The Georgia State Capitol building located in Atlanta, Ga

By RAY HENRY

ATLANTA - Republican lawmakers are moving to loosen restrictions on where Georgians can carry or keep firearms.

A series of legislative proposals affecting gun ownership are working their way through the General Assembly ahead of a crucial deadline coming Thursday.

A House committee was expected to debate legislation that would allow people to carry concealed weapons inside bars and churches, unless private property owners forbid it. It would also allow school district officials to arm their employees - a Republican proposal that emerged after a deadly school shooting rampage in Connecticut.

Meanwhile, the Senate debated a bill that would forbid local governments from banning residents of public housing complexes from owning firearms. It would also forbid the government from publicly releasing information on who has a concealed weapons permit.