Republican Georgia Governor Nathan Deal recently signed into law a bill greatly broadening the areas in which gun owners can legally carry firearms in the Peach State. The Safe Carry Protection Act of 2014, also known as the “guns everywhere bill” allows residents with concealed carry permits to take guns into some bars, churches, school zones, government buildings and even certain parts of airports, as well as eliminating the requirement for fingerprinting and recordkeeping of gun owners. The bill passed with overwhelming support in the Georgia House by a count of 112-58 and the Georgia Senate by a count of 37-18 before landing on Governor Deal’s desk for his seal of approval.

“Our state has some of the best protections for gun owners in the United States. And today we strengthen those rights protected by our nation’s most revered founding document,” Governor Deal said while signing the bill.

The bill has not been well-received by many, as gun control advocates such as Americans for Responsible Solutions denounced the piece of legislation.

“So it is no surprise that while being trumpeted by the NRA [National Rifle Association] as the ‘most comprehensive’ gun bill in state history, the legislation … was opposed by Georgia law enforcement, county commissioners, municipal leaders, and the Transportation Security Administration for its potentially harmful impact on Georgians’ safety,” said Pia Carusone, a senior advisor for Americans for Responsible Solutions.

Gun control has been a source of heated debate for years in the United States. Recent outbreaks of mass shootings and gun-related violence has prompted governments nationwide to decide how best to tackle the problem. Some states such as Connecticut chose to pass one of the strictest gun laws in America while states such as Georgia chose to pass one of the laxest. On the federal level, numerous attempts at gun control have been proposed and subsequently pigeonholed by the gun lobby. Ultimately it is up to the states to decide the extent of their citizens’ 2^nd amendment rights, whether higher gun ownership or stricter gun control leads to lower crime and a safer community. One piece of advice to the people of Georgia, think twice before looking at someone wrong in the Peach State, especially in a bar, church, school, government building, or airport. You might provoke someone to “stand their ground.”