Wednesday, July 02, 2008

Georgia's New Laws

Georgia has a part time legislature, they go to work in Atlanta in early January, and then pack up and go home by the end of March. Most of the bills that get passed by the Georgia State Legislature (Republican dominated House & Senate) and signed in to law by its Republican Governor take affect on July 1st.

What follows is a short list of changes as published by the AJC:
GUNS
  • Georgians with carry licenses will be able to tote concealed guns on public transportation, into restaurants that serve alcohol, the parking lot of their employer, and into state parks.


    BOOZE
  • Georgians may buy wine over the Internet or by phone directly from wineries.
  • They also may take half-finished bottles of wine they ordered at restaurants home with them.
  • Wineries will be able to sell beer and wine in tasting rooms.
  • Limousine companies will be able to sell customers alcoholic beverages.


    MONEY
  • A new $21 billion budget takes effect, with a 2.5 percent pay raise for about 200,000 state employees and teachers and $1 billion in construction projects.


    CRIME
  • Penalties will go up for having or selling fake IDs.
  • It will be a felony to be caught driving without a license four or more times in five years, and the first conviction will require a minimum two-day jail sentence.
  • Jailers will have to check the nationality and legal status of those convicted of driving without a license.
  • It is illegal for sex offenders to photograph minors without parental consent. And sex offenders also will be prohibited from volunteering at churches.


    SCHOOLS
  • Clayton County high school sophomores and juniors will be eligible for the HOPE scholarship even if their school system loses accreditation.
    (This law will come in handy, since it appears that Clayton County Schools will loose accreditation in the Fall.)

  • Georgians wanting to start charter schools will be able to make their case to a state commission if they run into opposition from their local school board.


    IMMIGRATION
  • Requires public employers, contractors and subcontractors with 100 employees or more to run new hires through the Department of Homeland Security's E-Verify system to assure they are legally allowed to work in the United States.


  • plez sez: welcome to the wonderful state of georgia, where guns are allowed on MARTA buses and trains, and in restaurants that serve alcohol! i'm just wondering how long it will be before the fear and paranoia that would compel someone to carry a loaded gun with them into public will end in a serious injury or death? if you're that damned scared of other people, why don't you just stay home?!?

    how long will it be before some trigger happy yahoo from Bumblefluck, Georgia feels intimidated on a MARTA train and decides to help the Atlanta Police with the crime problem that is a de rigour segment on the 6 o'clock news around here? how soon before two drunk patrons at a local watering hole decide to shoot it out over the waitress missing her two front teeth? how long before Atlanta's long heralded road rage turns deadly? and how long before some down-on-his-luck-and-mentally-ill homeless guy gets gunned down by a visitor to downtown Atlanta who felt "threatened" by a drunken panhandler?

    i don't like guns in public and i've already had my rant about the SCOTUS 2nd amendment ruling from last week. i believe in a person's right to "bear arms" to protect home and property, but i'm leery about having that right extended to crowded public transportation or to establishments that contain individuals whose judgement may be impaired by alcohol. this Georgia gun law is a mistake.

    2 comments:

    All-Mi-T [Thought Crime] Rawdawgbuffalo said...

    misnomer on guns
    been able too
    only change is now places that sell acohol
    i mean i been carrying mine legally for 8 yrs

    Unknown said...

    Georgians with carry licenses will be able to tote concealed guns on public transportation, into restaurants that serve alcohol, the parking lot of their employer, and into state parks.
    I love how it didn’t mention how you are ONLY allowed to carry if you are NOT drinking in the bar. What if I said that the state of XXXXX had the same laws on the books regarding allowing guns on public transportation an bars? As a matter of fact I read a story about how a guy with a valid permit was able to defend himself and others while at a bar. Fortunately that state allows those that don’t drink to carry a gun in a bar.

    To hear you talk about gun owners I would swear that you think very very little of US. You are making comments about shootouts but you never provide link to articles supporting these claims. Now I know that there are crazies everywhere and I am sure that some probably have carry permits but there are over 6 million people (2% of the entire population including those under 21) with carry permits in this country so I am sure that if these things are happening you can post at least 2 links to prove your point.

    What about the FACT that the NRA held their convention not too long ago and over 50,000 gun owners showed up and many where carrying their guns on them. Why didn’t you post some articles about the shootouts in the streets of Kentucky?