Legislator Wants Tighter Gun Restrictions at Airports

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A United States Representative has submitted legislation which would impose tighter controls on firearms in “unsecured” portions of the nation’s airports.

Rep. Hank Johnson (D-Lithonia) proposed the “common-sense” Airport Security Act, which would prevent people from carrying loaded weapons in any part of an airport, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. Currently, state laws reign up until travelers reach TSA checkpoints, which means loaded weapons are permitted inside parts of Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.

Local man Jim Cooley made that distinction perfectly clear on May 28, when he dropped his daughter off at the airport while carrying a loaded semi-automatic rifle slung across his chest. Cooley chastised police who approached him, claiming that the protectors of law and order did not in fact know the laws.

House Bill 60 (the Safe Carry Protection Act), which went into effect on July 1, 2014, allows licensed gun owners to bring guns into a variety of places formerly barred. There are a number of rules, requirements and exceptions included in the text of the bill – churches, for example, may decide on an individual basis whether that church will allow guns inside.

When asked by the New York Daily News if he understood why some people would be afraid of a man walking through the airport with a gun, Cooley said that he expects people to know the laws regarding firearms and added that those who are afraid of seeing guns should stay at home.