Georgia cops differ on state’s new campus carry law

VALDOSTA, Ga. — Guns will soon be legal at public universities in Georgia, and local law-enforcement leaders have starkly different opinions on the change.

After Gov. Nathan Deal signed House Bill 280 — or the “campus carry” bill — into law Thursday, Valdosta Police Chief Brian Childress said he is “very disappointed that the majority of our lawmakers, (including) our governor, ignored the facts in this case.”

The majority of Georgians don’t want guns on campus, Childress said, citing a poll by the Atlanta Journal Constitution.

While referencing numerous reports and studies, Childress said guns on campus do little to reduce crime and actually intensify rather than de-escalate dangerous situations.

He said a college lifestyle and guns are not a good mix.

“They’re exposed to alcohol, drugs and depression — who wants to insert guns into that?…There’s no data to support this (bill),” Childress said at a press conference Thursday, where he implored Deal to veto the gun legislation.

Deal signed the bill into law hours later. It will go into effect July 1.

Lowndes County Sheriff Ashley Paulk said the new law will increase safety by allowing law-abiding residents to stand up to gun-toters with sinister intentions.

“I’m a firm believer in the right to carry arms,” he said. “You’ve had several robberies on the (Valdosta State University) campus. It could be a situation where somebody could protect themselves.”

Paulk said he doesn’t believe college students are too unstable mentally or emotionally to handle guns responsibly.

“I don’t think all students are emotional or radical. You’ve got a percentage of them that (are), but I think the screening to get (gun) permits will take a lot of that out.

“The people who get a permit are going to be responsible. The people who don’t have a permit are going to carry (guns) on campus anyway. You’re allowing rational people to carry a weapon to protect themselves.”

Childress paints a different picture, saying in an active-shooter situation, having untrained students and teachers wielding guns could cause the wrong person to get shot.

“We conduct a Citizens Police Academy twice per year and as part of that we subject citizens to shoot-don’t shoot firearms simulations. Almost every time, they shoot the wrong person. Why? They are untrained,” Childress said.

“What makes everyone think arming untrained persons is going to be safe?”

Paulk disagrees.

“(With) common sense, you can usually pick the bad guy out,” he said. “If you’re standing there and you’ve got a gun in your book bag and you have a permit for it, and you see somebody shooting three of your friends, you probably know who the bad guy is,” Paulk said.

Childress said the University System of Georgia — which includes VSU — did not want campus carry. He’s also spoken with numerous college professors and police chiefs who oppose the law but are afraid to speak out and risk facing intense backlash.

He said he’s even talked with state legislators who don’t like the law but faced enormous pressure to pass it — so they did.

All of Lowndes County’s state legislators approved the “campus carry” bill except for Rep. Dexter Sharper (D). 

State Sen. Ellis Black said for him and fellow lawmakers, the bill was a “no-win situation…because we’ve got very passionate people on both sides.”

By “no-win,” Black said legislators are hearing from gun-control activists who hate the bill as well as campus-carry supporters who feel the legislation doesn’t allow guns in enough places on campus.

The new law restricts guns from several areas, including dorms, faculty offices and athletic facilities.

Black said he understands the concerns of people who argue guns equal more danger, which is why he and other legislators worked to restrict the bill and strike a balance, a compromise of sorts.

“It was the best we could do with the amount of effort that was being put forth by the NRA and the people that support (the bill). With them, you vote against guns and you’re dead,” he said.

Many are arguing that the motivation behind the bill wasn’t protecting students but rather advancing a political agenda, and Black agreed, saying the emotions and politics of the issue dominated the bill’s passing.

“It wasn’t about protecting students. It wasn’t about protecting the campus. This was a political issue,” Black said.

Regardless, Black said he believes the new law will go a long way in defending students against rogue killers.

“It takes away having a gun-free zone. Having a gun-free zone is an invitation for some nut that is going to do something crazy. These mass killings don’t happen in places except areas where they think there is no guns. Not having these gun-free zones…is more secure,” he said.

Stephen writes for the Valdosta, Georgia Daily Times.