Many were excited to embark on Piedmont Park for the annual Music Midtown Festival in Atlanta this coming September, which boasts a lineup with acts in rap, R&B and rock like Future, 2 Chainz, Jack White, Tinashe and a handful of others.
Unfortunately, due to the Safe Carry Protection Act in Georgia, the show has officially been cancelled for safety reasons since it conflicts with “firearm-free” concert riders for many of the performing acts.
https://twitter.com/MusicMidtown/status/1554104695211294721
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“Hey Midtown fans – due to circumstances beyond our control, Music Midtown will no longer be taking place this year,” said festival organizers on the Midtown Music official social accounts, with the message also stating, “We were looking forward to reuniting in September and hope we can all get back to enjoying the festival together again soon.”
Although the Safe Carry Protection Act (also dubbed the “Guns Everywhere Bill”) isn’t new to the state — the bill passed back in 2014 — many of the recent tragedies have forced artists to protect themselves in the event of a shooting.
Read more on how this isn’t an isolated issue below, via USA Today:
“Members of the Georgia gun rights group GA2A told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that they previously made Live Nation aware of the 2014 state law that allows Georgians to legally carry firearms on public land; Piedmont Park is owned by the city of Atlanta. A 2019 Georgia Supreme Court ruling included wording that would hamper private groups, such as a concert promoter, from restricting guns at events held on public land.
Music Midtown, according to the festival website, prohibits ‘weapons or explosives of any kind.’
Pro-gun activist Phil Evans told CNN he emailed festival organizers in May, advising them of Georgia gun law, and asked the city to deny Live Nation a permit for the event ‘as they have publicly stated an intent to violate settled state law.’
‘The law is on our side,’ fellow GA2A member Jerry Henry told the AJC. ‘And we spent a lot of time to make sure it was on our side. So if Music Midtown tried to restrict licensed firearms owners from bringing guns to the festival, it would have been a violation of the law.'”
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Thankfully a full refund will be honored for those who purchased passes. Still, it’s quite sad that a person’s “need” to have a gun on them at all times ruined a two-day event that could’ve easily been the night of someone’s life.
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