Richard Tafoya
Jul 1st, 2008, 05:33 PM
AJC:
http://www.ajc.com/business/content/business/stories/2008/06/30/airport_gun_showdown.html?cxntlid=homepage_tab_newstab
Guns were the issue. But words and federal lawsuits became the weapons of choice Tuesday as Atlanta officials declared Hartsfield-Jackson (http://www.ajc.com/travel/content/travel/hartsfield/index.html?cxntlid=linkr) 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.
...
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 (http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/atlanta/index.html?cxntlid=linkr) once again trying to hold itself above state law," said John Monroe, an attorney for the gun rights group GeorgiaCarry.org (http://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.
...
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.
http://www.ajc.com/business/content/business/stories/2008/06/30/airport_gun_showdown.html?cxntlid=homepage_tab_newstab
Guns were the issue. But words and federal lawsuits became the weapons of choice Tuesday as Atlanta officials declared Hartsfield-Jackson (http://www.ajc.com/travel/content/travel/hartsfield/index.html?cxntlid=linkr) 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.
...
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 (http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/atlanta/index.html?cxntlid=linkr) once again trying to hold itself above state law," said John Monroe, an attorney for the gun rights group GeorgiaCarry.org (http://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.
...
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.