ATLANTA — Georgia’s gun laws will get another look when the legislature convenes starting next week.
Though gun rights have ruled in the legislature – some want to see whether those rights can get pushed back just a little in the name of public parks and moneymaking events.
State law explicitly allows legal gun owners to carry guns on government park land if they want, which drove gun rights activists to successfully challenge a ban on guns at the Georgia Botanical Garden, a city-owned Piedmont Park.
In November, Zoo Atlanta, located at the city’s Grant Park, bent its rules to allow firearms on site after another threat of legal action. A similar challenge also reportedly drove Music Midtown, also at Piedmont Park, to abruptly cancel its festival last fall.
"Obviously we don’t want to lose these sorts of events," said state Sen. Elena Parent (D-Atlanta), who expects a bill to be introduced which would change the state law. If changed, the law would allow events held at government parks to ban firearms for the duration of the event.
"It’s just really upsetting that this sort of extremist gun policy ruling over our state right now is leading to Georgians not being able to enjoy these events," said Parent.
But Georgia’s newest gun laws have tended to tilt toward gun rights – evidenced by Gov. Brian Kemp’s celebratory signing of a law last year eliminating the permit requirement to carry a firearm in public.
Gun rights activists promise they would oppose any effort to curb gun carry rights in public parks. They think patrons should be allowed to carry firearms for their self defense. Jerry Henry, founder of GA2A, also thinks cities might abuse a change in the law.
"We do not want the cities to say 'well, all we have to do to prohibit firearms is lease this location out for a day or two days or three days' or whatever it is," said Henry.
To pass it, Democrats would need Republican votes. The question is whether they can successfully use an economic argument to get generally pro-gun Republicans on board to curb guns in public parks.