NRA Takes Aim ON GRA As Gun Bill and Divides Conservative Senators

One of the hardest fought issues during this legislative session pitted the Georgia Retail Association, the Georgia Chamber of Commerce and other business interests against the NRA in a no-holes-barred fight over, what has been called, “the guns in the parking lot” bill.

Senate Bill 43, and an identical House Bill HB 143 would have prevented employers from having a policy preventing employees from having guns in their vehicles at work.

Even though statistics show that workplaces where guns are allowed in personal cars are five-times more likely to have shootings; and even though 460 people are killed by guns at workplaces each year; and even though the business community solidly opposed the bills, the National Rifle Association (NRA) used guerilla tactics to pressure the Senate to move the bill forward out-of-committee and finally onto the Senate floor for a vote.

This is the second consecutive year that the NRA has had similar legislation introduced in numerous states. Last year Georgia and its neighbor to the south, Florida, successfully fought those efforts, keeping the bills locked up in committee. However this year Georgia was selected as the NRA’s number one target state, and NRA made an all-out effort to mobilize its grassroots network across Georgia.

Hundreds of calls poured into legislative offices from NRA members. That pressure along with visits to Georgia from Washington’s top NRA officials; threats by NRA officials to withhold support from, and work against the reelection of Senators who did not vote with them; left the Senate in a legislative quandary over which conservative group they supported – businesses or the NRA.

The Senate was prepared to debate House Bill 89 (that had been amended to add the guns in parking lot language) the day after the horrific mass shootings at Virginia Tech. In the end, notwithstanding a promise to the NRA that there would be a floor vote on the bill, the matter was never taken up.

In response to verbal attacks from the NRA, Lieutenant Governor, Casey Cagle responded, "I think that clearly it was on the minds of every elected official." He added that the other major factor in holding up a vote on the bill was a complete impasse between the National Rifle Association (which lobbied intensely for the bill), and business (Georgia Retail Association) and real estate groups (which had opposed it).  Cagle said no language could be found that was acceptable to both sides.
  
Some at the Capitol have criticized the NRA’s lobbying tactics, which some Senators and newspapers have characterized as “bullying and intimidating.” For all the heat and attention given the debate over the right of property owners and employers to prevent the introduction of firearms to their land or workplace, there were other significant issues debated and discussed in the 2007 Legislative Session.