A federal judge has upheld Georgia's law banning guns in churches and other places of worship.

U.S. District Judge Ashley Royal on Monday dismissed a lawsuit that challenged the law.

Royal wrote that Georgia's law does not violate constitutional rights to freedom of religion or bearing arms.

The lawsuit had been filed in response to a change in Georgia law last year which removed the prohibition of guns at public gatherings.

The change replaced public gatherings with a more specific list of sites including places of worship, government buildings, polling places and nuclear power plants.

Also Monday, state Rep. Bobby Franklin of Marietta filed a bill that would remove places of worship from the list of locations where guns are prohibited.

Contributors: Rickey Bevington