Alpharetta redacted its "no firearms" in parks rule
Have you ever heard the defeatist slogan, "You can't fight city hall?"
It is common wisdom in society today that it is futile to try and change government bureaucracy and regulations. Frank Rietta, however, was not deterred by the common wisdom relating to fighting city hall. When he saw a sign in at Webb Bridge Park in Alpharetta, Georgia, purporting to ban the carrying of firearms for self defense, he determined that he would do something about it.
So Mr. Rietta sat down and wrote a short missive to a city official, Mike Perry.
Dear Mr. Perry:I recently observed a sign that purports to prohibit the carry of firearms at Webb Bridge Park in Alpharetta. A photo of the sign is attached to this message.
The City of Alpharetta is prohibited by the laws of the State of Georgia from either enforcing or enacting such an ordinance. OCGA 16-11-173(b)(1) specifies that "No county or municipal corporation, by zoning or by ordinance, resolution, or other enactment, shall regulate in any manner gun shows; the possession, ownership, transport, carrying, transfer, sale, purchase, licensing, or registration of firearms or components of firearms; firearms dealers; or dealers in firearms components."
Similar ordinances in other cities have been litigated with the result being the ordinance struck down by the court and attorney fees awarded to the plaintiffs. I ask that you please edit the signs at Alpharetta parks to comply with state law by removing any mention of firearms.
Sincerely,
Frank Rietta
To his delight, the city immediately redacted the "no firearms" rule from the park signs. As you can see in the photograph above, the city covered the offending section with brown tape matching the background color of the sign. Park patrons may now carry the means of self defense while protecting their children in the park without fear of government harassment or arrest.
Imagine if we had 100, or even 10, Frank Riettas in every city in Georgia.
Comments
Rock on Frank!
There was a Taco Cabana in Richardson Texas that had one of the infamous PC30.06 signs (refers to the state law allowing any business to ban concealed weapons from the premises). I and a few of my friends sent very polite emails informing the franchisee that while they were within their rights to ban an item to their property, we would no longer be patronizing their business. 2 weeks later the sign was gone.
A lot of private businesses were frightened by the media when the law was first passed over 10 years ago, fearing lawsuits from customers injured by "CHL's gone wild". In actuality, the law gives them complete immunity from the actions of CHL holders. Gradually, quietly, and with almost NO publicity, the signs have almost totally disappeared from every location where CHL's are not banned by law.
"Park patrons may now carry the means of self defense while protecting their children in the park without fear of government harassment or arrest."
I wouldn't go THAT far. But, kudos to Frank!
Way to go, Frank!
Thanks to Frank for bringing this to the attention of the proper people. Thanks also to the leadership of Alpharetta for responding promptly and properly. As a resident, I'm happy to, once again, see our elected officials acting responsibly. We do have a very well run city.
Good job, patriot. We've got the hoplophobe domestic enemies of the Constitution on the defensive.
I lived in St Croix 20 years ago where guns were prohibitted by law. Automatic jail time. Guess who had the guns? The single school teachers only had a machete or an ice pick to defend themselves. It was so scary, much crime. What amazes me is that the celebeties like Rosy have body guards. What happens if you can't afford one? Believe me I saw with my own eyes, we do not want to loose our constitutional rights reguarding the right to bear arms
I was wondering if this was going to get picked up by any news outlet. Good to see it's getting some publicity. Keep an eye out for his name; he may still run for some sort of public office. Though, getting into that may erode an otherwise good man.
Frank, keep fighting the good fight. Perhaps one day I'll be able to convince my wife.
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