Carrying a Weapon or Long Gun at a Commercial Service Airport

  1. Law
  2. Georgia Code
  3. Crimes and Offenses
  4. Offenses Against Public Order and Safety
  5. Dangerous Instrumentalities and Practices
  6. Carrying and Possession of Firearms
  7. Carrying a Weapon or Long Gun at a Commercial Service Airport

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  1. No person shall enter the restricted access area of a commercial service airport, in or beyond the airport security screening checkpoint, knowingly possessing or knowingly having under his or her control a weapon or long gun. Such area shall not include an airport drive, general parking area, walkway, or shops and areas of the terminal that are outside the screening checkpoint and that are normally open to unscreened passengers or visitors to the airport. Any restricted access area shall be clearly indicated by prominent signs indicating that weapons are prohibited in such area.
    1. "Commercial service airport" means an airport that receives scheduled passenger aircraft service from any major airline carrier.
    2. "Major airline carrier" means an airline that has more than $1 billion in annual operating revenue during a fiscal year.
  2. A person who is not a license holder and who violates this Code section shall be guilty of a misdemeanor. A license holder who violates this Code section shall be guilty of a misdemeanor; provided, however, that a license holder who is notified at the screening checkpoint for the restricted access area that he or she is in possession of a weapon or long gun and who immediately leaves the restricted access area following such notification and completion of federally required transportation security screening procedures shall not be guilty of violating this Code section.
  3. Any person who violates this Code section with the intent to commit a separate felony offense shall be guilty of a felony and, upon conviction thereof, shall be punished by a fine of not less than $1,000.00 nor more than $15,000.00, imprisonment for not less than one nor more than ten years, or both.
  4. Any ordinance, resolution, regulation, or policy of any county, municipality, or other political subdivision of this state which is in conflict with this Code section shall be null, void, and of no force and effect, and this Code section shall preempt any such ordinance, resolution, regulation, or policy.

(a.1)As used in this Code section, the term:

(Code 1981, §16-11-130.2, enacted by Ga. L. 2014, p. 599, § 1-9/HB 60; Ga. L. 2017, p. 555, § 8/HB 292.)

The 2017 amendment, effective May 8, 2017, added subsection (a.1).

Editor's notes.

- Ga. L. 2014, p. 599, § 1-1/HB 60, not codified by the General Assembly, provides: "This Act shall be known and may be cited as the 'Safe Carry Protection Act.'"

Law reviews.

- For article on the 2014 amendment of this Code section, see 31 Ga. St. U.L. Rev. 47 (2014).

JUDICIAL DECISIONS

Cited in Johnson v. State, 308 Ga. 141, 839 S.E.2d 521 (2020).

OPINIONS OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL

Updating of crimes and offenses for which Georgia Crime Information Center is authorized to collect and file fingerprints.

- Pursuant to authority granted to the Attorney General in O.C.G.A. § 35-3-33(a)(1)(A)(v), any misdemeanor offenses arising under O.C.G.A. §§ 16-8-14.1(a),16-8-22,16-11-90(b),16-11-130.2, and33-24-53, are designated as ones for which those charged are to be fingerprinted. 2014 Op. Att'y Gen. No. 2014-2.


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