Georgia rose to the front page of Reddit a few days ago over the state's campus carry law that went into effect on July 1. "Madbiologist," a poster to the mega online discussion site, shared the above photo, saying it was outside of a University of Georgia lab.
I asked UGA about the sign, but haven't heard back. Side note: UGA didn't mention the campus carry law at the freshman orientation I attended last month, even in the presentation by the UGA police chief. None of the official speakers brought up the law over the two-day orientation. The issue, however, was raised by parents during a Q&A with current UGA students about life on campus.
While the law permits guns in classrooms and labs, they are still outlawed in dorms. Anxious parents asked how UGA would make sure guns are kept out of dorms. A UGA official took that question, saying dorms were off-limits and conceal carry permit holders would be informed of that. But parents pressed her, asking if there were plans for metal detectors to ensure guns were not carried into dorms. Her answer: "No."
The photo drew enough interest and user votes to win Reddit's front page, which is highly coveted space and not easily earned given how many competing posts appear each day on the social platform. Reddit draws 250 million users per month and is the seventh largest website in the country.
I assume the sign reflects a clever prankster. But the information is likely correct. Many chemistry labs ban open-toe shoes as a danger, but they can't forbid guns now under Georgia law.
Among the more than 200 comments by Redditors about the purported UGA sign:
•Well this is America and Georgia to boot so AR-15's?
•Georgia has some of the most lenient gun laws in the country.
•Wait....there are schools in Georgia?
•There's Georgia Tech and... and... wait a sec it'll come to me.
•As a professor, I would seriously consider leaving a university that introduced a conceal and carry policy like Georgia or Texas. I'd quit teaching and find some other line of work. I'm a hunter so I'm not opposed to guns, but why the f*** would I teach in a classroom where stressed out college students are told carrying a deadly weapon is kosher?
