'Guns Everywhere' Law Allows Firearms In Church

By Amanda Walker, US Correspondent

Sweeping new laws have come into effect in the US state of Georgia which allow guns in bars, nightclubs, libraries and even churches.

Critics have slammed the so-called "guns everywhere" legislation as the most extreme in the United States.

At a shooting range just outside Atlanta, pro-gun activists have been gathering to celebrate one of the most radical pro-gun measures in the country.

Most are white males in their 50s and for them, the new law is a triumph.

One said: "It's a victory for the second amendment rights ... the right to keep and bear arms."

"Those rights are protected by the constitution and are given to us by God," another added.

The controversial laws are welcomed by some people in Georgia

Not everyone in the state is so happy about the law.

According to the Centre for American Progress, between 2001 and 2010, Georgia saw over twice as many people killed by guns than in combat in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

Athens, a pretty town with a strong literary heritage, is a liberal oasis in what has become one of the most gun-friendly states in America.

The library is a community hub popular with young families.

Before, guns would not be allowed anywhere near it.

Now, because it is classed as an unsecured government building, people can walk in with their weapon on display.

Lawyer John Timmons is worried about the impact of the new measures

John Timmons, a lawyer who sits on the library's board, said: "This is a place of learning - it's a place for peace, not a place for firearms.

"If someone were to walk in right now with a shotgun, we'd really have to ask ourselves - why? How is that reasonable?"

In the storytelling class, parents with their toddlers said firearms and nursery rhymes do not mix.

"It would make me nervous," one woman said. "If someone comes in with a gun, I'm leaving."

Another mother added: "You come to feel safe here ... now everybody you look at, you're concerned about what they could possibly be carrying with them."

However, local activist Bob Thornton welcomed the bill - unsurprising when you learn his motto: "If you see me with pants on, my pistol's in my pants."

Sky's Amanda Walker speaks to concerned parents at a library in Athens

"If the library doesn't want people to come into the building armed, all they have to do is get the city council to put in (metal detectors) and have someone stationed there to prevent armed people from entering," he said.

The worry for many Georgians is that things will go the way of Texas, where activists have been brazenly flexing their open carry rights by parading their assault rifles.

Opposition to gun-friendly laws is simmering but people are not taking to the streets to protest.

Public disdain has not reached the political sphere - even the democratic candidate for Georgia governor voted for the new law.

They know blocking it is a sure-fire way to lose votes.

In the face of continued mass shootings, the so-called Safe Carry Protection Act is proof that the all-powerful gun lobby's influence is as strong as ever.

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