Georgia Transportation Laws

The Headline

Georgia law permits transporting firearms within the state for any lawful purpose. The same prohibited-location and lawful-weapons-carrier rules that govern carry apply to transport. Interstate transport is governed by federal law, primarily the Firearm Owners Protection Act (FOPA) at 18 U.S.C. § 926A. Air travel is governed by federal TSA rules and 49 U.S.C. § 46505 for firearms in carry-on baggage. Commercial airports inside Georgia are also governed by O.C.G.A. § 16-11-130.2, which makes it a misdemeanor to enter the restricted access area of a commercial service airport while knowingly possessing a weapon or long gun.

This section focuses on moving firearms across jurisdictions: federal interstate transport, airlines, commercial airports, federal facilities, mass transit, and waterways. For day-to-day carry inside a private passenger vehicle in Georgia, see the VEHICLE_CARRY section.

Within-State Transport (Cross-Reference VEHICLE_CARRY)

Inside Georgia, transport tracks the carry framework rather than a separate transport regime.

• Your own vehicle, your own property, your home, your place of business. Under O.C.G.A. § 16-11-126(a), any person not prohibited by law from possessing a firearm may carry one on his or her own property, in his or her home, in his or her motor vehicle, or at his or her place of business. No permit required. Hubbard v. State, 210 Ga. App. 141 (1993), is the older "your own vehicle" gloss on the predecessor language.
• Any private passenger vehicle, for a lawful weapons carrier. Under O.C.G.A. § 16-11-126(c), a lawful weapons carrier may transport a handgun or long gun in any private passenger motor vehicle. The property-owner ejection carve-out applies: if the vehicle's owner asks the carrier to leave the vehicle, the carrier must comply.
• Long guns are broader. Under O.C.G.A. § 16-11-126(b), any person not prohibited from possessing a long gun may have or carry one on his or her person. No lawful-weapons-carrier requirement applies to long guns.
• Without a WCL, unlicensed but otherwise eligible adults may also transport a weapon in a vehicle "provided the weapon is enclosed in a case, unloaded and separated from its ammunition," or transport a loaded firearm in any private passenger vehicle "in an open manner and fully exposed to view or in a glove compartment or console." The fuller treatment is in VEHICLE_CARRY.

The Hubbard "your own vehicle" doctrine, the property-owner ejection rule, and the unlicensed-but-eligible scheme above are the operative rules. Use VEHICLE_CARRY for the full breakdown.

Federal Interstate Transport: 18 U.S.C. § 926A (FOPA)

The Firearm Owners Protection Act provides a federal "safe passage" rule for transporting a firearm through any state, regardless of state law. Source material confirms Georgia "respects this federal safe passage protection." For FOPA protection to apply, all of the following must be true:

1. You may lawfully possess the firearm at the place where the trip begins.
2. You may lawfully possess the firearm at the destination.
3. The firearm is unloaded.
4. The firearm and any ammunition are not readily accessible from the passenger compartment of the vehicle. In a vehicle without a separate trunk, the firearm and ammunition must be in a locked container other than the glove compartment or console.
5. The trip is a continuous journey. Stops are limited to necessities such as fuel, food, and sleep.

A practical risk worth flagging. FOPA is an affirmative defense, not a bar to arrest. Travelers have been prosecuted in New York, New Jersey, California, Massachusetts, and Hawaii notwithstanding FOPA, and have had to litigate the defense after arrest. Plan your route to minimize time in jurisdictions with restrictive laws.

Air Travel: TSA and 49 U.S.C. § 46505

Federal law governs air travel with firearms. The operative rules:

• Carry-on is never permitted. Firearms may not be in the passenger cabin or in carry-on baggage.
• Checked baggage only. A firearm may be in checked baggage if it is unloaded, in a locked hard-sided container, and declared to the airline at the ticket counter at check-in. Ammunition must be properly packaged. Source material describes the rule this way: "Firearms are generally prohibited on airplanes except when an individual is transporting a weapon (except a loaded firearm) in baggage not accessible to a passenger in flight and the air carrier was informed of the presence of the weapon."
• The sterile area is off limits. Source material confirms: "Firearms are prohibited in 'sterile areas' of airports, which are those portions of an airport that provide passengers access to boarding aircraft and to which the access generally is controlled by Transportation Security Administration, or by an aircraft operator, through the screening of persons and property."
• Federal criminal exposure for carry-on firearms. Bringing a firearm to a TSA screening checkpoint or onto an aircraft carries federal criminal penalties and TSA civil penalties. Confirm current TSA penalty amounts on the TSA website before relying on any specific dollar figure.
• Destination state and country rules apply on arrival. Some destinations require additional permits or registration even when the firearm is properly checked. Research before traveling.

