The Georgia chapter for Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America protested the Safe Carry Protection Act in front of the Georgia State capitol on the morning of Feb. 25.
The Safe Carry Protection Act, House Bill 875, would decriminalize carrying a gun on college campuses. Licensed gun owners 21 years or older who have passed a background check would be given a $100 dollar fine instead if caught with a gun on campus.
Members of Moms Demand Action began their press conference with the event “common sense cookies” where they gave homemade cookies to legislators at the capitol in exchange for a chance to explain why they oppose the Safe Carry Protection Act.
“As moms, we send our kids onto campuses expecting them to be safe,” Piyali Cole, the Georgia Chapter Leader for Moms Demand Action, said. “Where there are guns there will be more crime. There will be more violence. It’s been proven.”
Cole, whose son was recently accepted to Georgia State, said that the bill decriminalizes bringing guns on campus by making the punishment a slap on the wrist. She also said that while some students may feel safer carrying a gun on campus, they don’t know who else is and the result could be someone getting hurt or dying.
Linda Benninger, a mother who attended Georgia State, said making it easier for people to carry guns on campus could lead to students making decisions they would later regret.
“If you’re away from home for the first time and you’re trying to figure out who you are or where you fit in, it can be very stressful. And, with easy access to guns, it’s an easy way for people to make a decision they would regret the next day,” Benninger said. “The easier you make it for someone to make a mistake that they will regret, the worse the outcome is going to be.”
The bill was passed 119-56 by the House of Representatives on Feb. 18 and has now gone to the Senate.
