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.