Local groups take aim at Supreme Court gun ruling

Phenix City, Ala., resident Michael Knighton fires his Ruger pistol at an indoor firing range at Shooters Columbus gun shop in Columbus, Ga. The gun emits a flash of light as the bullet leaves the barrel. June 18th, 2008. (Dave Bender)

The United States Supreme Court this week ruled that Americans have the right to bear firearms for self-defense. In Georgia, groups for and against a recent ruling allowing guns in more places are stocking up on legal ammo.

Alice Johnson of Georgians For Gun Safety says she foresees challenges across America in the wake of the five-to-four ruling:

"The decision is going to lead to lots and lots and lots of litigation around the country related to local and state statutes that are in place now, and we're a little worried, I think, about what the outcome of some of that litigation will be."

And she says some of that litigation will likely be over House Bill 89, which goes into effect this coming Tuesday.

The Georgia law passed in the last legislature. It allows gun owners with a concealed carry permit to bring their weapons on public transit, to restaurants -- owner permitting -- and state parks:

"Perhaps the Supreme Court may be implying that House Bill 89 has some constitutional issues... you know, they said, 'sensitive places where firearms don't belong,' and they left that open, and that may, in fact mean that that guns on public; guns in restaurants that serve alcohol -- may be subject to some judicial scrutiny."

One supporter of the federal decision agrees with Johnson that lawsuits may soon be ricocheting through the courts -- but in the opposite direction.

Rifles on display at Shooters Columbus gun shop in Columbus, Ga., as a customer and salesman discuss the merits of various pistols in the background. June 18th, 2008. (Dave Bender)

Jon McMullen owns the Shooters gun shop in Columbus:

"If anything, it will expand or obviate the need for HB89, because as this Supreme Court ruling grows roots and we start to determine how it affects a variety of laws across the nation, there'll have to be a lot of laws that will have to be repealed, quite frankly, as being unconstitutional."

The State Senate will also be soon considering the ramifications of the rulings:

A panel meets later this summer to take a comprehensive look at Georgia's complex firearms laws and, and may suggest legislation for the 2009 session.

A spent bullet shell spirals upwards from the pistol of Columbus resident, Benjie Balen, at Shooter's indoor practice range, Columbus, Ga., June 18th, 2008. (Dave Bender)

In the meantime, law-enforcement officials are scrambling to train officers in the fine points of HB89, before it takes effect.

Columbus Police Chief Rickey Boren, commenting on the Georgia ruling at a recent gun-control debate, seemed to almost have seen the federal decision coming:

"In any law, there's a lot of gray area. And this law has not been tried in the courts, there has not been an arrest, it has not been appealed and there's not been an oversight of judges that have reviewed it and said whether it is a legal process or not."

But that could all change very soon, as state representatives, politicians and pressure groups across the country take sharp legal aim.

NRA Top Lobbyists Come To Georgia

The National Rifle Association is sending some of it's top leaders to Atlanta Monday to lobby for a gun bill opposed by the state's business community.
The NRA's Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre and the NRA's chief lobbyist will meet with Georgia lawmakers, according to the groups' website. They are lobbying for House Bill 89 which is also referred to as the Parking lot bill. It would prevent business owners from telling their employees that they can’t keep guns in their cars at work.

The NRA says the law is needed because of the self defense rights of law abiding citizens while they commute to and from work. Georgia's business community opposes the bill saying property rights outweigh gun rights.

Georgia lawmakers who are up for re-election this year could get and F in the NRA scorecard if they oppose the bill. It is expected to come up soon once the legislative session starts next week.

It’s not clear whether Governor Sonny Perdue would sign or veto the bill if it passes. A similar bill passed in Oklahoma in 2004, but has been halted by a federal judge.