Lawsuit: Ga. Man Challenges Gun-Carry Denial by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

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A Georgia man, whose request to carry a loaded gun onto federal land at Lake Allatoona was denied, is now suing the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, saying his Second Amendment rights were violated.

David James and gun rights group GeorgiaCarry.Org want the Corps to allow firearms at Allatoona and other federally managed lakes for the purposes of self-protection. James lives in Paulding County.

The suit was filed in the North District of Georgia on Friday, the AJC reported.

James says he frequents the lake to camp and boat, and asked the Corps to allow him to carry a gun for protection. The request was denied without explanation by the Corps’ district commander of lakes in the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basin. The Corps did not comment on the case.

Guns are only allowed on Corps land for hunting or with the commander’s permission, the AJC reported. There is a $5,000 fine for bringing an unauthorized loaded weapon onto Corps property.

The right to carry on U.S. Army Corps land was also challenged in federal court in Idaho in a suit filed by two people who wanted to carry loaded guns onto Corps land for protection. A federal judge ruled the ban be lifted while the case was further litigated.

In case you’re wondering, the new Georgia Gun Bill, which has expanded the places where registered gun owners can carry a weapon, does not apply to Corps land. The new Georgia law goes into effect July 1.

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