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Did the NRA Infiltrate Groups Opposed to Overhauling Gun Regulations for the National Parks?

Aug 1st - 13:53pm | Mike Ben

Legal concealed carry permit holders have passed background checks and received training on safe firearm procedures. With concealed carry, criminals, stalkers and thieves do not know who is armed. No one knows. I carry when legal to protect my family. When guns are banned, criminals are aware that their victims are defenseless.

Aug 1st - 11:38am | Bob Roberts

There really is no rational discussing of this subject is there? Both sides are so polarized that any middle ground is unreachable. I love how both sides demonize the other. Well, the Supreme Court made their decision and self protection is a individual right not to be infringed upon by the government. Reasonable regulations are currently ok but will be contested in court.

Aug 1st - 11:02am | Anonymous

Mookie, I agree with you. The NRA will milk the gun issue until your blue in the face...guns, bullets and profit! It's all about power and control. Whatever it takes win over an issue:lie, cheat, distort or give out misinformation, bad information or no information. These are the shrewd tactics of the NRA and these are not nice people were dealing with.

Aug 1st - 10:00am | bearguy

The NRA has lost a lot of credibility over the years advocating gun as the ultimate freedom. Not so NRA. Not so. It continues.

Aug 1st - 07:58am | Mookie

The topic of this post was about the supposed tactics the NRA is using to try to roll back the current NPS guidelines on carrying weapons in NPS units. Do we really need to re-hash all the same arguments again about whether the NPS has a right to have these guidelines in the first place and the dangers of allowing or not allowing guns in the parks?

Aug 1st - 06:26am | Anonymous

Can you provide a single incident where prohibiting the ownership/carry of fire arms produces a more peaceful society? Washington, DC, UK, etc.?

Jul 31st - 23:12pm | MarkK

I'm not sure that I would necessarily agree that a gun has to raise the stakes, but you were describing difficulties with having to know the laws of both states. I was just pointing out that that is already an issue. You would have the same issue if someone were smoking a joint on a trail that crossed between two states.

Jul 31st - 23:08pm | Anonymous

Maybe if those ladies who were killed in Yosemite NAtional Park were allow to have a loaded gun in their posession they would still be alive???? (Ed: The murders referenced here did not take place in Yosemite National Park. The murdered women were Yosemite tourists who were killed near the park.

Jul 31st - 22:57pm | Kurt Repanshek

Mark, Adding a gun to the equation raises the stakes substantially.

Jul 31st - 22:33pm | MarkK

Kurt, I understand the difficulty of a ranger knowing which state he is in (although less so than before GPS was an option) , but isn't this an issue with any law that might be different between the two states? Another Voice,

Jul 31st - 21:47pm | Kurt Repanshek

Mark, re multiple states, I'd offer that it's not as easy as you paint it. While there are reciprocity in many states, not all states offer the same, and so rangers in parks that span two states would not only have to be well-familiar with both states' laws, but also know in which state they're in, and in the backcountry that could at times be problematic.

Jul 31st - 21:13pm | MarkK

Bryan Faehner spins well. His phrasing make the NRA sound so much worse than perhaps :

Jul 31st - 21:08pm | Another Voice f...

The comments to this story make it clear that the NRA is also hard at work responding to blog stories that paint them in a negative light, diverting attention away from their devious schemes to undermine democracy with obfuscating platitudes about constitutional rights and scare tactics about free speech.

Jul 31st - 20:09pm | Kurt Repanshek

Thanks anon, it wasn't intentional. I'll fix it. Still, how many states with concealed carry place time restraints on that privilege?

Jul 31st - 19:58pm | Anonymous

>> Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne proposed to replace that regulation >> with one that would allow park visitors to arm themselves around the clock.

Jul 31st - 19:47pm | Jack

Persons properly licensed to carry a firearm pose exactly zero risk to anyone in national parks, just as they pose(if anything) only a positive force in the world at large. Jack

Jul 31st - 18:38pm | anon

Are NPCA officials also aghast at the idea of constitutional rights that apparently don't exists in parks and conservation areas? Given that the pen is mightier than the sword, shall we abolish the First Amendment in these places as well?

Would You Love Zion National Park As Much If It Were Called Mukuntuweap National Park?

Aug 1st - 13:52pm | Lone Hiker

If GGNRA does become NPNP I'll make it a regular point to go there specifically to lose my lunch. Political statements are a wonderful thing!

