The gun laws in Georgia provide an interesting case nationally because of their historically lenient restrictions towards gun purchasing and ownership.
Gov. Nathan Deal signed a new gun law this year that permits licensed gun owners and visitors from 28 other states to bring a gun into public institutions, businesses, and federal buildings that don’t have strict security measures. Dubbed the "guns everywhere" law by critics, the measure also allows religious leaders and school administrators to decide whether or not they want to allow employees or visitors to carry firearms on the premises.
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"Our state has some of the best protections for gun owners in the United States. And today we strengthen those rights protected by our nation's most revered founding document," Deal said the day of the bill signing.
Georgia is also one of nearly two dozen states to pass a “stand your ground” law that allows a person to use lethal force when he or she feels threatened. Previous laws said victims should retreat if a public altercation occurred.
A recent study found there are more homicides in states with stand your ground laws than in states without such laws.
"Our study finds that ... homicides go up by 7 to 9 percent in states that pass the laws, relative to states that didn't pass the laws over the same time period," Mark Hoekstra, an economist with Texas A&M University who
examined stand your ground laws, told NPR.
And whether or not the laws actually reduce crime by creating a deterrence, Hoekstra said, "We find no evidence of any deterrence effect over that same time period."
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