Questions answered by Lamar Paris, County Commissioner
Q. We have seen on the news this week where some of the concealed gun carry bills are being discussed in committee in the State Senate. Are these the bills you talked about in your previous articles?
A. Yes. SB 291 and 308 have both been discussed, but most of the discussion has dealt with SB 308. Already, several changes have been made to it after just one committee hearing. Whereas the bill attempted to open concealed carry permits to just about anywhere in the state, the revised version would still be prohibited from carrying in courthouse and other government buildings (one of my concerns), jails and prisons, K-12 schools, some college buildings and athletic events and mental health facilities.
It would also prevent guns in bars and “places of worship”(another of my concerns), if owners did not want them present. (Even in the old west, guns were hung up by the door and not carried into places of worship). It would allow guns to be carried in areas of the airport not controlled by the TSA inspectors, which should eliminate many concerns I have heard from those who want to be able to have a gun at the airport. The University System of Georgia and Georgia World Congress Center Authority still are concerned with expanded concealed gun carry stating that the Atlanta Falcons who lease the Georgia Dome do not want firearms to be carried there.
Once this bill clears the Senate committees and if passed, would then go to the House of Representatives and could receive many other changes before it would come to a final vote.
Q. Why did you ever bring up the concealed gun carry issue? There is no reason for you to make people mad at you over an issue you really do not control. It is just a way to loose votes and gain nothing.
A. I certainly can not argue with this point. But also, as I told one person that wrote to me, Meeks Park and our youth sports are so special to me that I just felt like someone had to speak up. I have changed many of my ideas on concealed gun carry after hearing from many different people over the past three weeks, but I still can not agree that carrying hand guns into youth ballgames makes sense, unless it is done by law enforcement or someone with equivalent training and certification. These are the only people who are trained and certified in deadly force situations related to public gatherings and crowds.
Q. It is our Constitutional right to carry weapons anywhere we go so why are you trying to stop us?
A. The majority of pro carry gun folks who wrote to me almost unanimously let me know that it was their constitutional right to protect themselves and their family. I totally agree with that idea, but then it comes back to common sense to me. Who requires protection at a youth ball game? Are you or your family in danger at a youth ballgame? In the history of youth sports not only in Union County but in the whole country, how many people have been shot at a youth sporting event? Is it enough to warrant the need for a weapon for protection at every ballgame? My opinion is that it is not necessary. In fact, I think if it gets so bad that we need weapons to protect ourselves at youth sporting events, then we simply need to do away with youth sports.
By current law you are already allowed to have a concealed weapon in your vehicle almost anywhere in the country. If you are walking on remote trails or roads, or areas that would possibly place you in danger, then I have absolutely no concern about concealed carry. Mostly, that is covered in current law, but I agree that the “public gathering” portion of the law can be confusing.
Q. What are your main concerns of where a weapon should and should not be carried?
A. There may be some others I have not thought about, but my three main concerns are fairly simple. #1 Do not carry in youth sporting events. (You can not carry in a college or professional game so why would it be necessary to carry in a youth sports game)
#2 They do not allow guns in our State Capitol where our Legislators work, so it would only make sense not to allow guns in our courthouses and administrative offices where our county employees work.
#3 Churches should be gun free. If there is particular part of a town where there is the possibility of problems in a church, (and apparently there are in some metro areas) then the church should hire undercover deputies or have parishioners who are trained in the use of deadly force situations in crowded conditions. These are just my opinions as I am not making the laws.
Q. Are there no positive issues in any of the three Senate and House bills that makes sense to change the law?
A. I will agree that there are some issues that are ambiguous in current law and certainly could use some further examination, however, it would also be nice if when these Legislators decide to introduce new pieces of legislation that can affect so many people, they should hold public hearings and accept input from the people that will be impacted.
For example, one of the bills wants renewal notices sent out, yet wants to cap the cost of a concealed carry permit at $25. The current permit cost $ 55.00 and the county only receives $15 for that as the balance goes to the GBI. The Probate offices estimate that it would take one additional county employee just doing nothing else but to keep up with permit renewals. Besides, in a five year span, it is likely that well over 50% of the people will have a new address that will be out of date for forwarding mail and that effort would be a waste of time and money. Was the State Probate Judge Assoc consulted prior to introducing this legislation? What about the state recreation association or city or county government associations?
Q. Is it possible for the county to purchase a fingerprint machine to be placed in the Probate Court’s office to make the concealed carry permit license process easier? Currently we have to go to the jail to have our fingerprints made and sometimes you can spend well over an hour having it done. Then if the GBI returns them as not adequate, we have to go back and do it all over again.
A. Because I have spent so much time looking at this issue, I have indeed decided that we are going to try to purchase a new fingerprint machine for the Probate Court’s office. It will cost in the neighborhood of $12,000. I told the Probate Judge that if we can collect an additional fee to help pay for this, I would be willing to do it. We are looking at increasing the CC permit fee a modest amount to help cover this cost in a reasonable period of time. This would make the entire process of obtaining a CC license much easier and faster.
Q. Why do we need to be re-finger printed every five years for our concealed carry permits. Our hands do not change and it is a waste of time and money? The GBI/FBI will have our finger pints on file anyway.
A. I think the answer to this question will be a shocker to most of you. The FBI nor the GBI keeps your fingerprint records on concealed carry permit applications. They are retained for up to a maximum of 90 days until criminal background and finger print records are checked. They are then discarded because of the apparent lack of storage space. So when you go in for a renewal of your license, the only permanent record of your fingerprint is the single print on your actual license. Any aliases used or criminal records you may have obtained in the last five years might not be discovered without new prints being used as part of the new criminal background history, which is why they are required each renewal cycle.