Aug 1st - 12:31pm | Random Walker

LOL! Funnier than fiction! What a great read Bob, thanks!

Aug 1st - 11:56am | SaltSage236

Well, apparently NPS and supporters of some NPS units (and maybe some chamber of commerce marketing hacks) do think that names matter. To wit: Congaree Swamp National Monument dropped "swamp" from its name when it became a national park in 2003 for fear no one would want to visit because, they thought, swamps are just so unattractive. How shallow!

Aug 1st - 10:28am | Lone Hiker

Is anyone of small enough mind to visit places based solely on their names? Do people regularly avoid places with names they, for whatever reason, cannot pronounce?

Lawsuit Filed to Stop Expansion of Visitor Center at Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument

Aug 1st - 12:58pm | Anonymous

Not only is it wrong to intrude further in to this historic site, they should consider removing the existing visitor's center and relocating it outside the field of view of the battlefield as proposed by Mr. Greene. For once, can't our government stop being so self-serving and do the right thing?

Segways in the National Parks: Do We Really Need Them?

Jul 31st - 22:54pm | Jerry

Well said, Anonymous. And I'm all for your excitement of being able to see what before wasnt accessable to you and others. I have a Segway with knobby tires and is built for off road use. Its quiet, eco-friendly, and not much wider than your backpacker (with his candy bars). Although I'm healthy, I wonder whos business is it that one should get excercise while enjoying nature?

Would a Change in Gun Laws Be a Threat to National Park Bears?

Jul 31st - 22:47pm | Kirby Adams

Animals can and do injury and kill people. Humans can and do injury and kill other humans. Very true. No one has the right to deny citizens of their right to defend themselves, be it from beast or man.

Jul 31st - 18:40pm | Bill

This is an issue of personal freedom and self defense. We all have a natural right to self defense. That right was not given by the constitution, instead it is protected by the constitution. No one has the right to deny citizens of their right to defend themselves, be it from beast or man.

Studies Show Bear Spray More Effective Than Guns Against Grizzlies

Jul 31st - 20:34pm | Frank N

Actually thousands of people hike in Yellowstone every year without carrying bear spray (many families with young children), while thousands of others that hike with it never use it. I started carrying it several years ago at the insistence of my kids. I never felt the need for it when I didn't have it, and never have since I've been carrying it.

Jul 31st - 18:08pm | Elijah - Alaska

Why do the Park Rangers need to carry handguns? They don't have a need too if they're not as effective on bears and the Rangers (assuming that they are people too) have a higher chance of hurting themselves. Furthermore, as "Frank N" points out

NPS Director Bomar Extends Freeze on Fee Increases at National Parks

Jul 31st - 16:36pm | Anonymous

I have said this before: We the taxpayers have been shafted and burden with the sickening Bush-Iraq war, along with a deliberate wrecked economy (to prevent legitimate entitlements for poor and middle class), with the high cost of living, along with ridiculous huge profiteering by the oil companies (granted by Bush & Cheney Administration)...and now with the housing crises to boot.

Jul 31st - 12:20pm | SaltSage236

I think it's absurd and offensive to compare the national park experience with that of a $40-per-head amusement park. Amusement parks exist for entertainment. National parks exist to promote a greater understanding and appreciation of our national and natural heritage and identity -- an absolute necessity for informed citizenship.

Jul 31st - 08:32am | Kurt Repanshek

Betty, you raise some good points. The parks as currently priced are a great value when compared to amusement parks, theaters, etc.

Jul 31st - 07:15am | Betty H

I disagree with this move by Director Bomar and I totally agree with the second comment sent in.

Jul 30th - 17:45pm | Anonymous

You want to talk discretionary? How about ball games, plays, or movies? You say $25 is overpriced, yet you probably don't think twice about paying $9 for a movie ticket and another $9 for a popcorn and coke.

Jul 30th - 08:47am | Kitty Benzar

Kudos to Director Bomar for a good decision. American families struggling with gas prices and the credit crunch aren't likely to be willing to pay increased rates for something as discretionary as visiting a National Park. In fact, at $25, Parks like Grand Canyon are already overpriced - and that doesn't include your backcountry permit!

"LeHardy Fire" in Yellowstone National Park Explodes to 600 Acres

Jul 31st - 09:13am | jsmacdonald

If people want to keep up with this and other fires InciWeb is an excellent site. Updated information on this fire can be found at http://inciweb.org/incident/1443/.

