NEW THIS MORNING: Georgia Senate passes bill on concealed weapons

ATLANTA – “This is a gun bill,” said Senate Bill 102’s primary sponsor Sen. Jeff Mullis, R-Chickamauga.

Mullis is not shy about his predilection for carrying guns. The Constitution says the right the own guns shall not be infringed upon, and he thinks any restrictions, including having to get a license to carry a concealed weapon, is an infringement.

SB 102 opens up concealed carrying in churches and other places now restricted, such as churches, if the church decides it is OK, by people driving through schools to pick up or drop off students, and places such as Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport’s passenger pickup and baggage claim area. Hartsfield-Jackson bans the practice.

A late amendment by Mullis and others said that all persons elected to state and local offices can carry concealed weapons without obtaining a concealed-carry permit.

It passed 41-11.