Atlanta Chili Cook Off - Dunwoody, GA - "We Can Lie Like Dogs" © 2023 Phillip Evans

On 09/15 I posted the comment in the screenshot below at their Facebook page. Just now tried to go to the page, and they have blocked me. As of 09/17 they have not removed "weapons" as a prohibited item from their website.

Screenshot of the Atlanta Chili Cook Off Festival Facebook Page

They had plenty of time to block me on Facebook but didn't have time to reflect the truth on their website that weapons are not actually banned at Brook Run Park in Dunwoody, Georgia, as it is a publicly owned city park. Lawful carriers of firearms and other legal weapons are authorized by state law to carry at public parks. 

This certainly appears deliberate on their part, that they are happy with LYING to the public and misinforming them about weapons being prohibited, when they admitted to me on the phone they are not. "We Can Lie Like Dogs" is just my interpretation of what they may or may not be thinking about this.

The text of my comment above is: "Greetings, almost a week ago a gentleman at your contact phone number informed me that weapons would not be banned at the festival. However, the website still mentions they are banned. Shouldn't it be a priority to give the public accurate information and update your website?"

Wow, was that so offensive to them that they had to delete my comment and block me?

Folks, this is the mentality of those who despise you for being able to exercise your human right of armed self-defense. And believe me, if state law allowed it, they would certainly ban you from carrying a self-defense weapon at the park to keep you and your loved ones safe. Is there a magic forcefield that keeps criminals out of public parks? If not, then we are responsible for our own safety.

Virtually all of the Democrats (and a few Republicans) in the Georgia General Assembly want to grant festivals the power to ban lawful weapons in parks for events. They want folks to leave weapons in their vehicles to be at risk for theft, to be used to harm others. 

Let your lawmakers know you will NOT tolerate the addition of numerous off-limits places for lawful carriers in our state. We are not the problem, criminals are.

Update: 09/18 - Tori Cooper with Atlanta News First called me. She had called the festival organizer and was told they are declining to update their website. They told her that "handguns" would be allowed. So, does this mean they do not consider handguns to be weapons?

This is not a mix-up or a snafu. This is their deliberate misinformation campaign against anyone who might view their website and consider attending. This is how little they think of you and how much they despise giving you accurate information.

-------------------------

Update: 09/18 Part 2 - I just now received the following email - the City will require them to change their website:

"Phillip,

After speaking with my Director, we will be contacting the festival organizers to let them know the website wording must be changed or removed in order to host the event at Brook Run Park. In accordance with state law, we cannot restrict carrying on public property and their Special Event permit does not allow them to do so.

Thank you,

Rachel Waldron

Recreation Program Manager

City of Dunwoody

GRPA District 6 Agency of the Year 2021, 2022"

Illegal Weapons Ban - Arts in the Heart of Augusta © 2023 Phillip Evans

Just when the coast seemed clear on a state weapons law violation in Georgia, we have entered the Twilight Zone. See my previous article on this by clicking here.

Image of Richmond County, GA Sheriff's Badge (Fair Use)

Today, I spoke with Lt. Walter Ashley of the Richmond County, GA Sheriff's Office, who informed me that weapons would be banned at the Arts in the Heart of Augusta Festival this Sept. 15th - 17th. 

As you can see on the festival's website, they have edited it and no longer make mention of guns or weapons. So we're good then, right? Not so fast. It turns out that the Sheriff's Office is under the impression that if there is an admission charge, that they could ban weapons on public property. They believe this to be state law, which is 100% wrong.

State law makes no mention of admission fees or tickets for events held on public property. The only test is whether it is public or private property. If public property, and if not specified as off limits under state law, then lawful carriers are authorized by the state to carry their legal weapons there.

To Lt. Ashley's credit, he promised to forward an Oct. 2019 GA Supreme Court decision that relates to this up the chain, so I appreciate that.

Since the law on this has been well established since 2019, a law enforcement officer detaining or arresting a lawful carrier would not enjoy qualified immunity and would be subject to a federal lawsuit.

The Sheriff's Office illegally banned weapons at the arts festival last year and no one called them on it that I am aware of. 

WRDW News' reporter Nick Viland ran a story on this last night. I spoke with him today and sent him the voice recordings I have of my conversations with Lt. Ashley.

In the video in Mr. Viland's story, GA2A Attorney John R. Monroe explains why weapons cannot be banned at the festival, which is held on public streets and the Augusta Common, also public property.

Mr. Viland was informed by a Captain with the Sheriff's Office that the reason for the ban was that the Arts Council had rented the public streets. This 3-day "rental" is at zero-cost per the document I received from the city. Regardless of any cost, any 3-day agreement would not rise to the level of an estate-for-years type lease where ownership rights are conveyed, as required by the GA Supreme Court's decision noted above.

Update! Lt. Ashley just called me today 09/14, to let me know that the Sheriff's Office gun ban at the festival has been lifted!

Unlawful Weapons Bans At Public Parks in Georgia © 2023 Phillip Evans

Yet another private event organizer in Georgia (Atlanta Chili Cook Off, Nov. 4th at Brook Run Park in Dunwoody) is under the impression that they can ban lawfully carried weapons at a publicly owned park. 

Brook Run Park | City of Dunwoody, GA (note that weapons are not mentioned on the government website, because they know the law and follow it)

From the event organizer's website:

  

6. What am I not allowed to bring into the park?

• Food or Beverages
• Tents
• Coolers or picnic baskets
• Drugs
• Weapons
• Fireworks
• Glass

The Atlanta Chili Festival organizer has been contacted by at least a few people about this, but there has been zero response so far to my knowledge.

