U.S. News

Actions

Parents Call 911 After Man 'Flaunts' Gun At Baseball Game

Police say Georgia law prevented them from forcing an armed man away from a children's baseball game.
Posted
and last updated

More than 20 people called 911 over the same incident near Atlanta this week after a man was seen walking around a children's baseball game showing off his gun.

According to WXIA, a parent took this photo of the man who was walking around the parking lot with the gun. Understandably, he had many parents worried.

"He's just standing here walking around like, 'You want to see my gun? Look, I've got a gun. There's nothing you can do about it.' ... When I was reading him a story last night, he just turned to me and said, 'Mommy, did that man want to kill me?'" (Via WSB-TV)

Parents ended the baseball game early when police arrived and said they couldn't arrest the man under current firearm laws. WGCL reports a soccer league, which also plays at the park, canceled training for the "safety of our players."

Police say the man was not doing anything illegal because he was not threatening anyone with his gun and had a concealed carry permit. Georgia law allows guns to be carried in public places like parks, as long as the person has a permit.

And a new Georgia law will  allow people to carry guns in even more public places. Governor Nathan Deal signed a new bill into law this week that would allow guns in bars, churches and even certain areas in airports.

"To qualify for a concealed weapons permit, Georgians must be 21 years old, have no drug or weapon felony convictions, and not have been a patient in a mental facility within the past five years." (Via CBS)

CNN reports the bill easily passed through both the state's House and Senate by nearly two-to-one margins — roughly the same ratio of Republicans to Democrats in Georgia's state government.

The gun rights advocates group Georgia Carry called the day Gov. Deal signed the bill into law "a great day for freedom." The group argues the Second Amendment gives people the right to carry guns wherever they would like.

But the executive director for Americans for Responsible Solutions, a group co-founded by former U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords, sees the bill differently. She calls it "extremism in action."

The gun law is set to take effect July 1. As for the armed man at the baseball game, WXIA reports Georgia Carry and police spoke to him and said he probably shouldn't show off his gun like that. A local sheriff said the man claimed he wouldn't do it again.