With the modern social climate leaning more towards the Wild West than a civilized modern society, the desire to own and carry a gun to protect yourself or your family almost seems necessary. Even in sleepy Sylvester, we have seen multiple incidents in recent months involving masked gunmen brandishing pistols and shotguns on innocent residents.
And, while the laws have recently changed to prohibit law enforcement from asking to see your permit to carry a firearm may tempt some to carry a weapon illegally, if there is a reason to draw or use your weapon, you can and will be arrested for carrying without a permit.
So, with all of this in mind, The Sylvester Local News paid a visit to the probate court’s office in the Worth County Courthouse to inquire about obtaining a firearms license.
The clerk, Megan Stephenson, greeted me with a friendly smile, and she was surprisingly patient despite my barrage of questions. It costs a total of $86 to get your permit, but you must pay $35 cash for the actual license, and $51 using credit or debit card or a money order to pay for fingerprinting.
Where there were some issues in the past with fingerprinting that required Worth residents to travel to another county, now the probate court in Sylvester has all of the state of the art equipment to take care of everything in house. An interested party simply fills out the paperwork in which you answer a number of questions indicating that you are not a criminal. Then you get your picture taken for the modern and sophisticated license before Megan takes your fingerprints using a scanner.
The whole process takes less than 45 minutes, though it takes four to six weeks to get the card back. You cannot legally carry a weapon unless the card is in your possession, so don’t think that you can walk out of the courthouse and strap a pistol to your ankle. You are not legal unless the permit is on your person.
Additionally, those who already have their permit can renew it within 30 days of it expiring for a mere $35 and skip the fingerprinting fee.
Additionally, some 24 states across the country now honor Georgia’s permit. Though the laws are not always the same, and you should always check before you carry a gun into another state, Georgia license holders can now carry in Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, New Hampshire, North Carolina, North Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah and Wyoming.
Our founding fathers did entitle us with the right to bear arms, but it is also our responsibility to carry them legally and responsibly.