ATLANTA -- An expected showdown over guns at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport fizzled out Tuesday when a state lawmaker backed off his vow to carry a gun into the airport terminal.

Representative Tim Bearden, a Republican from Villa Rica and a former police officer, had said that he would carry a concealed weapon to the airport Tuesday when he picked up his family.

But he told The Associated Press by telephone Tuesday morning, "There will be no reason for any confrontation at the airport."

A new state law sponsored by Bearden went into effect Tuesday and allows licensed gun owners to carry their firearms into a variety of public places, such as parks, restaurants and public transit.

Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin and airport manager Ben DeCosta have said the law doesn't apply to the airport. DeCosta promised to have Bearden arrested if he showed up at the airport with a gun.

"I am personally troubled that anybody thinks it could be safe to have a gun in our airport," said Franklin.

A gun rights group called Georgia Carry filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday against Atlanta, Mayor Franklin and DeCosta, challenging the city's move to declare the airport a gun-free zone.