Quote Originally Posted by BanginJimmy
I signed but there are a few areas I dont like.

1. It doesnt matter how you feel about marijuana, possession of it is still a drug offense in all 50 states. If you have a conviction for that it needs to disqualify you. The same is true for a prior conviction of an illegally concealed weapon. It is still a conviction and needs to stay that way. Retroactive laws work both ways, you cannot have them working one way and not the other.

2. There needs to be a stipulation in there requiring the 4 or 8 hour weapons safety class to get the license. I know that for most gun owners it would be a waste of time, but those few people that learn anything could save some innocent bystander's life. I also believe there should be some rudimentary qualification system. Even if you have every right to carry a weapon, if you cannot hit the broad side of a barn at 25ft in a stressfree enviroment you pose a danger to others if you are armed.

3. All weapons dont need to be concealed. The law should be amended to include knives, but nothing else. A micro-uzi is not much larger than a pistol, but it should be not carried as a self defense weapon. Under this proposed version, it would alos be legal for me to wear a trenchcoat with a shotgun under it.


edit: #819
1) This bill would allow people who have had misdemeanor marijuana and concealment charges to be able to apply for the license, not felony charges. The original idea for this section came from a guy here in GA who had a misdemeanor marijuana posession charge 30+ years ago as a teenager, who now is a responsible adult and community leader. Due to a charge where he only had to pay a fine originally, he now cannot get a GFL. A misdemeanor marijuana charge is less than one ounce. It would be different if they wanted to allow people with felony drug charges to obtain a GFL, but that is not the case. As for the previous concealed weapons charges. That is also for misdemeanor charges only. For Example, if you are pulled over and the police decide to search your car and they find a pocket knife in the glove box, that is technically a concealed weapon, and would bring misdemeanor concealed weapon charges. Felony concealed weapons charges usually involve a weapon being concealed to commit a crime.

2) it would be a violation of your second amendment rights to require firearm training to obtain a GFL. However, I do agree that firearm training is a MUST for people who get the permit so they can actually carry the weapon. Most people get it to carry a firearm in their car, and never or very rarely carry it on their person. It is the responsibility of the individual to obtain proper training.

3) A micro-uzi counts is a pistol, which can already be concealed (semi auto version). People cannot buy fully automatic weapons anyway, so the concealment of such weapons is not an issue. Only people with a class 2 manufacturers FFL or a class 3 FFL can possess fully automatic firearms. However, any fully auto weapon manufactured before 1986 can be owned by a person if a tax stamp is purchased (which involves a background check, and also allows the gov't the power to search/seize your property at any time).