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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.
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