Fight to Bear Arms —in Atlanta Airport

Gun advocates sue to block ban
By Peter Fearon,  Newser Staff
Posted Jul 2, 2008 3:11 AM CDT
Fight to Bear Arms —in Atlanta Airport
Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin. She is hoping to have guns barred from Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson airport despite a new Georgia state law allowing guns in public places.    (AP Photo/Lawrence Jackson)

Atlanta officials are trying to ban guns from the city's international airport—the world's busiest—but incredibly, that may prove difficult, reports the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. A new Georgia law allows gun owners with permits to carry concealed weapons in many public places, including public transportation. Gun advocates say that includes certain parts of the airport and sued in court yesterday to block an airport gun ban.  

"This is a matter of national significance," declared the mayor, who warned that permitting people to carry guns inside an airport would create an unsafe environment that would "endanger millions of people." The gun advocates' lawsuit seeks an injunction to stop the city from searching or arresting people with permits for carrying firearms. (More gun control stories.)

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