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Congressman Accuses Sec. Kempthorne of Pandering to NRA on Gun Issue

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Congressman Raul Grijalva, who heads the House subcommittee on national parks, is accusing Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne of pandering to the National Rifle Association.

In a strongly worded letter to the Interior secretary on his efforts to allow national park visitors to arm themselves, the Democrat from Arizona asserts that the proposal "is not sound policy; it is pandering to an interest group with no interest in National Parks."

In the two-page letter (attached below), Representative Grijalva not only points out misrepresentations in the NRA's push to see concealed carry allowed in national parks and national wildlife refuges but also says the secretary's proposal will not simplify gun laws across the country as he contends but "will destroy uniformity of application and hopelessly muddle visitor understanding of the requirements."

The congressman also maintains the proposal, if adopted, will further undermine the safety of park rangers.

"NPS law enforcement personal will also be put at greater risk. Most of these brave men and women work alone, confronting large crowds where alcohol can be prevalent. Wading into a situation alone to restore and protect park visitors and park resources is daunting under the current rule. The last thing these dedicated public servants need is loaded guns hidden in the crowd.

Comments

Anonymous writes:

> Because of the threat of poaching, the presence of an assembled and loaded weapon is a reasonable threat ON ITS FACE.

How about: "because of the threat of murder, rape and assault an assembled and loaded weapon is a reasonable defense ON ITS FACE"?

> This is a real reason there have been no successful challenges to the existing regulation

I think the challenge to the regulation, as well as the Supreme Court challenge to the Washington, D.C. (aka gun-free nirvana) gun ban will succeed

> Perhaps you are unfamiliar with idiots with guns, and appeal to reason, implying no one with a handgun would threaten wildlife.

Perhaps you are unfamiliar with idiots with cars, and appeal to reason implying no one with an automobile would harm innocent bystanders

> I saw a guy kill a king salmon with a pistol.

I saw a guy kill my friend with a tractor trailer truck

> People expect that that nature of the park experience is that no visitor is packing.

Geez, You're head is in the clouds. I expect the nature of park experience is that no visitor is killing women on the same trail my wife and I hike.

Put things into perspective and prove you've been harmed by the presence of a citizen carrying a firearm for self defense instead of espousing suppositional paranoia and prejudice.


Rick/Art,

OK, you guys win. I might have a fighting chance if I dwelled on guns, gun laws, and crime stats as much as I do on parks, but I don't. Here are my parting thoughts:

* You complain about "the vacuousness of the anti-gun arguments in this situation and the bigotry and prejudice many anti gun people have – especially the Brady and VPC organizations that pander to these prejudices." Why did these organizations form in the first place? Did they first conceive the idea that they hate guns and so needed to concoct an argument, as your views suggest, or was it because of gun violence in general, whether committed by criminals or guns owned by permit holders? In the case of the Brady group, didn't it arise out of the assassination attempt on President Reagan and the bullet press secretary James Brady took? And wasn't the gun used in that crime legally purchased in Texas?

* "Interestingly, the media overwhelmingly ignore any occasion where a concealed carry permit holder has actually prevented a crime or saved a life." As a member of the media for my entire professional life, going on 30 years now, this is one of the most bizarre, ridiculous, and over-generalizing statements I've ever heard. Media -- particularly broadcast media -- love hero stories, Rick.

* "I want proof of a permit holder committing a gun crime against another citizen." Rick: Those Texas statistics that Art points to and which you can find here show 140 cases of permit holders committing gun crimes against another citizen. True, it's but a small fraction of the overall crimes committed, but you just wanted proof of one instance, and these stats provide 140. And that's just one of 50 states.

* "...in the hands of responsible citizens..." I think you've hit it on the head with this comment, Rick.

"Responsible citizens." I'm going out on a limb here, but I don't think the concern is about guns in the hands of responsible citizens. Rather, it's about guns in the hands of those who aren't so responsible, who leave their weapons out in the open where youngsters can get them, who mix alcohol with guns, whose anger leads them to settle arguments violently, who figure they're far in the backcountry and so can take some pot shots at something. Too, there are a number of stories out there about groups concerned over their states' permitting procedures because they lack mental health reviews before issuing permits. If you look back over the nearly three years I've been generating the Traveler and examine the color and tenor of some of the comments I've been subjected to, you'd question whether those folks were responsible. My wife half-jokingly has suggested I enter the witness protection program.

And then, Rick, sometimes accidents even happen to "responsible citizens." Proof of that? Read this story, which tells about a Utah POLICE CHIEF WHO SHOT HIMSELF IN THE LEG WHILE TEACHING A CONCEALED WEAPONS TRAINING CLASS.

Rick, Art, Fred (who already knows, I think) and other concealed carry proponents, I'm not anti-gun. I've fired weapons before and have a good friend who just retired from the New Jersey State Police. He and I traveled often with him carrying, and it never bothered me. In fact, we've gone into the backcountry of Yellowstone and he's never felt the need to carry.