Georgia Commercial Airports: O.C.G.A. § 16-11-130.2

Georgia has its own statute for commercial airports. O.C.G.A. § 16-11-130.2 addresses the restricted access area of a commercial service airport, not the entire airport property. The operative rule:

"No person shall enter the restricted access area of a commercial service airport, in or beyond the airport security screening checkpoint, knowingly possessing or knowingly having under his or her control a weapon or long gun. Such area shall not include an airport drive, general parking area, walkway, or shops and areas of the terminal that are outside the screening checkpoint and that are normally open to unscreened passengers or visitors to the airport. Any restricted access area shall be clearly indicated by prominent signs indicating that weapons are prohibited in such area." (§ 16-11-130.2(a))

Three points students miss:

• Pre-security is not a state-law prohibited area. Airport drives, general parking areas, walkways, ticketing counters, baggage claim, and pre-checkpoint shops are not prohibited under § 16-11-130.2. HB 60 (2014, Ga. Laws 604, § 1-9) confirmed pre-security carry rights when it added this section.
• A WCL holder has an exit safe harbor. Under § 16-11-130.2(b), a license holder who is "notified at the screening checkpoint for the restricted access area that he or she is in possession of a weapon or long gun and who immediately leaves the restricted access area following such notification and completion of federally required transportation security screening procedures shall not be guilty of violating this Code section." The safe harbor does not appear on its face to extend to non-license holders. A separate FAQ source describes the practical posture this way: a WCL holder who accidentally brings a firearm to the checkpoint typically receives a federal citation rather than a state arrest, while a lawful weapons carrier without a WCL may be arrested by local police.
• Felony exposure for intent to commit a separate offense. § 16-11-130.2(c) makes the offense a felony if committed with the intent to commit a separate felony, with a fine of $1,000 to $15,000 and one to ten years imprisonment.

Statutory cross-reference note. § 16-11-130.2 addresses commercial airports. It is not the campus-carry statute. Campus carry lives at O.C.G.A. § 16-11-127.1(c)(20).

Federal Gun Free School Zones Act: 18 U.S.C. § 922(q)

Federal law prohibits possession of a firearm in a "school zone," defined as on the grounds of, or within 1,000 feet of the grounds of, a public, parochial, or private K-12 school. Source material confirms the WCL exemption: "individuals with state-issued concealed carry permits are not prohibited by the GFSZA from possessing a gun in a school zone."

Operating consequences for Georgia carriers:

• A Georgia WCL holder is exempt from federal GFSZA while in Georgia. The exemption requires a license issued by the state where the school zone is located. A Georgia license covers Georgia school zones.
• A Georgia WCL holder traveling out of state may not be exempt. The federal exemption is interpreted by some courts to require a license issued by the state of the school zone. Reciprocity does not always satisfy this. Treat the GFSZA as live for any GA license holder driving through another state.
• Constitutional carry alone does not unlock the GFSZA exemption. A Georgia lawful weapons carrier who does not hold a WCL is not "licensed" within the meaning of § 922(q)(2)(B)(ii). This is one of the most important practical reasons to keep a WCL after 2022.
• The state-law school zone rule is separate. O.C.G.A. § 16-11-127.1 still applies inside Georgia and contains its own structure of carve-outs.

Federal Facilities: 18 U.S.C. § 930

Federal facilities are governed by federal law and federal regulation, not Georgia statute. The categorical rules:

• Federal buildings and federal courthouses. Firearms are prohibited under 18 U.S.C. § 930.
• United States Postal Service property. Source material confirms federal regulations "continue to prohibit carrying weapons on Corps of Engineers and US Postal Service property." Court interpretations have addressed USPS parking lots and remain unsettled in some circuits.
• National parks. Federal law since 2010 allows possession of firearms in national parks to the extent permitted by the law of the state in which the park is located. Inside Georgia, that means Georgia's general carry rules apply on the Georgia portions of, for example, the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area or Cumberland Island National Seashore. Park-specific federal buildings (visitor centers, ranger stations) remain federal facilities under § 930.
• National forests. Treated similarly to national parks for state-law purposes.
• Military installations. Department of Defense regulations and 18 U.S.C. § 930 prohibit firearms on military bases absent specific authorization.

