Georgia Moms Demand Action, Everytown Criticize Senate Vote Advancing Guns on Campus Bill

For the Fourth Year in a Row, the Georgia Chapter of Moms Demand Action Will Stand with College Students, Faculty and Parents to Defeat Guns on Campus Bill

Governor Deal Vetoed Legislation Similar to HB 280 in 2016; Polling Shows Allowing Guns on Campus is Overwhelmingly Opposed by Georgians – and the Majority of Voters Don’t Want Legislators Wasting Time on the Issue

ATLANTA – The Georgia chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, a part of Everytown for Gun Safety, released the following statement in response to Senate passage of HB 280, which would force Georgia’s public colleges and universities to allow guns on campus, including in classrooms, disciplinary hearings and at most campus events, including places where alcohol is served or consumed. The bill would even allow 18-year-olds with concealed carry permits from other states to carry hidden, loaded handguns on campus. The bill has been slightly amended by the Senate, so it now returns to the House of Representatives for final passage.

Similar guns on campus bills have failed for the past three years, notably receiving a veto from Governor Nathan Deal in May 2016. Georgia’s campus stakeholders are strongly opposed to this proposal. In addition, nearly 80 percent of Georgians oppose allowing guns on campus and the governor heard from more than 30,000 Georgians last spring asking him to veto the bill.

STATEMENT FROM LINDSEY DONOVAN, VOLUNTEER CHAPTER LEADER WITH THE GEORGIA CHAPTER OF MOMS DEMAND ACTION FOR GUN SENSE IN AMERICA:

“Today our elected officials in the Senate ignored the will of their constituents and passed a bill that would make our campus communities less safe. Just like past attempts to force guns onto Georgia campuses, House Bill 280 would pose a direct threat to students, faculty and campus law enforcement by allowing people – some as young as 18 – to carry guns on campus everywhere from classrooms to football tailgates. For parents like me who planned on their children going to Georgia colleges, that’s a terrifying possibility. This bill could turn everyday conflicts into deadly encounters.

“I’m thankful for Governor Deal’s veto of guns on campus last year, in which he rightly wrote that our Founding Fathers believed our schools should be maintained as safe sanctuaries of learning where weapons are not permitted and we should continue in that legacy. And after the Governor’s veto in May 2016, new research further proved the dangers of guns on campus. A study from Johns Hopkins made plain that guns on campuses put college communities at greater risk of gun violence – not less. We support the Governor in his opposition to this dangerous policy and will continue to work to #savetheveto.”