The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld a lower court’s ruling that concealed weapons do not belong inside Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.The appeals court affirmed the decision made on Sept. 26 by the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, declaring that Georgia House Bill 89 does not apply to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.
“We are pleased with the court’s ruling and that Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport will continue to remain a safe, secure, gun-free environment for its 90 million passengers a year,” said Aviation General Manager Ben DeCosta.
The plaintiffs in the case, Georgiacarry.org Inc. and Rep. Timothy Bearden, had argued that the bill, which permits people who have firearms licenses to bring concealed weapons into certain public places, should extend to the nonsterile areas of Hartsfield-Jackson.
The plaintiffs in the case, Georgiacarry.org Inc. and Rep. Timothy Bearden, had argued that the bill, which permits people who have firearms licenses to bring concealed weapons into certain public places, should extend to the nonsterile areas of Hartsfield-Jackson.
Like the district court, the appellate court ruled that the plaintiffs’ arguments are “meritless” because the bill does not apply to airports, where firearms remain prohibited.