Mass Transit and Rail

Source material is sparse on Georgia-specific mass transit rules. The operative federal and carrier-policy framework:

• MARTA (Atlanta metropolitan transit). A WCL holder generally retains state-law carry authority under § 16-11-126 on public transportation in parks and recreation contexts, as the GeorgiaWeaponsCarryPermitLaw1 source states: lawful weapons carriers may carry "on public transportation." Specific MARTA rules and any pre-screened transit areas should be confirmed against MARTA's current published policy before relying on this for an Atlanta commuter scenario.
• Amtrak. Amtrak permits firearms in checked baggage with advance notice; the carrier's published policy is the controlling rule. Confirm current Amtrak policy before traveling.
• Greyhound and commercial bus carriers. Private carrier policies generally prohibit firearms entirely. Carrier policy, not state law, is the operative restriction.

Ports and Waterways

• Cruise ships from Georgia ports (Savannah, Brunswick). Cruise line policy typically prohibits firearms on passenger vessels. The carrier's policy controls; federal maritime law adds an additional layer.
• Federal facility rules apply to dock-area federal buildings and Customs and Border Protection areas.

Out-of-State Carriers Transiting Georgia

Georgia's recognition rule is generous. Under O.C.G.A. § 16-11-126(e) in combination with HB 218 (2022), Georgia recognizes the carry license of every U.S. state that issues one. An out-of-state license holder transiting Georgia by car may carry under Georgia's rules as a lawful weapons carrier. The reciprocity authority lives at § 16-11-126(d)(2), not § 16-11-171 (which contains GCIC and NICS definitions). See the RECIPROCITY section for the full treatment.

A note on out-of-state residents without a WCL. One secondary source (US LawShield) cautions out-of-state residents about carrying in another person's vehicle in Georgia without a WCL, noting that the statutory text on § 16-11-126(c) is "not very clear" on that point. The conservative posture for an out-of-state, non-license-holding driver is to keep any firearm in your own vehicle, unloaded and cased, until you can confirm the better view of the statute.

Step-by-Step: Interstate Road Trip with a Firearm

1. Confirm legality at origin and destination. You must lawfully possess the firearm in both places for FOPA to apply.
2. Confirm legality in every state you transit. Reciprocity is state-by-state. Check each state's rules. See the RECIPROCITY section for Georgia's posture; for inbound rules, consult the destination state.
3. Unload the firearm and separate it from ammunition. Ammunition and firearm in separate containers.
4. Secure for transport. In a vehicle with a separate trunk, place the firearm in the trunk. In a vehicle without a separate trunk, use a locked container other than the glove compartment or console.
5. Plan stops. Limit stops in restrictive jurisdictions to necessities (fuel, food, sleep). Avoid New York City, the New Jersey Turnpike, and other known enforcement corridors even if FOPA arguably applies.
6. Keep documentation. Carry your WCL and a copy of the destination's permit (if applicable). For air travel, carry a copy of TSA's current firearm-declaration guidance.

Practical Risk Notes

• FOPA is a defense, not a shield. Plan your route to avoid arrest, not to win a motion to dismiss after arrest.
• TSA accidents are expensive. A firearm at a screening checkpoint generates federal civil penalties and potential federal criminal exposure even when it was a clean mistake. Pre-trip vehicle and bag sweeps prevent the problem.
• Constitutional carry inside Georgia is broader than what you can rely on outside Georgia. A WCL still pays for itself in interstate travel because of GFSZA, reciprocity, and (in many states) a faster traffic-stop posture.
• Source material does not cover every modern transport scenario. MARTA-specific rules, Amtrak's current advance-notice procedure, and the precise scope of USPS property at parking lots are not fully covered by the sources used here. Confirm against current carrier and agency policy.

Statute and Authority Reference

Confirm current TSA, MARTA, Amtrak, and destination-state rules before any specific trip. The framework above is the law; current carrier and agency policy fills in the operational detail.