Georgia Passes Bill Allowing Guns In Bars

Well this will surely keep Friday nights in Atlanta turned up…

Guns In Bars Bill Passes In GA

Georgia residents can now stay strapped while they get slizzed. A new bill that went into effect on Tuesday allows licensed gun-toters to bring their weaponry basically everywhere they go.

Via TheDailyBeast:

“Doing shots” in Georgia bars may have a whole new meaning when HB60 goes into effect Tuesday. The Safe Carry Protection Act, also known as the “guns everywhere bill,” broadly expands the places where Georgians can carry firearms to include municipal buildings, public libraries, schools, churches, unsecured areas of airports, and bars.

While churches and schools have to opt in to the law for the expanded carry provisions to apply to them, bar owners must opt out of the legislation by posting a “no-guns” sign or removing heat-packing patrons themselves.

“The onus is now on the bar owner,” said Alisa Cleek, a partner with Elarbee Thompson law firm in Atlanta who co-chairs the firm’s restaurant advisory group. “If you don’t want weapons on your premises you have to take steps to make sure customers know that. You don’t get to sit back this time.”

Among the handful of bars that knew the bill had passed and would go live Tuesday, all brought up the obvious problems of having guns in the same place where people would be drinking, in some cases heavily, late into the night.

“The gun prohibitionists are real good at blowing everything out of proportion,” Henry said, pointing to activists’ dire predictions several years ago when Georgia legalized guns in restaurants. “They said servers would get shot if a steak was too rare or there would be a gun draw over the last chicken wing. It just hasn’t happened and it’s not going to happen this time.”

But Piyali Cole, the head of the Georgia chapter of Moms Demand Action, which opposed the bill, said the new language allowing guns in bars will make Georgians less safe and pointed to a recent string of fights leading to shootouts in Georgia parking lots as an example.

We’re not sure why the average person would feel the need to tote their gun to the bar in the first place…and we’re sure you’ve seen firsthand how normal discussions escalate to all-out brawls when liquor is involved. Is it really safe to throw firearms into the mix?

Then again…if you know everyone else has one, is it your best bet to bring your weapon as well? Maybe everyone should just stay at home. SMH.

The Daily Beast