Atlanta, Georgia — Former President Ronald Reagan once said: “If You’re Explaining, You’re Losing.”
And boy oh boy have establishment gun lobbyists Georgia Carry had to do a lot of explaining over the last week.
First, they remained silent on State Rep. Matt Gurtler’s Constitutional Carry legislation (H.B. 2) for almost three months. While tens of thousands of gun owners made calls, sent emails, and signed petitions in favor of H.B. 2, Georgia Carry whispered behind the scenes.
Almost a dozen news stories (radio, TV, newspaper) highlighted the push for H.B. 2 in Georgia. Georgia Carry said nothing.
Then they remained silent when scandal-ridden Speaker of the House David Ralston launched attack after attack on House Bill 2 during an appearance on a Georgia Public Broadcasting radio show and in the fake news Atlanta Journal Constitution.
In one Fox 5 interview, anti-gun witch Mary Margaret Oliver even locked her arms in solidarity, opposing House Bill 2. Georgia Carry said nothing.
The cherry on top came when Georgia Carry’s Jerry Henry, John Monroe, and Kelly Kennett sat for a political photo op with the very same David Ralston who’s working overtime to KILL Constitutional Carry legislation in Georgia.
And now, when you think it can’t get any worse, Georgia Carry produced a 1,480 word dissertation emailed out at 12:55 AM in the middle of the night explaining why they don’t want Constitutional Carry in Georgia right now.
The exclamation point paragraph in the 1,480 word dissertation is this:
“Thus, calling permitless carry “constitutional carry” is at best a misnomer, at worst a public relations ploy designed to convince constituencies that permitless carry is a constitutional right. It is not.”
Good luck telling 99.9% of Georgia’s Second Amendment community that “constitutional carry” isn’t a constitutional right!
That’s going over like a lead balloon.
What’s worse, gun owners across Georgia are salivating watching Constitutional Carry move in states like South Dakota (two weeks ago became America’s 14th Constitutional Carry state), Iowa, Oklahoma, Kentucky, and Alabama.
Meanwhile in their home state, where Georgia Gun Owners is leading the grassroots charge, establishment gun lobby Georgia Carry’s multiple time endorsed “friend,” scandal-ridden Speaker of the House David Ralston won’t let the legislation go anywhere.
But it doesn’t end there.
Telling grassroots Second Amendment supporters across the state they are falling for a Constitutional Carry “public relations ploy” is like telling the massive lunch time drive through line at Chick-Fil-A the sandwich they’re about to sink their teeth into isn’t delicious, and that they should just go grab a $5 footlong over at Subway.
This is all quite simple.
The establishment gun lobby, David Ralston, Mary Margaret Oliver, Michael Bloomberg and many other anti-gunners do not want Constitutional Carry to get to Governor Brian Kemp’s desk for his signature in 2019 and probably even 2020.
There is no other way to say it. We see the proof in Georgia Carry’s actions toward Constitutional Carry.
Yes, carrying a firearm open or concealed without a government-issued piece of paper is a constitutional right.
The moment you start telling gun owners that it isn’t . . . well, you’re losing bigly.
The philosopher Confucius is credited with saying: “Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated.”
This same principle can be applied to the gun rights community. Say what you mean and mean what you say.