Will He Or Won't He Sign The Gun Bill?

(5/6/08) Will he sign it or will he not? HB 89, the gun bill, that is.

Gov. Sonny Perdue was asked that question at a news conference today. Here is the transcript:

“Actually, we were going line by line today over lunch on that legislation. I think there are a couple of provisions. There is certainly some ambiguity regarding employer and employee rights in the bill that I’m a little concerned about, and I want to question the authors and those involved in the crafting of that legislation to get their intent there. We were very clear about the rights of employers to control access to their property, and there’s some ambiguous language in there.

“I’ve heard from, certainly, the hospitality industry in there. But I am moved by the fact that this law applies to firearms license carriers - licensees only. That’s a fairly small group of population that have voluntarily submitted themselves to background checks, fingerprints and identification purposes. Have to have that license on their persons. And I’m told that these are not the people who carry firearms who are out committing crimes and create problems. We’re looking for any unintended consequences; any inadvertent action there. I’m still really deliberating and we’re doing it very deliberately.”

Asked if he saw the measure as a conflict between the right to bear arms and the right of property owners to control their property, he said:

“It began that way, and I think it’s a combination of the crafters of the legislation and those on both sides trying to please both sides and both declare victory. And it winds up with some ambiguous language that I want to make sure I understand the intent of. I know how I would interpret it but I want to hear from the author and others on both sides about their interpretation of it ...

“I do think it will be litigated and tested very soon after signing because of the craftsmanship of some of the semantics of the language that creates certainly some latitude in interpretation.”

So, he was asked, does that reference to it being 'litigated' mean he will sign it?

“The courts will sort it out regardless if I sign it. If I sign it, they will sort it out. That’s the way our system works.”

The bill passed on the last day of the 2008 session after a two-year fight on votes of 40-15 in the Senate and 106-57 in the House. It began life as an attempt by the NRA to prevent employers from imposing rules to prevent workers from keeping guns in their cars in company parking lots but ran into fierce opposition from the Georgia Chamber and other business groups, which contended the measure would abridge private property rights.

A weakened version of the bill eventually passed, but along the way it picked up provisions which, among other things, allow those licensed to carry firearms to have them on public transportation, in restaurants and at state parks.