New Georgia Law Expands Guns in Public Places

Bars, houses of worship, and other public establishments are wrestling with what to do about a new law in Georgia that starting on Tuesday dramatically will expand gun-permit holders' right to carry weapons where people congregate.

The law allows licensed gun owners to bring weapons to bars and houses of worship, unless forbidden by proprietors. Legally-owned guns also are allowed in unrestricted areas of airports and government buildings, and may be carried at schools and in colleges if permitted by officials.

Several other states allow guns in bars or churches, but Georgia's "Safe Carry Protection Act," which passed the state legislature overwhelmingly earlier this year, is unusual in that it expanded gun rights in multiple places with one omnibus law.

Some establishments say they will allow guns, worried that prohibiting them will discourage customers. Others are posting signs banning weapons, concerned that patrons will be afraid or that they could be held liable if violence erupts.

Cappy Taylor, owner of Zeppelin's, a pub and grill in Clayton, Ga., said for her it is simple: alcohol and firearms don't mix. She plans to post a sign before Tuesday barring guns from her establishment. "You will not be bringing a gun in here," she said.

Cary Wiggins, an attorney who represents bars and night clubs in the Atlanta area, said he has advised clients to post signs banning weapons to protect businesses from liability if violence occurs.

In a letter to his clergy, Rev. Scott Anson Benhase, the Savannah-based Episcopal bishop of Georgia, wrote, "firearms of any kind have no place in any of our church buildings."

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta also has banned guns from its property. But Rev. Tom Rush, 59 year-old pastor of Berean Baptist Church in Social Circle, Ga., said his church probably will allow guns, because many members own them. "As a churchgoer, you don't have to forfeit your Second Amendment rights," he said.

Georgia is one of 13 states that allow weapons in bars and restaurants, said the Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, a San Francisco-based gun-control advocacy group that tracks gun legislation. The center's most recent data, from 2011, shows that only five states at the time allowed weapons in houses of worship.

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