National Park System Quiz 13: Mountains

Jul 30th - 23:47pm | suki

12 for 12!

Jul 30th - 14:18pm | Kirby Adams

...with Virginia's Mt. Rogers in an NRA. You're right about the high points. I wouldn't expect a slight rise in western Kansas or a little bump in Florida to be a national park. I just would have thought states like MT, ID, CO, AZ, NM, SD, OR, NV, UT, etc. would have more of their high points just by chance fall into an NPS area.

Jul 30th - 11:11am | 50 Stars

I also counted five contained in the national parks themselves: TX, CA, WA, TN and AK. Not totally surprising considering many state high points are just that - high points - and not true mountains or significant features.

Jul 30th - 06:50am | Kirby Adams

The question about Mt. Whitney's western slope being in a park got me thinking about how many actual state high points are within national parks. Seems like a surprisingly low number. I count six, with five in national parks and one in a national recreation area. Anyone want to see if I'm correct? I had to have missed a couple.

Jul 30th - 06:08am | Kirby Adams

Finally, I get to rest on my laurels - 9 of 10 (but missed both bonuses). I was about to enroll in GEOG 370 after the last several quizzes.

Mission

Jul 30th - 21:35pm | Anonymous

I have just recently found your site. I love it. I have had the oppertunity to visit Yellowstone NP seven times in the last 15 years. To be able to have information on the park in just a click is great. I think you are doing a great job. Thank you.

Why Stop At Golden Gate National Recreation Area? What Other NRAs, Monuments, Etc., Should Be Renamed?

Jul 30th - 15:25pm | Lone Hiker

I'm humbled to discover that someone aside from the gun liberals reads anything I post Lepanto. And true enough, I failed to be specific and painted everyone with the same broad brush, which is a sure recipe for disaster, or inaccuracy at the very least.

Jul 30th - 14:45pm | Bob Janiskee

Well, PC, Rep. Barbara Cubin (R-WY) certainly has been in the news a lot lately. As Traveler has reported, Rep. Cubin has vigorously supported the controversial (and very expensive) plan to keep Yellowstone’s Sylvan Pass open for snowmobilers. I don’t find any mention of Devils Tower National Monument on Rep.

Jul 30th - 14:23pm | PC

Barbara Cubin has filed a bill that would block the renaming of Devil's Tower N.M. to Bear's Lodge.

Jul 30th - 10:47am | Lepanto

Dear Rangertoo

Jul 29th - 21:10pm | Lone Hiker

I believe the idea that National Park units were "something special" was tied directly to the public's perception centered around those first units, which included Yosemite and Yellowstone, which at the time of their designation were located in areas of the country that were traversed by few save the hearty; those who explored the "wild" country on vacation, and the mystique that grew out of th

Telegraph Fire Closing in On Yosemite National Park

Jul 30th - 12:35pm | Steve Sergeant

The Telegraph Fire started on Friday afternoon. By about 6pm on Saturday, the smoke was pouring over the Sierra Crest into the Hoover Wilderness, 50 trail-miles northeast of Tuolumne Meadows. It looked like a storm coming in, except for the orange sunlight.

Should the National Park Service Drain the Capitol Reflecting Pool to Save Birds?

Jul 30th - 11:52am | MRC

Come on, that's D.C. - facts are overrated, just give it the right spin.

Jul 30th - 11:32am | Anonymous

I think it is a no brainer - drain the pool! Then find a way to recycle the water. I can't believe there is no recycler already. Everyone who has a pool knows that you need to recycle or aerate the water to keep it from becoming stagnant and a breeding ground for mosquitos and bacteria!

Jul 30th - 10:40am | jsmacdonald

No doubt an easy choice - you can have a pool with dead birds and tourists getting sick from sticking their hands in the pool, making the pool an ugly sight - or you can have an ugly empty pool but no one getting sick. On the other hand, maybe it would give the Capitol Police something better to do than harass people.

At Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area, Things are Not Always as They Seem

Jul 29th - 22:05pm | Anonymous

Are you kidding? Misuse of firearms is dangerous. The purpose of a firearm is not to kill everything in sight. The AK-47 is not inherently evil. All weapons were originally in the hands of warriors. When civilization was settled, and nomads became farmers, not everyone needed a weapon.

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