On Second Thought For Thursday, October 5, 2017

Campus Carry, Manchester Orchestra, Uncontested Seats, Funk You

Georgia’s campus carry law allows firearms on all public college campuses, minus a few excepted spaces. We hear about the research into the effectiveness of such laws with Matthew Boedy, a Professor of English at the University of North Georgia. Also Mark Rosenberg, former President and CEO of the Task Force for Global Health.

Last week, six Georgia professors sued the state to overturn the campus carry law. They filed a joint complaint, which said “Historically, the Board of Regents and University System institutions have taken the position that the free exchange of ideas is significantly curtailed if students or faculty are, or even feel, physically unsafe; and they have accordingly prioritized campus safety.” Attorney Simon Bloom, partner at the Bloom Sugarman law firm, has been following this issue closely. He brings us a commentary.

Atlanta band Manchester Orchestra has been going strong since 2004, having performed at big festivals like Shaky Knees, Lollapalooza, and Bonnaroo. But the band reached new fame after scoring the 2016 cult film “Swiss Army Man,” with Daniel Radcliffe and Paul Dano. The group just released their fifth studio album, “A Black Mile to the Surface,” and will perform at the Tabernacle in Atlanta this Saturday, October 7. We talk with the songwriting duo behind the group, Andy Hull and Robert McDowell.

The Georgia House of Representatives had more uncontested seats in the last election cycle than any Legislative chamber in the nation. Nearly all incumbents retained their seats. Only 31 of the 180 House seats featured candidates from both parties—leaving 83 percent of all seats uncontested. Andra Gillespie weighs in on why incumbents rule in Georgia. She’s a Political Science Professor at Emory University. And we also speak with Greg Bluestein, Political Reporter for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Did you know GPB records live sessions with bands in our Performance Studio? It’s part of a new project called “GPB Music Presents,” launched by Grant Blankenship and Trevor Young. Earlier this year, we taped Augusta band Funk You. They perform at the Augusta Common on Thursday, October 5. We hear portions of our in-studio GPB session with Funk You.