The bottom line for me is that, in light of the relative lack of crime in national parks, and the odds of accidents happening and those accidents becoming more dangerous when firearms are involved, I just don't see the need for park visitors to arm themselves.


> The bottom line for me is that, in light of the relative lack of crime in national parks, and the odds of accidents happening and those accidents
> becoming more dangerous when firearms are involved, I just don't see the need for park visitors to arm themselves

With all due respect to you for the time, effort and thoughts you put into this website, Kurt. deciding not to carry a firearm is your personal decision. To do so is my Constitutional right. To denigrate someone (as many anti gun opinions are wont to be) for choosing to exercise that right is unacceptable. Especially when restrictions result in victims otherwise willing to defend themselves.

> a Utah POLICE CHIEF WHO SHOT HIMSELF IN THE LEG WHILE TEACHING A CONCEALED WEAPONS TRAINING CLASS.

there's an even funnier video of a cop with a SWAT T-Shirt proclaiming he's an expert when he shoots himself in the foot in front of a 5th grade class. He didn't check to see if the gun was unloaded. And there are numerous reports of cops leaving their guns in the bathroom and losing them.

Good people do bad things, bad people do more bad things and good things are used for bad purposes. Just because someone yells fire in a theater doesn't warrant abrogation of your First Amendment rights. Just because people get drunk and drive means you must use only public transportation. Read some of John Lott's work for an even more detailed statistical analysis of the benefits of firearms. On balance, guns are used for good purposes far more often than not and the social benefit is far greater than people realize. The implied threat from concealed carry permit holders is greatly exaggerated.


Don't you think Rick it might be wise to implement some kind of psychological testing before one can be issued a concealed (handgun) weapon?

Knowing the psychological temperament of this nation, it's been well-documented we're a pretty stressed-out populace. We're heavy into poping pills for sleep deprivation, many levels of depression, bad economics and no decent health insurance. Let's face it, we're one stressed-out nation and you want more guns in the National Parks (and you worry about your little old hand gun being taken away). Parks are for restive peace and tranquility and not a place for the NRA to implode their values.


Hang on to your cutlery: [Ed. note: The link connects to an article about an incident in the UK described thusly: "The grandson of prominent anti-gun campaigner Pat Regan has been arrested on suspicion of stabbing her to death."]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/west_yorkshire/7430668.stm


Anonymous,

"Don't you think Rick it might be wise to implement some kind of psychological testing before one can be issued a concealed (handgun) weapon?"

It would be only too easy to extend this logic to the First Amendment as well. The rantings of demagogues like Huey Long, Bull Connor, Al Sharpton and Louis Farrakhan have led in many cases to violence and death. Yet I have yet to here anyone call for "psychological testing" as a precondition to the exercise of the right to free speech.

The price of freedom is insecurity. As Benjamin Franklin said, "Those Who Sacrifice Liberty For Security Deserve Neither". We must accept that a world where people are allowed the freedoms proclaimed in our Constitution will be inherently more unpredictable and less "safe". That world will also provide the greatest opportunity for individuals to realize the fullness of their God given potential.

You reflect on the "psychological temperament" of our nation and find nothing affirmative. This can only be a symptom of either intellectual or moral bankruptcy. You joke about "having our little guns taken away". Perhaps you should spend some time reading the history of the last century, where governments committed the wholesale slaughter of their citizens after disarming them. It was only the resolve of this "stressed-out", "pill popping", "sleep deprived" nation that prevented the spread of a gun-controlled nightmare.

As for the values of the NRA, they are Americas values. The right of a free people to organize and petition our government for redress of grievances. The right to defend both our person and our property and the right of our children to inherit a nation where all of the rights guaranteed their fathers and grandfathers are intact.


Art--

Just so you will know. NRA values are not this American's values. And, I suspect, they're not a lot of Americans' values. Many disagree with your assertion that carrying a weapon is guaranteed by the Constitution and therefore is an "American value." Don't let NRA propaganda blind you to the fact that lots of us think differently. That's what makes America great. It's a pluralistic society and we don't have to all agree. But, I suspect that you won't agree with that either.

Rick Smith


Rick,

"Many disagree with your assertion that carrying a weapon is guaranteed by the Constitution ..." That's why men like Patrick Henry and Gouverneur Morris insisted that certain rights be spelled out in the "Bill of Rights", they knew that unless they were, people like you would deny them.

Far from blinding me to the fact that "lots of us think differently", the NRA has alerted me, and millions of people just like me, to your intentions. We stand ready to defend our rights and, as the Democrat party has learned, it's a fight we intend to win.

The fact that "lots of people" have different opinions is not what makes America great. What makes America great is that the founders realized that some people would work to undermine the liberties that God has granted each of us and they established a government designed to frustrate their efforts. I'm only too happy to frustrate yours.


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