Anyone licensed to carry a gun in Georgia could carry concealed handguns on public college campuses under a bill passed Monday by the Georgia House.
Athletic facilities and student housing, including sorority and fraternity houses, would be exempt.
The state’s powerful Board of Regents, which governs the University System of Georgia, has long opposed changes to existing law that prevents weapons on its campuses.
The House passed the bill, 113 to 59, despite that objection.
Several recent armed robberies at the library on the Georgia State University campus in downtown Atlanta renewed backers’ argument for carrying on campuses. Rep. Rick Jasperse, the bill’s sponsor, said the change would prevent Georgians from becoming victims of crime on college or university campuses.