Gun rights group adopts a mile of Highway 34 for litter cleanup
Starting next month, they'll be wearing orange vests, picking up litter along Georgia's highways -- and carrying guns.
They are members of Georgia Carry, a gun rights organization that adopted a one-mile section along Georgia Highway 34 East in Coweta County about three weeks ago under the Georgia Adopt-a-Highway program.
Georgia Carry's community service is part of a new campaign to let the public know they're just a group of "pretty decent guys" who are continuing to champion for the right to keep and bear arms.
"We're going to be carrying our weapons to show people that good guys carry weapons," said Jerry Henry, a Georgia Carry member and local gun show coordinator.
The 4,000-member organization adopted the section of state Highway 34 from Bradford Station Drive to East Plantation Drive. The sign along the highway was erected last week. The two-year-old group plans to adopt more roadsides throughout the state for the recognition and to continue their advocacy of gun rights.
President Ed Stone of Senoia confirmed the organization is currently pursuing other roads to adopt in other counties. Henry said most of them are concentrated in the Atlanta metro area, but they're actively working on an application in Savannah, too.
Stone and Georgia Carry were instrumental in passing Georgia's recent law that allows the state's firearms license holders to carry guns in state parks, on public transportation, and in restaurants that serve alcohol, as long as the permit holder does not drink.
Georgia Carry volunteers plan to start their first litter pickup along their stretch of highway in Coweta on April 18.
In addition to performing community service and continuing their advocacy campaign, Henry explained the group is hoping to dispel any negative misperceptions about their group.
He said he realizes that many are afraid of people toting weapons. So the idea, sprung from a member's Web posting, is so "people can see how nice we are and that we're not kooks."
"We want people to realize that you can drive by somebody wearing a gun and they're not going to kill you. A lot of people are deathly afraid of guns and I understand that, but most people in the South are used to that," he said.
He added that Georgia Carry is a diverse group that includes men and women of all races who range in age from 18 to 75 years old.
"It's a real cross-section of America ... that share the interest of protection our Second Amendment rights," he said.
The state's Adopt-a-Highway program, a partnership between the Georgia Department of Transportation and Keep Georgia Beautiful, enlists citizen volunteers to help remove litter from state roadsides. Each volunteer group adopts at least a one-mile stretch of highway and agrees to remove litter from both sides of the road at least four times a year for a two-year period.