When I read articles like this, I get tired. It reminds me how much work lays ahead of us rights activists in educating the populace regarding the truth about gun control. The hardest mountain is that I'm not on the editorial board of a major newspaper so I can't present my opinion as facts to the public. Instead, I have to network with as many people as I can in hopes of getting a few readers here and calmly, accurately, and thoroughly show how people like Maureen Downey are wrong.

Ms. Downey is not a fan of new laws that are being discussed in Georgia regarding firearms. Instead of writing logical rebuttals backed up with statistics and facts, she does what is typical of the anti-rights crowd - she resorts to ad hominems and stereotypes. I'm ok with a little snark, heck this post uses the phrase "PSH". But when writers like Ms. Downey descend into the sheer amount of vitriol disguised as an editorial, it makes me wonder if she even knows any gun owners.

Asked about priorities in their communities, most Georgians would offer a similar list of pressing needs — improved transit, better schools and comprehensive water planning. Few, if any, would call for more guns on their streets.

Yet the General Assembly will devote hours to extremist gun bills built around the fantasy that average Georgians cannot go unarmed to work, school or the dry cleaners. That nightmarish depiction of daily life in Georgia is not shared by most voters, who would rather see their elected officials deal with education, gridlock and drought. [emphasis mine - R]

I'm willing to bet a significant amount of money that there's no legislation anywhere that is "calling for more guns on the streets." But I understand that you can't get people fired up about the truth so just twist the phrase to make it seem that the law requires everyone over the age of 7 to have a fully loaded gun on them at all time. That would be an extremist position.

I don't know what's nightmarish about people being armed. The cops are armed. The Feds are armed. Honest people can be armed. The problem is that criminals are armed, laws be damned. Disarmed citizens up against heavily armed criminals is a nightmare as it has played out over and over again.

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Those voters, however, aren't circling the Capitol, as the gun fanatics are.

Ad hominem.

While real life and real pain occupy those voters, gun lobbyists are filling lawmakers with tales of defenseless soccer moms who need their revolvers at the Wal-Mart Supercenter and nervous insurance agents who can't go from Canton to Cobb without a pistol in their shoulder holsters.

As opposed to the tales of fear Ms. Downey is spinning about shootouts and such? Why is it fear mongering to suggest that someone be allowed to carry a gun because something might happen that requires it versus saying that if people were to carry there would be shootouts?

That's why voters can expect lawmakers to give serious consideration to an NRA bill permitting employees to keep guns in cars parked on corporate lots. A reverence for property rights and strong opposition from the business sector scuttled the bill last year, but the NRA won't be dissuaded.

Apparently, she doesn't know any gun owners. It would seem even NRA members (of which I am not) and us gunnies have issues with this (I'm personally on the fence).

A second gun bill — House Bill 915, or the "Second Amendment Protection Act of 2008" — also threatens public safety. Most Georgians support responsible gun ownership, but the far-reaching HB 915 expands the rights of gun owners without expanding any of their responsibilities.

"Under Georgia law now, you can't drink and hunt," says Alice Johnson, director of Georgians for Gun Safety. "But under this bill, you can drink and carry your gun to a bar or an athletic event or while tailgating. There are no incentives or requirements in his bill to be responsible and safe, not a single one."

I wish there were some links to this. One would think that, if you shoot someone, you are responsible. I don't know how much more detailed one has to be on this. If a child gets a hold of your firearm and uses it, you're liable. So, in essence, you are already required to be safe.

This is akin to driving. There doesn't need to be 20,000 driving laws dictating ever facet of your morning drive and a requirement that all drivers know them. Instead, we generalize and say that you are responsible for your car and what happens with its use. Yet more people die each year in automobile accidents and still there are not calls for tighter vehicular regulation.

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Bearden also wants people to get guns faster; his bill requires expedited issuance of firearm licenses, even allowing people to obtain a provisional permit before a full background check is complete in some cases. (Apparently, Bearden believes licenses ought to be issued at birth.)

He actually said this? In the Internet world, you should hyperlink such accusations to quotes. Otherwise, I'm assuming you're lying to prove a point.

Why would issuance of a license be a problem? Are criminals lining up to get permits? What idiot would go through such a detailed background check knowing that it would result in his arrest? They don't, so allowing people who jump through the dog and pony show hoops get a provisional license has no affect on criminal actions.

And if the buyer has to wait too long, Bearden's bill states: "The applicant may bring an action in mandamus or other legal proceeding ... and such applicant shall be entitled to recover his or her costs in such action, including reasonable attorney fees." It's not clear who the gun owner is supposed to sue, but it's a safe bet that taxpayers of Georgia would end up paying the tab. The bill also says that the state can no longer seize guns in a declared official state of emergency. And gun owners whose guns are taken under order from the governor can also sue.

For someone who seems to value property rights, why would Maureen have a problem with preventing the government from taking people's stuff and giving said people a venue for recourse? What makes a firearm different than other property.

Bearden's legislation goes well beyond a chicken in every pot; he wants a Colt in every pub.

Again, a lie. What Bearden is wanting is that law abiding citizens be able to protect themselves if they so desire using the tools they feel work best for them. There is not a requirement that every pub have a gun in it, but you'd not get that from Ms. Downey's article, would you?

He eliminates virtually all the existing limits on where weapons can legally be carried in Georgia. His bill strikes the long-standing ban on weapons at "public gathering" sites, including private schools, athletic events, churches, colleges, political rallies, bars and public buildings, such as libraries and city halls.

Good. How many more "Gun Free Zone" shootings do we have to have before people realize that crime can happen anywhere? I'm sure Maureen thinks that just by having a gun in a library, a person would be compelled to pop a cap in a loud speaking patron, but that's just not the case. The same person though, might just be there to stop a madman who didn't pay attention to the no-guns sign and decided to shoot everyone. A rarity, yes, but one that has been instrumental is stopping mass shootings recently.

And what, pray tell, does the particular building / area have to do with someone using a gun? What makes a sane, calm citizen with a gun go berserk and start shooting everyone sees simply because he walked through the door of a church? That sounds like fear mongering to me.

Ms. Downey would do well to come down here to Florida, or at least look through crime statistics. We can carry practically anywhere and yet we don't have the issues she fears. There are no shootouts over parking spaces. Road Rage shootings aren't a daily occurrence. In fact, people with CCWs are some of the most law abiding citizens out there.

That's just what the moms and dads of Bearden's district want — to bring the kiddies to a Braves game and end up next to an unhappy drunk with a Glock.

Better than a bitter person with a keyboard, network connection, and a spot on the Atlanta Journal Constitution's editorial board.