Washington, D.C. isn't the only place dealing with gun-ban issues.  Barely a week after the Supreme Court held for the first time that the Constitution provides an individual the right to bear arms for more than just a militia, a new law went into effect in Georgia that allows licensed gun owners to carry concealed firearms in public places.  These places include parks, recreational areas and restaurants that serve alcohol.  But surprisingly, the new law sparked a legal battle over carrying guns the airport.

At the same time the law went into effect across the state, Atlanta officials declared Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport a "gun-free zone," insisting that anyone found in possession of a handgun could be arrested and charged with a misdemeanor.

According to airport representatives, the city's legal team studied the new law and determined that the airport falls under a "public gathering" exception in the Georgia Code.  Under this exception, gun owners are not permitted to carry firearms at public gatherings. Case closed, right?  Wrong.

Gun advocates, unhappy with the decision, immediately retaliated by suing the airport.  They believe that public places, including the main lobby, ticketing areas and restaurants of Georgia airports, should be gun-friendly (perhaps in case the dozens of security guards decide to take over the airport?).

State Rep. Tim Bearden (R-Villa Rica), a former policeman who authored the new law, said Monday that he was planning a trip to the airport on Tuesday to pick up relatives and would be carrying a "permitted" concealed weapon.  When Airport General Manager Ben DeCosta vowed to have Bearden arrested, the representative decided that being arrested for packing heat at an airport would not bolster his public image and intends to let the courts decide the issue. 

"That showdown will take place in the courts instead of an airport parking lot," said Bearden, who still went to the airport, but without a gun.

Opponents of Georgia's new, relaxed gun restrictions say that it has the potential to spawn more violence than it prevents.

Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin sees the need to keep guns out of airports as a national security issue.  She vowed on Tuesday to lobby Congress and federal officials to mandate that any public facility receiving federal money be declared a gun-free zone across the nation.

"This is a matter of national significance," Mayor Franklin told reporters at a news conference.  Permitting guns inside an airport, even weapons carried by permit holders, would create an unsafe environment that "would endanger millions of people."

John Monroe, an attorney for the guns right group GeorgiaCarry.org, believes what Atlanta is trying to do is illegal, and has helped file lawsuits against Hartsfield-Jackson Airport.

"This is about the city of Atlanta once again trying to hold itself above state law," Monroe said.

The fight over carrying firearms at airports stops at the security gates, where federal law kicks in and prohibits all weapons at any point beyond them.  That, at least, is one place people on both sides of the argument agree should be gun-free.

Also Interesting: 

Army reservist sentenced to 30 months in Federal prison for automatic gun charge
BREAKING: Fire away, Supreme Court dissolves DC gun ban
Pilot who fired gun on plane suspended from duty
N.Y. Senator calling for cameras on police handguns
Florida close to allowing guns near the workplace
TN Senator Wants Handguns at Bars