Organizers of Music Midtown, a major festival in Atlanta, announced Monday that the two-day event originally scheduled for next month is canceled. Though the official announcement cites “circumstances beyond our control,” local media outlets report the reason for the cancellation is one that’s unexpected: Georgia’s gun laws.
This scenario is indicative of a problematic gray area in Georgia’s gun laws, according to Timothy Lytton, a law professor at Georgia State University.
Generally, if a gun owner wants to bring a weapon to a public park or some other public venue, the law of the state protects the person’s right to do so, Lytton said. Private properties, like a private university or a business, are allowed under certain circumstances to stop a person from bringing in a firearm, he said.
“And now we have an unclear case: What happens if you have a privately organized concert but in a very public venue like a city park? Is that a private event? Or is that a public venue? And the answer to that is somewhat unclear,” Lytton told NPR.
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https://www.npr.org/2022/08/01/1114951094/music-midtown-atlanta-canceled-over-guns
