A Georgia federal judge has upheld a firearms ban on public land and water controlled by the Army Corps of Engineers, saying that gun owners “can freely exercise their right to bear arms for self-defense elsewhere,” effectively treating the right to self-defense, enshrined in the Constitution and affirmed by the Supreme Court, like Frisbee golf or skateboarding.
Daily Report Online reported that U.S. District Judge Harold Murphy threw out the case, brought by GeorgiaCarry.org on behalf of David James, writing that the Corps’ ban on bearing arms on 12 million acres of public land in 42 states did not infringe on Second Amendment rights. Mistakenly confusing criminals with lawful gun owners, Murphy wrote, “It is reasonable to expect that allowing loaded firearms … would present significant safety concerns,” an unsupportable argument that has been proven false in every other public place where lawful carry is allowed—such as in our national parks.