I hope you’re never in trouble with the law, because if you’re in Georgia and you plead “no contest,” you might still be able to keep and bear arms, but forget about carrying them concealed.
Earlier this month, the Georgia Supreme Court issued an opinion that restricted the right of Georgians to keep and bear arms under the Second Amendment.
In Georgia, a person cannot possess a firearm if he or she is a convicted felon. Further, a person cannot obtain a “weapons carry license” if that person has been convicted of a felony.
In 1994, a man named James Hertz pleaded nolo contendere, or “no contest,” to five felony charges in Florida when he was 18 years old. The Florida court withheld judgment on the charges and sentenced Mr. Hertz to three years’ probation, which he successfully completed. In other words, Mr. Hertz entered a plea on his case, but was never convicted of any crime.
….
While Mr. Hertz can keep a gun in the places listed by the court, he cannot carry a firearm pursuant to the weapons carry license statute. This clearly infringes upon his freedom to “bear arms” because he is restricted from taking a firearm into otherwise lawful areas.
Read the entire story here: http://www.times-georgian.com/opinion/columnists/jason_swindle/article_439ad7c2-50b6-11e3-a1a0-0019bb30f31a.html
Good luck, Mr. Hertz.
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