The campus-carry big lie

House Bill 859 is a bill looking for someone to love it. It has found few suitors outside the Georgia Legislature. The bill would give anyone with a license to carry a weapon the right to carry it on public colleges and universities. This bill has been introduced before and was defeated. College presidents were in an uproar then and the same is true this year.

Though guns would not be allowed in certain areas, that hasn't stopped some lawmakers from making doublespeak. According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, State Rep. Alan Powell, R-Hartwell, said the "legislation would ban guns from athletic events, dorms and fraternity and sorority houses." But it would enable students to "defend themselves in the case of certain events." He was speaking of the recent armed robberies around Georgia State University. Think about that for a second.

If students live on campus, they couldn't keep their weapon where they live. So how, pray tell, would they defend themselves? Do lawmakers just want to protect students living off campus?

This one-page bill isn't about students being able to defend themselves at all. It is an attempt to allow individuals who are licensed to carry their weapons the ability to bring them on campuses. It would allow them to walk into the president's office, provost, financial aid or any other building on a public university, college, vocational or technical school, even a classroom, with the exception of athletic facilities, packing a gun.

Lawmakers shouldn't hide behind the guise of giving students the ability to protect themselves when this bill clearly does not do that.

This story was originally published February 11, 2016 at 9:37 PM with the headline "The campus-carry big lie ."