Atlanta Peach Drop - Weapons Ban NOT Legal © 2017 Phillip Evans

According to an AJC article, weapons are banned from a public City of Atlanta park, namely, Woodruff Park:

"Chairs, coolers, firearms, umbrellas, drones, pets, bicycles, hoverboards and skateboards are all prohibited" (bold mine).

Photo by HYOSUB SHIN / HSHIN@AJC.COM

I posted the following comment on the Atlanta Police Dept. Facebook page for the event:

"Per APD, they got informed that no firearms will be allowed at Woodruff Park for the Peach Drop. Perhaps from the Mayor's Office??? However, according to state law, municipalities are forbidden to regulate the carrying of weapons on public property.

Off limits locations for weapons are regulated by state law alone. And state law authorizes the lawful carrying of weapons in ALL areas of the state, with certain exceptions, and public city parks ain't in the exception list. Period.

Just because the city hires Live Nation Entertainment to deejay and produce the event doesn't create a loophole in state preemption.

Sgt. Strozier told me that private security, not the APD, will be wanding for weapons.

Hopefully APD will follow state law and not partake in ejecting anyone from lawfully carrying a pistol or knife at the event. If anyone is barred from entry or ejected merely for lawfully carrying a weapon, I predict a lawsuit.

The City of Atlanta has ALREADY been successfully sued by Georgia Carry for trying to ban weapons in city owned parks.

If you are licensed to carry, here's how to get past the wanding:

Carry your pistol in a belly band type holster well below the waist. and wear a large metal belt buckle. The metal belt buckle will be your alibi for setting off the detector. They won't make you take off your pants. For ladies, they can carry their pistol in a hidden compartment in their purse, if they have one of that design.

Also, you can ankle carry. They will probably only be wanding at the waist, being too lazy to wand at the ankles. 

You don't and shouldn't have to be disarmed in a lawful carry location, especially in downtown Atlanta."

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Will Mayor Reed have the guts to publicly admit to telling APD that no weapons will be allowed at a public city park, contrary to state law?

Local Atlanta News stations and the AJC should be reporting on this.

Perhaps some Open Records Requests should go to the city to get a copy of the contract for the private security firm to see what it's costing the tax-payers on top of the extra police presence.

If the extra police were enough to keep people safe, then the private security is only being used to keep out lawful carriers of weapons. There should be a lawsuit over this. 

Oh wait, there was one. The City of Atlanta tried to ban weapons in city parks before, and lost to Georgia Carry. Another one is needed perhaps?