UPDATE: I was finally able to get in touch with a gentleman at the Atlanta Chili Festival organizer's phone number, who told me that handguns would NOT be banned. I explained to him that "weapons" included firearms in folks' minds, and that he may want to update their website. He stated that it was not a priority right now, but that he would get to it when he could. I suppose accuracy can take a back seat when it's about our rights, but better late than never. 

Recently, another event organizer, Toasty-Events.com updated their website for their Fall for Wine festival Oct. 7th at Nash Farm Battlefield Park, to remove any mention of weapons.

And before that, the Arts in the Heart of Augusta Festival also removed any mention of weapons or guns from their website: artsintheheartofaugusta.com, after being called on it.

This rash of event organizers believing they can ban the legal carrying of weapons from events held at public parks in Georgia is a mystery, as the state law on this has been settled for years.

Perhaps it is not so much a mystery as wishful thinking. That is, hoping no one will call them on their attempt at deceiving their potential attendees with false information. 

Because they don't trust you to carry firearms at their hosted events, they will stoop to tricking you into not carrying, in spite of what the law says.

Why this wall of dishonesty from adults who should know better? Well, when feelings matter more than facts, I suppose telling lies is sometimes preferred by them to telling you the truth.

There may be other events at public parks coming up in Atlanta and other cities around the state where they are advertising that weapons are banned. They'd be wrong about that, but they may still be determined to violate the law and your self-defense carry rights.

If you are turned away from an event at a public park just for being lawfully armed, or are forced to disarm in order to enter, then please contact GA2A using their website, or via email at info@GA2A.org as soon as possible afterwards.

Try to audio record any encounter, remaining calm and polite, and do not physically resist anyone preventing you from entering. Get the name of the person denying you entry or telling you to that you must first put your firearm in your vehicle before you can enter.

You could possibly then be accepted as a plaintiff in a legal action against them. To help in this effort, please FIRST become a member of GA2A now if you are not one already.

Article Epilogue: Will the print or TV news media pick up on this apparent misinformation campaign by organizers of events in Georgia's public parks, and how our efforts are making a difference in some cases, by getting them to correct their websites?

Update Part 2, 09/17 - see my latest article on getting blocked on Facebook by the Atlanta Chili Cook Off Festival just for asking them to update their website to remove the mention of weapons.

Weapons Bans and LYING TONGUES © 2023 Phillip Evans

Lately it seems I've been running across lying tongues regarding weapons bans at events in public parks not just in my home state of Georgia, but elsewhere.

WEBN Cincinnati Fireworks 2012 Photo by Mark Dumont

Here's a recent example in Ohio:

Prohibited Items

<snip>

· Weapons including, but not limited to: Knives, explosives, stun guns, handcuffs, brass knuckles, sticks, clubs, batons, martial arts instruments, pepper spray, tear gas, etc. Guests found in possession of such items will be asked to remove the items from park property or dispose of them. (bold, italics, and underline mine)

<snip>

How do I know they were lying? Gun rights advocate Jeffry Smith attended the event carrying his firearms openly to show everyone WEBN's deliberate misinformation, that they lacked the authority to ban weapons in Ohio's public parks. He had no issues with law enforcement officers that clearly saw his weapons.

Here is WEBN's Contact page in case they can provide any clarification on what happened. Perhaps it was all just a snafu, a misprint? That could be believable if they had not done this numerous times before.

So why are these deceptions fed to the public by event organizers and the media, with a blind eye from local governments?

Because it is not against the law for them to LIE to you about whether weapons are truly prohibited or not. They want to TRICK you into leaving your guns in your vehicles to be at risk of theft, because they know they cannot ban you from carrying them into the public parks at these events.

No matter how you feel about weapons in public places and at public events, you need to be told the truth. Truth matters. 

What if you are totally opposed to being near weapons (though that might be difficult to accomplish since most carriers of weapons conceal them), and plan to attend a "gun free" event just because the website said weapons are prohibited, only to be SURPRISED to see peaceful carriers with their holstered firearms in plain view once you get there? 

There are at least a couple of large events in Atlanta coming up soon at a public park where lawful carriers are AUTHORIZED to carry at under Georgia law. To be honest, I don't know if their websites are window dressing misinformation, or if they mean to really keep out lawful carriers of guns. 

To my knowledge NO ONE in the news media has asked that question of them. If they decline comment, that should logically be a clue one way or the other, but I couldn't predict it 100% either way.

Another, but smaller example was Atlanta Reggae in the Park, held at Piedmont Park last month. "Weapons of any kind" were banned according to the website, but there was no screening for any prohibited items, and I have it on good information that at least one citizen openly carried a holstered handgun there, also with no issues from police.

I have no plans to attend the large events alluded to above, no plans to sue them, and no plans to threaten to sue them. I will leave that decision up to anyone that is not allowed to enter the park for the events just for being lawfully armed, or entered but were forced to first disarm.

Perhaps you faithful readers of mine could ask your TV and radio news media if they will get to the bottom of whether websites purporting to ban weapons at events in public parks in Georgia, Ohio, and other states where citizens are authorized to carry them, mean to actually ban them or not. 

Shouldn't the truth be brought to light? Shouldn't event promoters have the decency to stop lying to us and give us a clear and honest answer?

Update 09/17 - and here's another one...