Local

Terrorist attack ‘when, not if' at Hartsfield-Jackson, county official says

ATLANTA — The Clayton County solicitor general is sounding the alarm about security at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport just a day after

“It’s not if. It's a matter of when -- when they’re going to get the nerve, or the plan, to come to the busiest airport in the world,” said Clayton County Solicitor General Tasha Mosely. %

INLINE

%

Mosely says the Brussels attacks underscore concerns she and her chief investigator, M.C. Cox, have discussed before.

“We're very vulnerable. My chief and I, we speak about it all the time, the possibility of it happening at Hartsfield-Jackson,” Mosley said.

The FBI says it is constantly working to keep Americans safe at home.

“If we do identify vulnerabilities, we try to plug those holes as quickly as we can,” said FBI spokesperson Britt Johnson. %

INLINE

%

Mosley says her office handles 80 misdemeanor gun cases from the airport and says the current gun law needs to change.

“I’m a gun owner. I’m a gun-toter. My parents are. My brothers are. We love our guns. But I don't feel the need to bring a gun out to Hartsfield-Jackson,” Mosely said.

Mosely says Georgia law generally prevents officers from detaining and questioning someone in the terminal areas before TSA screening checkpoints about why he or she is carrying a pistol or long gun that an officer sees in plain view. %

INLINE

%

“The bottom line is I think the current gun law has to be changed,” Mosely said.

Gun rights advocates say the law shouldn’t change.

“It was against the law in Brussels and that happened over there,” said GeorgiaCarry.Org’s Executive Director Jerry Henry.

Henry says the limits on questioning took effect in 2014 but citizens have been able to carry guns in certain terminal areas since 2010.

Reese McCranie with the Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport released a statement to Channel 2 Action News:

“The comments made by the solicitor general and her chief investigator are not only irresponsible, but they unnecessarily generate controversy and create fear for an already anxious public. The solicitor and her investigator have no background or expertise in aviation security and no detailed knowledge of the airport’s security posture and operational readiness.

At the world’s most traveled airport, we take security seriously and constantly work to ensure the safest possible environment for everyone at Hartsfield-Jackson. We work with every level of law enforcement to keep the traveling public safe. That’s why we have a multi-layered and risk-based approach to security, thousands of cameras, special response tactical units, canine teams, armed officers from the Atlanta Police Department, Department of Homeland Security and other agencies, real-time intelligence gathering capability, and countless security operations the public will never see.

The heinous attacks in Brussels remind us that terrorism is a real threat in the world, and we cannot let acts of terrorism perpetuate a culture of fear in our communities or at our airport. Our commitment to providing the safest possible environment for everyone is unwavering.”