Army Corps seeks to relax firearms rule at area lakes

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is taking public comment on a proposed rules change that would make it easier to bring firearms onto Corps-managed water resources projects like Lake Lanier and Allatoona Lake.

The Corps proposes eliminating the requirement that individuals, other than hunters or those heading to authorized shooting ranges, obtain written permission from a district commander before carrying firearms onto Corps lands and waters, according to a Lake Lanier Facebook posting.

The proposed change, the Corps said, would better reflect current state and local laws that let individuals carry firearms, “in particular for self-defense purposes.”