Candid Conversation with Former President Jimmy Carter - WSAV: News, Weather, and Sports for Savannah, GA

Candid Conversation with Former President Jimmy Carter

Former U.S. President and Georgia native Jimmy Carter along with his wife were in Statesboro tonight.

The 39th President graced the platform at Georgia Southern as part of the University's Leadership Series.

When the carters took the stage, the auditorium began to roar with cheers and applause for the man many say is Georgia's political treasure.

But before that, we were able to participate in an intimate chat with the former President and First Lady.

They were open about their humble beginnings, life lessons learned and they offered their take on many current events. As a farmer and past Governor of the State of Georgia, the Savannah Port is an issue close to his heart.

Despite the differing opinions, he says he is in favor of expanding our port, because without it-- business will go elsewhere.

"When I was President, I pushed the plunger that exploded the dynamite that would widen and deepen the Panama Canal, so we are going to soon have ships larger than we've had coming through the canal, and they will want to come into Jacksonville or Charleston or Savannah or New Orleans. If they can't get in to Georgia, it's going to be a major blow not only to this area, not only the southeast, but I would say to the entire country."

Along with the economy, North Korea and Congress-- the former President also weighed in on the recent discussions of gun violence and control.

As an avid hunter, president carter owns nine guns himself, but says there needs to be tighter enforcement on current laws. He would like to see certain weapons out of the hands of the public.

"I think we ought to redo the law that prohibits the sale or possession of assault weapons, except in certain circumstances. I would be in favor of limiting the size of a magazine to 10 rounds and I would also be in favor of universal identification of those who purchase weapons to make sure they are screened adequately."