Kemp and Perdue say they want to pass “constitutional transport” and eliminate the permit requirement
ATLANTA – Supporters of expanded gun rights are hoping an election-year legislature will eliminate the need for concealed-gun carrying permits.
The abolition of the requirement for a permit to carry a concealed weapon has been repeatedly circulated in the capital over the years. 2022 could be the year the Republican legislature actually makes it.
Brian Kemp received a roaring reaction in 2018 when he campaigned in front of a large crowd outside a gun shop in Jasper. The store owner even gave Kemp a six shooter. Kemp said in 2018 he supports eliminating the requirement for state-issued gun carrying permits.
But in the capital, those bills have never been advanced — including one introduced by State Rep. Emory Dunahoo (R-Gillsville) earlier this year.
“I know Gov. Kemp ran on constitutional carry,” Dunahoo said in an interview Tuesday. “But since he’s doing other things, I think he had to change his priorities.”
But Kemp now faces a Republican challenge from former US Senator David Perdue. Perdue has posted photos of himself in gun stores, spoken out about gun rights and endorsed bills like Dunahoo’s. Kemp has also promised to work with lawmakers to pass a “constitutional transfer.”
It means “basically you don’t buy a permit every five years that costs you seventy-five dollars,” Dunahoo said. “It gives you the opportunity to carry yourself openly as a law-abiding citizen.”
Twenty states, from Arizona to Maine, have enacted “constitutional carry,” eliminating the need for a license to carry concealed handguns. Tennessee, Texas, Montana, Wyoming and Utah joined the list this year, according to CNN.
In the Georgia capital, opposition came from Democrats — and even from some Republicans like State Assemblyman Bill Hitchens (R-Rincon), a respected Vietnam War and law enforcement veteran. “I’m very pro-guns. But I’ve seen the damage they can do on many, many occasions. We have to be very careful about our gun laws and who we allow to have them,” Hitchens said in a January 2020 interview. Hitchens chaired the committee that prevented the “constitutional carryover” from making it to a vote in the House of Representatives.
Still, Dunahoo hopes an election year could breathe new life into constitutional carry. “And hopefully this law will be passed this year,” he said.
