concealed weapon on an airplane, bus, or train. The answer is you can’t, unless you are a lawful weapons carrier, in which case it seems to say that you can, although I’ll admit the language is confusing.

Section thirteen says that you can’t bring your weapon to a public transportation terminal unless you are a “lawful weapons carrier.”

Sections fourteen and fifteen talk about hunting laws. This section changes the requirements for having a firearm other than a handgun in certain areas and while hunting with a bow and arrow from requiring a license to being a “lawful weapons carrier.”

Section sixteen is similar to fourteen and fifteen, except it talks about fishing.

Section seventeen deserves to be quoted in its entirety, because I had no idea that a law like this was on the books until just now, and the only change, really, is to change it from needing a license to being a “lawful weapons carrier.” The new law is in the section which talks about the enforcement of parking for disabled persons (aka handicapped parking). It says, “Have the power to possess and carry firearms and other weapons for the purpose of enforcing the parking laws for persons with disability; provided, however, that a person who is a lawful weapons carrier as defined in Code Section 16-11-125.1 shall not be in violation of this paragraph;”. To put that in context, it is a part of a statute which allows citizens to be effectively deputized to help enforce the parking for disabled persons laws, and when and whether those people can carry a weapon while doing so.

The rest is just technical stuff about the law going into effect when the Governor signs it and saying that any law that is in conflict with this new one is no good anymore.