Stupid gun laws in Georgia almost enabled mass murder!
22 October 2007As a Georgia Firearms Licensee, I have often thought to myself how absolutely stupid it is that those of us who have a license to carry a concealed firearm are not allowed by state law to carry in any restaurant that serves alcohol for consumption on the premise. It doesn’t matter if I’m not even having an alcoholic drink. I’m still not allowed to carry my weapon in that place of business. I either have to disarm myself, leaving me and my family potentially vulnerable, or I have to go eat somewhere else.
I’m sure that at some point in the past, some ignorant lawmaker decided that we average everyday folks are just too stupid and irresponsible to have our firearms on us when we’re anywhere near a keg of beer or a mixed drink, even if we’re not the one drinking it. We might get drunk, get rowdy and start shooting up the place, I guess. The only problem with this logic is that it is not GFL carriers that do that kind of thing. We defend ourselves and others when SOMEONE ELSE gets drunk, gets rowdy and starts shooting up the place, as happened in Norcross, GA this past weekend:
Fatal shooting at Norcross bar marks Gwinnett homicide record
Witnesses said Ojeda appeared to have been drinking when he drove up to the restaurant around midnight, Norcross Police Detective Jason Carter said. Ojeda joined a group of four other people “other regulars, but not well acquainted with the man” on the patio and became belligerent when one person asked Ojeda not to be obnoxious. After a brief scuffle, Ojeda left, only to return with a gun about 45 minutes later, Carter said.
As people on the patio scattered, one of the men he’d been sitting with ran away but drew his own gun, police said. That man, whose name was not released, fired once and hit Ojeda in the head, police said.
Technically, this unnamed patron was breaking Georgia Law by carrying his weapon in this restaurant that serves alcohol. Thank God he was, or there is no telling how many would have been dead when Mr. Ojeda finished his drunken rampage. This GFL holder was able to stop this drunk shooter before the man even got off a single shot. This man is a hero, in my opinion, and should be hailed as such. Unfortunately he’s probably worried right now about whether he will be prosecuted for carrying the gun that saved himself and possibly countless others into that restaurant which was against the law.
It’s a stupid law and everyone knows that the people that would shoot innocent people without being in danger of their life don’t care what the law says. In other words, this is another one of those stupid gun control laws that criminals don’t pay attention to. Obviously Mr. Ojeda didn’t care that it was against the law for him to bring his weapon back to this bar and shoot a bunch of people he was angry with.
The only people this law influences are law abiding citizens who have gone to the trouble of having their backgrounds checked and giving their fingerprints in order to receive a Georgia Firearms License. These are the good guys! We want GFL carriers to be armed whenever possible. They (we) are the most law-abiding group of citizens you will find in Georgia and our weapons are a danger to nobody but the predators in our society. Here is a video report on this incident:
Video Link: Police Say Customer at Restaurant Shot Man in Self Defense
Police say a customer, who shot and killed a man at a restaurant early Thursday morning, did so in self defense.
I’m happy to read that there is no plan to charge this GFL holder with anything at this time. I hope it stays that way, and I hope the law will be changed so that MORE GFL holders can be armed in MORE places, and able to therefore stop MORE criminals before they kill innocent people.
It is time for the Georgia State Legislature to recognize who is a real threat to society, and who helps to defend our society from that threat. Those of us who are willing to have extensive background checks done, submit multiple copies of our fingerprints, and take on the expense and responsibility of carrying a firearm should be respected as the good citizens we are. If you live in Georgia, please consider contacting your elected officials in the State House and Senate and ask them to repeal the restaurant restrictions on concealed carry in Georgia.
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4 Responses to “Stupid gun laws in Georgia almost enabled mass murder!”
October 22nd, 2007 at 11:02 pm
You may be shocked to here this, But man do I ever agree… we need more states to be like Texas.
October 23rd, 2007 at 6:31 am
What a great article. You have pointed to the problem, and I think it is time to point to the solution. Join GCO!
You may visit GCO at http://www.georgiacarry.org
Restaurants are just the tip of the iceberg. Georgia has more places off limits to carry of a firearm than any state in the nation that allows carry. Please see the national maps if you do not believe that statement, and pay close attention to liberal states like California and Oregon when making the comparison to Georgia – you might be surprised! http://www.georgiacarry.org/cms/about/prohibited-places/
It is time for this situation to change.
Join GCO!
October 23rd, 2007 at 10:18 pm
Thanks, Malum Prohibitum! I joined today and just added the banner to the front page to send more people your way. Sounds like a great way to be part of the solution! Let me know what else I can do!!
Del
October 24th, 2007 at 7:49 am
Wow! Thanks for joining, and thanks for the logo link. I appreciate your effort to get the word out. I hope we can meet at GCO’s November 17 lunch. We will have a criminal defense attorney speaking on Georgia’s self defense law and what one should do if he finds himself involved in a self defense situation, and, more importantly, what to do afterward (with the police). After the lunch, we will be shooting at the adjacent range. I hope you can attend. http://www.georgiacarry.org/cms/about/gco-fall-luncheon/