ATLANTA — On Monday, Atlanta police officers stopped a man suspected of planning a shooting attack at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.
The officers credit their training with potentially saving lives.
The man never made it inside the airport with the rifle he had in his truck outside, but Georgia law allows guns inside the airport terminals.
It’s only when travelers reach the security checkpoint that firearms are prohibited.
Safety was top of mind for travelers at Hartsfield-Jackson on Tuesday because of the incident.
“I said, ‘Holy cow.’ I couldn’t believe that,” traveler Robert Smith said about hearing about the arrest of Billy Joe Cagle.
Smith and his wife told Channel 2 investigative reporter Ashli Lincoln that they noticed an increase in security while waiting for family.
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Police said they found a semi-automatic weapon and 27 rounds of ammunition in Cagle’s truck.
“Police officers have to be prepared for what happened yesterday,” former Atlanta Police Commander Renee Propes said.
Propes, who oversaw airport security units in the 1990s and early 2000s, said Georgia law allows law-abiding citizens to carry weapons in the airport’s public areas.
She said that wasn’t always the case.
“That was back when Georgia law required a permit to carry a weapon,” Propes said.
In 2022, Gov. Brian Kemp signed the Constitutional Carry bill into law, allowing people to carry a concealed gun in public without a permit.
“It’s really a good lesson for everyone out there, if you’re seeing something you need to call and say something,” Kemp said.
“Even just going into the general area and getting screened, you’re allowed to have it,” defense attorney Devin Rafus said.
Rafus said it’s up to lawmakers to decide whether to prohibit guns in public areas outside TSA screening checkpoints.
“It’s mainly by the state. The feds don’t have restrictions in those places,” Rafus said.
Rafus said gun policies outside TSA checkpoints vary depending on each state’s concealed carry laws.
“It’s mainly by the state,” Rafus said.
“We do have a well-trained police department, and they are prepared to act,” Propes said.
Rafus said that because the federal government also has jurisdiction at airports, he’s also been hit with federal charges.
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