Augusta, Georgia Arts Festival - Weapons Ban Misinformation Campaign © 2023 Phillip Evans

Georgia's "Public Gathering" law was repealed in 2010 with the signing of SB308 by then Gov. Sonny Perdue. This meant that legal carriers of weapons could carry on public property (with the exception of enumerated off-limits places), regardless of public gatherings. And while we still have off-limits places, public streets have never been specified in the law as being off limits to the carrying of firearms or other lawful weapons.

https://artsintheheartofaugusta.com

Fast forward 13 years. Houston Augusta we have a problem... The Greater Augusta Arts Council is presenting the Arts in the Heart of Augusta Festival Sept. 15th - 17th this year, and has the following on the festival's website: 

"Arts in the Heart of Augusta Festival is a rain or shine event. Updates regarding inclement weather will be posted to our home page and social media. No Dogs, No Coolers, No Weapons." (Formatting theirs) - HOME - Arts in the Heart (artsintheheartofaugusta.com)

On the Greater Augusta Arts Council's own website is:

"Pets, guns and coolers are not allowed in the Festival." - Arts in The Heart - The Greater Augusta Arts Council's Arts and Culture Calendar

Destination Augusta (They cooperate with the City via an agreement), aka the ACVB (Augusta Convention and Visitors Bureau), has the following on their website: 

"Arts in the Heart of Augusta Festival is a rain-or-shine event. Updates regarding inclement weather will be posted to our home page and social media. No Dogs, No Coolers, No Weapons." - Arts in the Heart of Augusta Festival (visitaugusta.com)

Looks like all the players involved are in lock step with an unauthorized and unlawful weapons ban. I find it hard to believe that the City of Augusta and their attorneys are in the dark about this. Is 13 years not long enough for them to discover and understand state law on the carrying of weapons on publicly owned property?

Why did the City not nip this in the bud from the beginning and tell the organizers that they can't ban the lawful carrying of weapons. Call me cynical, but I believe it's because they don't want citizens exercising their carry rights at the festival either. They are content and happy with this misinformation campaign. My opinion on this will change if proved wrong.

Those websites above have had their intended effect by spreading this misinformation to the local news media that lap it up and just copy/paste without a single question on whether they have the legal authority to ban weapons on public streets, even if it is roped off or gated and ticketed. Those things are not exceptions in the law, nor should they be, as our right to self-defense on our taxpayer owned property should never be infringed.

"Organizers say pets, guns and coolers are not allowed in the event." - Arts in the Heart festival is ready to return to Augusta (wrdw.com) 

"Pets, guns and coolers are not allowed in the Festival." - Announcement | Dates for 2023 Arts in the Heart Festival | WJBF

Unfortunately, we are long past the days when reporters were real journalists that did their jobs and asked questions. Copyists is all they are now. Who knows? They may revisit this at some point and post an update on their articles.

Could it be that all involved are merely ignorant of the law? Possibly, but I think it's more likely they are simply bold-faced liars.

08/25 Update: The festival's website no longer mentions guns or weapons.

09/13 Update: Richmond County Sheriff's Office plans to bans weapons at the festival in spite of the website change.

The festival organizer's calendar page still mentions that guns are not allowed, as well as Destination Augusta's website is still saying "No Weapons". Perhaps those pages will eventually be updated, but maybe not.

The takeaway is that the organizer finally got the message and at least half-way did something about it.

But mark my words, they would infringe on your right of armed self-defense at their events every time if they had that power. Thankfully, GA2A works with the Georgia General Assembly to ensure that our right to carry on public property is carefully guarded.

Georgia Country Music Festival - Not Banning Weapons After All © 2023 Phillip Evans

Regarding a prior website weapons prohibition at Jim R. Miller Park for the Sept. 1-3 Georgia Country Music Festival, on August 7th, a person on the GeorgiaPacking.org website with screen name rmodel65 posted the reply below from the festival organizers (Southern Entertainment) on his inquiry:

Jim R. Miller Park Aerial Photo From the Cobb County Government Webpage

"We actually caught this oversight on our website over the weekend. We do festivals up and down the East Coast and we flipped the verbiage from our sister fest in South Carolina. This morning at 7 am we updated the website to reflect the correct firearms laws. It was an honest mistake. We are in no way banning or making a hassle for those that are carrying, per the law."

Sounds plausible to me, an honest mistake. And good on them for quickly updating their website and removing the weapons prohibition and following Georgia law, which authorizes lawful carriers of weapons to enter publicly owned city, county, or state parks to attend either free or ticketed events, or for any other lawful reason.

However, Southern Entertainment is "banning and making a hassle" for citizens to be able to defend themselves at their sister fest in South Carolina, at what appears to be a publicly owned beach. I suppose SC citizens can have their rights violated on their taxpayer supported public property.

So while this festival is obeying state law in Georgia, it certainly isn't because they want to, so there's that. Good thing we have the law on our side in this matter.

Unfortunately, there are no criminal penalties for any private entity that illegally bans lawful weapons on publicly owned property in Georgia. There are only civil remedies available. 

A lawful carrier who might sue over a violation of the law and of their rights likely would recover only their ticket cost and maybe a few thousand dollars, if that. Large festival organizers with deep pockets that determine to violate our laws laugh at such possibilities, and plow ahead full steam to do what they want, regardless of what the law states.

It would be another story of damages if a festival organizer's employee injured a lawfully armed guest while trying to keep them out, or while trying to kick them out after they got in and were later discovered to be carrying a firearm or other legal weapon. That could get very expensive for the violators.

Our lawmakers should put teeth into the law to heavily fine and possibly jail any individual that infringes upon the lawful rights of citizens. Lawful carriers have never been the problem, only criminals. We should be able to defend ourselves anywhere that criminals can go, because bad guys don't follow the law.