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Discussion Topic: On Concealed Carry in Atlanta’s Airport
To be clear, no one is asking to carry guns beyond the airport’s security checkpoint. That’s federal turf. But a Georgia group is suing for the right to carry in public areas of the terminal.
From The New York Times:
A Georgia gun rights group filed a lawsuit in Federal District Court in Atlanta on Tuesday after [Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport] officials said they would continue to enforce a ban on concealed weapons in the terminal despite the changes to the state law[, which relaxed the] prohibition on carrying weapons on public transportation . . . .
Benjamin R. DeCosta, the airport director, said the changes only apply to public transportation such as buses and the city subway and were not intended to allow people to carry guns at the airport. . . .
“We want to make sure the airport is safe and secure,” he said. Mr. DeCosta said that airports had previously been targeted by terrorists and that “there should be no ambiguity to law enforcement as to whether people should be carrying weapons here. . . .”
Bill Weeks, [GeorgiaCarry.Org] spokesman, said the Legislature clearly meant to relax a longstanding ban on carrying firearms on all public transportation, including at the airport. Mr. Weeks said the old version of the law specifically forbid carrying weapons in airport terminals, but the new version struck down that provision.
Check out the full article and tell us what you think.
Banning guns in public transportation terminals because of terrorism fears is like banning carrots because of malfunctioning seatbelts. There is no rational nexus.
The September 11th hijackers commandeered 3 planes with razor blades.
The attacks on public transportation in Britain and Spain were done with bombs.
The attacks upon our ships and embassies have been with explosives.
So obviously, banning guns at the lobby of the airport will stop those terrorists in their tracks.
Hah! Take that.
(good grief)
Posted by: jack | July 07, 2008 at 01:04 PM
These types of restrictions on the law-abiding citizenry are ridiculous. The carry permit in Tennessee prohibits you from packing a rod in all the places the bad guys perform their silly tricks. If you've played the govt.'s silly game to get the permit, you should be able to carry where ever.
Posted by: TommyNash | July 07, 2008 at 01:58 PM
I disagree for a couple of reasons.
IF guns are allowed in terminals, they should be allowed only to a certain point then to be locked in luggage (not carry ons) for the flight. If I can get on a plane with a gun so can a terrorist.
The thought of dying in a plane hi-jacking is terrifying to nearly everyone. Decisions become irrational at the point of someone trying to hijack a plane with a knife, or gun, or shoe bomb, etc -grandma gets trigger happy- shoots a couple of passengers in tight quarters and then shoots out the window taking the plane with her in her blaze of "self protection"
I am all about the right to carry, but that right shouldn't be taken onto a plane or make it any easier to slip one onto a plane. Its a bad headline waiting to happen.
Posted by: bnorth | July 08, 2008 at 11:41 AM