A bill moving through the Georgia Senate would eliminate licenses to carry guns in public—whether they’re concealed or not.
Right now, people in Georgia are required to have a license in order to carry a loaded handgun outside their homes, businesses or cars. But that could change with the new constitutional carry bill.
“This, to me as an instructor, is scary,” said longtime gun class instructor Tyler Wildman, Founder and CEO of Tactical Concealed Carry. Wildman says the bill would be a double-edged sword.
“The argument is that we don’t need really need the government’s permission to exercise a constitutional right, so therefore we don’t need a license to allow us to do it. I get it – I do like the fact that Florida does have a license requirement so that a person can have at least some minimal training,” he explained.
Across the border, people in Florida must take a class and many steps to get their carry permit.
“I’ve trained over 10,000 people and I can assure you: people desperately need real training,” Wildman said.
Right now, Florida and Georgia honor each other’s licenses. But if the bill were to pass, Wildman says things could get dicey.
“Most states like Florida would not allow somebody who was not licensed to carry in their state,” he said.
No matter what happens in the legislature, Wildman will always advocate for gun training.
Now, the bill is headed to the Senate Rules Committee. Then it’ll go to the Senate Floor for a full vote. A co-sponsor of the bill says people would still have to go through background checks to buy a gun. It would still be illegal for convicted felons to carry such weapons.