http://www.ajc.com/business/content...un_showdown.html?cxntlid=homepage_tab_newstab
http://alt.coxnewsweb.com/ajc/metro/070108/0701decosta.pdf
By JIM THARPE
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 07/01/08
Guns were the issue. But words and federal lawsuits became the weapons of choice Tuesday as Atlanta officials declared Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport a "gun-free zone," and gun advocates immediately retaliated by suing them.
The fight about a new state law — one that permits licensed gun owners to carry concealed weapons in more public places — began at Atlanta's city-run airport, the world's busiest with 89 million passengers a year.
But city officials say they think it could eventually have a nationwide impact.
"This is a matter of national significance," Mayor Shirley Franklin told reporters at a news conference. Permitting guns inside an airport, even weapons carried by permit holders, would create an unsafe environment that "would endanger millions of people," the mayor said.
Franklin vowed Tuesday to lobby Congress and federal officials to mandate that any public facility receiving federal money be declared a "gun-free zone." That would affect airports nationwide.
Franklin's comments followed a vow by city officials to arrest anyone carrying a gun at Hartsfield-Jackson. The city drew a line in the sand on the very same day a new state law easing gun restrictions in public places took effect.
The new law allows licensed gun owners who pass background checks to carry concealed weapons on public transportation, in parks and recreation areas and in restaurants that serve alcohol — all areas that were previously off-limits.
Gun advocates say the new law means people with the proper permits could carry concealed weapons in the non-secure areas in front of the security gates. Federal law prohibits guns beyond the security gates, and both sides agree that guns should be banned there.
"This is about the city of Atlanta once again trying to hold itself above state law," said John Monroe, an attorney for the gun rights group GeorgiaCarry.org. Monroe and about half a dozen members of his group attended the morning news conference, some wearing large orange buttons that read: "Guns Save Lives."
Gun rights advocates see the new law as a victory for the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Opponents say it has the potential to spawn more violence than it prevents.
Airport General Manager Ben DeCosta said the city's legal team has studied the new law and determined the airport still falls under a "public gathering" exception in the Georgia Code.
"Therefore, firearms are prohibited on airport property," he said.
Monroe came to Tuesday's news conference in the Hartsfield-Jackson atrium and handed Franklin and DeCosta copies of the 10-page lawsuit he had just filed in U.S. District Court in Atlanta on behalf of his organization and state Rep. Tim Bearden (R-Villa Rica). DeCosta accepted his copy, but the mayor declined and walked away.
Bearden, a former policeman who authored the new law, said Monday he would come to the airport on Tuesday to pick up relatives and would be carrying a permitted concealed weapon. DeCosta vowed to have him arrested if he did. By Tuesday, Bearden had decided to let the courts decide the issue.
"That showdown will take place in the courts instead of an airport parking lot," said Bearden, who still planned to go to the airport, but without a gun.
The lawsuit accuses city officials of violating Bearden's civil rights by threatening him with arrest.
The suit seeks an injunction to stop the city from searching or arresting people for "legally carrying firearms," and it seeks "reasonable" attorney's fees.
Tuesday's lawsuit is the latest in a series of legal actions GeorgiaCarry.org has filed in recent months. The organization has been successful in overturning or getting local governments to rescind several ordinances.
GeorgiaCarry.org successfully sued probate courts in Carroll, Henry, Cherokee and Cobb counties for requiring gun permit applicants to give their Social Security numbers. Litigation by the group pushed Athens, Fulton County and Atlanta and several other cities in Fulton to abandon restrictions on bringing weapons into parks.
— Staff writer Rhonda Cook contributed to this article.
http://alt.coxnewsweb.com/ajc/metro/070108/0701decosta.pdf
By JIM THARPE
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 07/01/08
Guns were the issue. But words and federal lawsuits became the weapons of choice Tuesday as Atlanta officials declared Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport a "gun-free zone," and gun advocates immediately retaliated by suing them.
The fight about a new state law — one that permits licensed gun owners to carry concealed weapons in more public places — began at Atlanta's city-run airport, the world's busiest with 89 million passengers a year.
But city officials say they think it could eventually have a nationwide impact.
"This is a matter of national significance," Mayor Shirley Franklin told reporters at a news conference. Permitting guns inside an airport, even weapons carried by permit holders, would create an unsafe environment that "would endanger millions of people," the mayor said.
Franklin vowed Tuesday to lobby Congress and federal officials to mandate that any public facility receiving federal money be declared a "gun-free zone." That would affect airports nationwide.
Franklin's comments followed a vow by city officials to arrest anyone carrying a gun at Hartsfield-Jackson. The city drew a line in the sand on the very same day a new state law easing gun restrictions in public places took effect.
The new law allows licensed gun owners who pass background checks to carry concealed weapons on public transportation, in parks and recreation areas and in restaurants that serve alcohol — all areas that were previously off-limits.
Gun advocates say the new law means people with the proper permits could carry concealed weapons in the non-secure areas in front of the security gates. Federal law prohibits guns beyond the security gates, and both sides agree that guns should be banned there.
"This is about the city of Atlanta once again trying to hold itself above state law," said John Monroe, an attorney for the gun rights group GeorgiaCarry.org. Monroe and about half a dozen members of his group attended the morning news conference, some wearing large orange buttons that read: "Guns Save Lives."
Gun rights advocates see the new law as a victory for the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Opponents say it has the potential to spawn more violence than it prevents.
Airport General Manager Ben DeCosta said the city's legal team has studied the new law and determined the airport still falls under a "public gathering" exception in the Georgia Code.
"Therefore, firearms are prohibited on airport property," he said.
Monroe came to Tuesday's news conference in the Hartsfield-Jackson atrium and handed Franklin and DeCosta copies of the 10-page lawsuit he had just filed in U.S. District Court in Atlanta on behalf of his organization and state Rep. Tim Bearden (R-Villa Rica). DeCosta accepted his copy, but the mayor declined and walked away.
Bearden, a former policeman who authored the new law, said Monday he would come to the airport on Tuesday to pick up relatives and would be carrying a permitted concealed weapon. DeCosta vowed to have him arrested if he did. By Tuesday, Bearden had decided to let the courts decide the issue.
"That showdown will take place in the courts instead of an airport parking lot," said Bearden, who still planned to go to the airport, but without a gun.
The lawsuit accuses city officials of violating Bearden's civil rights by threatening him with arrest.
The suit seeks an injunction to stop the city from searching or arresting people for "legally carrying firearms," and it seeks "reasonable" attorney's fees.
Tuesday's lawsuit is the latest in a series of legal actions GeorgiaCarry.org has filed in recent months. The organization has been successful in overturning or getting local governments to rescind several ordinances.
GeorgiaCarry.org successfully sued probate courts in Carroll, Henry, Cherokee and Cobb counties for requiring gun permit applicants to give their Social Security numbers. Litigation by the group pushed Athens, Fulton County and Atlanta and several other cities in Fulton to abandon restrictions on bringing weapons into parks.
— Staff writer Rhonda Cook contributed to this article.
