As the debate about gun restrictions and permissions carries itself on a national level, guns are still mainly governed by local and state laws.
It is as strange as it seems that you can have a gun permit in one state, travel to a different state which has a reciprocity agreement making your gun legal there as well, yet be in violation of the law because a third state you have to drive through has a different set of rules. It’s a difficult challenge to address, as states have the right to declare their own laws, yet with the level of communication and travel available in today’s world, there needs to be some understanding of what the courts call a “reasonable person” concerning intent and one’s possession of a gun.
In New York, State Senator Kevin Parker has introduced a bill to check a person’s social media sites as part of the background check before a gun purchase. On the surface, the legislation seems reasonable as most people who have conducted mass shootings have mentioned their intent beforehand through social media. However, it’s also a violation of your privacy. Imagine being turned down for a gun purchase because some years ago you researched, out of concern for your son or daughter on military deployment, terrorist groups. Your internet history taken out of context might suggest you aren’t a responsible civilian who is simply interested in current news.
It seems counter intuitive that Georgia, as a southern state with wide rural areas, is not an open carry state in legal terms. For open carry, Georgia follows an older law which says you have the right to carry a weapon, but you come under violation of the law if anyone complains about feeling threatened. The problem is not about calling police because someone is acting crazy while waving a gun around, but more about how anyone can call the police and say they “feel threatened.” State representative Matt Gurtler has filed a bill to declare Georgia an Open-Carry state, meaning that if you are legally allowed to own a weapon, you are legally allowed to carry that weapon.
Perhaps more important than any local gun law is that several cases in lower courts are considered potential Supreme Court rulings about your right to own and carry a gun. One of the most concerning issues which is likely to be addressed in the near future are certain “May Issue” laws.
Essentially, such laws allow the person responsible for allowing you to buy a gun to deny your rights for any or no reason. Although you’re a responsible gun owner with a 2nd Amendment right to purchase a firearm, you can be denied your right simply because you cheer for a different football team than the person who issues permission to buy a gun. As ridiculous as that sounds, in “May Issue” areas, the person doesn’t have to declare a reason in order to arbitrarily deny your rights.
~ Firearm Daily
