The attorney for the City of Johns Creek has agreed to repeal the city’s ordinance banning carry of firearms in parks, upon urging from GCO.  The letter can be viewed here:

http://www.georgiacarry.com/fulton_cities_parks/Letter from Johns Creek Attorney.pdf

In a hysterical news broadcast, Atlanta’s CBS affiliate warned that the sounds of innocent children in Kennesaw parks will be replaced by the sounds of gunfire.  GCO Vice President John Monroe set the record straight, reminding the audience that a local park gun ban has already cost the life of a mother and toddler.

The broadcast is available here.

Thanks to John Monroe for being the voice of reason.  One would almost think people did not know that Kennesaw’s short-lived gun ban was actually a very rare example.  There are very few of these types of local bans in place in Georgia, and yet Georgia firearms license holders are not committing crimes in parks around the state.

The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia has denied the Henry County Probate Judge’s motion to reconsider an earlier ruling in the federal court. The earlier ruling found the probate judge had violated the federal Privacy Act (related to SSNs) and the Georgia Weapons and Firearms Act (related to issuing GFLs within 60 days). The probate judge asked for reconsideration, based on an earlier decision of the Court of Appeals of Georgia in a different case (from Coweta County). The federal court found the two cases distinguishable, and said the facts in the Coweta County case were not present in the Henry County case.

The federal court also ordered the Henry County Probate Judge to pay the plaintiff’s (a GCO member’s) costs and attorney’s fees in the amount of $7,721.31. The Order, and other documents in the case, can be viewed here:

http://www.georgiacarry.com/puckett

So reads the title of this article in the Atlanta Journal Constitution.  Although the city repealed its gun ban, the mayor is promising to ask the General Assembly to expressly permit a confusing patchwork quilt of local ordinances.

Church said the Kennesaw City Council felt it had no choice but to rescind its ban on firearms in parks, but will now pressure its representatives in the General Assembly to change the law.

“We passed an ordinance banning firearms, and the state in its infinite wisdom passed a law saying people can have guns in parks and endanger our kids,” Church said. “We are going to challenge that. We think we ought to have the right to protect our kids and our citizenry.”

GCO will be vigilant in watching for any such effort at permitting more gun bans in the 2008 session, of course.

When one remembers the Whitney and Jordan Land murder case, it is readily apparent to any objective observer that barring peaceable citizens from possessing arms in local parks is not the right solution to protect our families.  Perhaps ignorant of how local park gun bans have already effected real families, Mayor Church claims GCO is on the wrong side of this vital issue.

Church said GeorgiaCarry.org is a group “that doesn’t have anything better to do than to endanger our kids” in Kennesaw and other cities.

Mayor Church offers no solution for keeping criminals out of Kennesaw parks.  GCO is sure he is well aware that only the law abiding will be affected by a local ordinance banning guns.  It is already a crime to carry a firearm anywhere outside of one’s home, car, or place of business without a firearms license, and this law includes local parks.  But Mayor Church makes the disingenuous claim that Kennesaw has made it legal again for “practically anyone” to carry guns in city parks.

Mayor Church ought to know better.

UPDATE:  Mayor Church’s comment about GCO not having anything better to do than endanger kids has subsequently been edited out of the article.

GCO is truly blessed to have so many talented and dedicated members. Often, their hard work goes unmentioned, but GCO wanted to extend a special thanks to a member who helped make yesterday’s lunch a smashing success.  Chuck Turney, GCO’s Fundraising Chairman, put in a lot of time and effort weeks before the lunch securing generous donations from vendors who support GCO’s mission.  Mr. Turney organized the entire auction, the door prize, and T-shirt prize.  Mr. Turney arrived at the venue very early on Saturday morning to set up the auction, and did an amazing job in his first appearance as an auctioneer.

GCO wanted to let Chuck Turney know that his diligent efforts did not go unnoticed, and the GCO board and members truly appreciate his work.

GCO has filed its reply brief in its appeal of a Coweta County Superior Court ruling that Coweta County may ban the carry or possession of firearms in its parks.  The case is now fully briefed in the Court of Appeals of Georgia, with a decision expected in the first quarter of 2008.  The brief may be viewed here:

http://www.georgiacarry.com/county/coweta_parks/Reply Brief.pdf

GCO has filed a complaint in Fulton County Superior Court against Fulton County and six municipalities in the county.  The lawsuit seeks to have the seven entities’ ordinances banning carry of firearms in parks overturned.  The six cities are Milton, Roswell, Sandy Springs, Atlanta, Union City, and East Point.  The complaint may be viewed here:

http://www.georgiacarry.com/fulton_cities_parks/complaint.pdf

Dougherty County adopted a new policy recently, barring employees from having  firearms.  According to the linked news article,  ”The policy prohibits any handgun, rifle or shotgun.  School police and peace officers are the only ones excluded.”

Has anybody bothered to inform these people that it is already a felony to have a weapon on school property?  Dougherty County teachers might wish to be aware that state law has an exception, however, for ”Teachers and other school personnel who are otherwise authorized to possess or carry weapons, provided that any such weapon is in a locked compartment of a motor vehicle or one which is in a locked container in or a locked firearms rack which is on a motor vehicle.”  See O.C.G.A. 16-11-127.1(c)(17). 

GCO’s effort in Kennesaw was reported in the August 10, 2007 cover page of the Cobb section of the Marietta Daily Journal.  The article is in the 14 day archives but will soon disappear!  If you can get a chance to read it before it disappears, it is a very thorough examination of the issues involved.  From the article:

Kennesaw Mayor Leonard Church said Bentley advised the council on action regarding the ordinance at its Aug. 1 work session.

He said the city has started the process to repeal and adopt a revised ordinance, including scheduling the necessary public hearings.

“We can’t supersede the state law,” Church said. “The state decided it was OK to carry a gun in (public) parks. “

The AJC ran an article on August 10, 2007 mentioning GCO’s effort to have Kennesaw’s preempted gun ban repealed.  Prominent in the article is the city attorney’s strong recommendation that Kennesaw repeal its ordinance, stating that ”the state law says no city or county may pass an ordinance with respect to guns in public places.”  GCO agrees. 

The article also contains quotes from two of GCO’s officers.