Ga. Governor Vetoes Campus Carry Gun Law

Citing various concerns, Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal on Tuesday rejected a piece of legislation that would have made it legal for licensed persons to carry concealed firearms on campuses statewide.

Lawmakers sent House Bill 859 to Deal's desk in March, where the governor had 40 days to accept or reject it. Deal decided on the latter.

The proposed law did have restrictions, but the governor said he felt it posed too great a danger because adult age students aren't the only ones affected. Grade school and high school students, he said, also frequently visit campuses, and some include daycare centers.

"If the intent of HB 859 is to increase safety of students on college campuses, it is highly questionable that such would be the result," Deal wrote in a statement Tuesday, which outlined 15 vetoes of other legislation.

In issuing the veto, Deal cited an 1824 case during the establishment of the University of Virginia in which officials decided to bar students from "keeping or using weapons or arms of any kind." Former presidents Thomas Jefferson and James Madison were part of that decision.