ATLANTA -- The restriction of guns is an issue that rarely gets traction in spite of mass killings from Orlando to Sandy Hook to Las Vegas. In Georgia, the Second Amendment is very popular among lawmakers and that's not likely to change among legislators who say the gun isn't the bad guy, it's the bad guy who fires it illegally.
On YouTube, there's a channel where a firearms enthusiast named Eric punishes his AR-15 by firing more than 800 shots at an outdoor range.
The weapon is an automatic machine-gun style rifle – a rare thing among gun owners. They're illegal in Georgia – unless the owner has a federal permit, which requires an application with a $200 fee, a photo, a background check and a signature from a local sheriff or police chief.
Eric declined our request for an interview – but one of his posted videos has had more than 9 million views – with a cheerfully pro Second Amendment viewpoint.
"We want everybody to be able to own whatever kind of gun they want, and for any lawful purpose they want. And the thing is we would never want to disenfranchise anyone of their gun rights," Eric says in the video
And it is the prevailing political attitude in Georgia – from the National Rifle Association convention in Atlanta last spring, to the state legislature every winter – where gun ownership rights are a given.
"We are a nation that does cherish its second amendment right," said state Senator Elena Parent, who has fought to restrict gun sales—but says even minor gun restrictions are next to impossible to enact.
"It might not fly with Georgia's elected officials. But if you ask Georgians, there's broad support for universal background checks for example," Parent said.
