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NPS Retirees Oppose Carrying Guns in National Parks

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The Coalition of National Park Service Retirees opposes a change in gun laws in the national park system.

The Coalition of National Park Service Retirees sees no need to change gun laws in the national parks, saying that allowing the public to carry weapons in the parks could jeopardize the safety of visitors.

Last month, you might recall, the Traveler pointed to an effort by nearly half the U.S. Senate to allow concealed weapons to be carried in the parks. Current Park Service policy allows permitted weapons to be transported through the parks, but they must be unloaded and stored so as they're not readily accessible.

Forty-seven senators, led by Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, don't think that's good enough. He says varying gun laws on federal lands can be confusing to gun holders. (The New York Times pointed out, though, that if gun holders are confused, perhaps they shouldn't be permitted to carry guns.)

In a letter to Representative Nick Rahall, who chairs the House Natural Resources Committee, the coalition asked that if legislation proposing a change in the current regulations reaches his committee, that it not gain favorable consideration.

We believe that to change these regulations so that visitors might wear or keep firearms close at hand in national parks - guided by differing state laws -could significantly increase the danger to visitors in national parks. Equally worrisome is that such a practice would almost certainly put wildlife in many parks at greater risk, wrote the coalition. Poaching would become easier. And visitors who believe that carrying a firearm provides them with extra “security” and the authority to shoot animals would be far more likely to use deadly force whenever they feel the slightest threat. Information gathered by State and Federal wildlife management organizations throughout the country overwhelmingly indicates that both people and wildlife are safer when guns are not the first choice when people feel threatened.

Comments

You said:

> think it might be worth it for you to dig up some more recent information

That's the most recent data available. As I mentioned I had to really work to get the PA SP data. That's how those folks who report the data work. The final reports are always at least a year or two old that I've been able to find, especially from the CDC. If you or anyone else here would like to take a turn doing some research I could use the help!

Things don't change that much year to year. Criminals continue to commit crime and kill people. I prefer to not be one of the statistics, thanks.


This is truly an emotional discussion. We are fortunate to have Kurt willing to spend so much of his personal time and energy to facilitate this blog.

Kurt mentioned people who have confessed that they would violate the Park regulations about concealed-carry. I am one of those people. Even though I think that the current ban is a violation of the 2nd amendment, two WRONGS do not make a RIGHT. That's why I'm so much involved in supporting the rule change. My current choices are to NOT visit National Parks (lousy choice), hike in Parks WITHOUT my pistol (unacceptable choice), or violate the law and carry anyway (illegal and objectionable). I am usually a law-abiding citizen. I stop for red lights at deserted intersections in the middle of the night because it's the LAW, whether I agree with it or not.

As for all these stats, either side can quote VOLUMES of stats to prove their point. We have to go with what we believe and what we think is right. As for these so-called "incidents", I can't help but wonder why they're not in the newspaper, on on the 6'oclcok news. Our media loves to report BAD news; where's the reports?

I'd like to add that my pistol is an inanimate object, incapable of good or evil. It cannot "possess" me and cause me to be evil like in the science fiction movies. I am not evil because I own and carry a gun any more than my wife is evil because she knows that I carry a gun and still loves me.

The DOI secretary has opened the rules-change up for public comment. I just checked the website that Kurt linked us to. More than seven THOUSAND comments have been made! I've read pages of them. I won't try to convince you that I've read them all, but I have read more than a hundred of them. With ONE exception, ALL of the comments are in favor of the proposed rule change allowing concealed-carry. Either those who oppose the rule change are too busy, or maybe they don't really care. I would have expected to hear a loud outcry OPPOSED to the rule change. Instead it looks like 99% of Park visitors SUPPORT the ability to carry a concealed firearm in Parks located in States that permit it.


Fred,

Thanks for your thanks. Truthfully, I do often wonder why I spend *so* much time on some of these issues.

Re the comments filed so far, I found at least two that oppose the change. But you're right, far and away the majority do seem to support concealed carry in the parks. But I'm not sure for all the right reasons. Here's one questionable comment I found:

we should be able to carry a weapon in any National forest for protection due to the fact that there are wild animals that seem to attack without being provoked. Especially when wild animals keep being added to our
parks like Bears, Wolfs, Alligators and not to mention venomous snakes.

Now, aside from the confusion between national parks and national forests, doesn't this sort of comment raise some serious concerns that some gun owners will be quick on the draw when they see a wild animal in the parks? And then there was another comment in which the author claimed every confrontation between a wild animal and a human being ended up poorly for the human. Really?


Kurt - You're right about some of these comments. Wading through some of the spelling and grammatical errors is downright painful. Their points would be much easier to perceive if they would have taken a minute to proofread their post. And it might have helped if they were trying to make some sense. Some of the comments left me asking, "What did he SAY??"


It's way too soon to call, but I suspect that the proposed rule change concerning concealed handgun carry in the Parks will go forward. If it does, will the attendance change? Will people AVOID the Parks because they're afraid they might be sharing the trail with me or some other CCW permit holder? Will people START visiting the Parks more because they will be able to bring their firearm with them LEGALLY?

I sincerely hope this rule change won't keep folks from wanting to visit the Parks. Fear is a natural thing, but unreasonable fear is unhealthy. Our media has done a good job of convincing people that guns and gun owners are bad. I honestly believe that most people are good, and that those who assume the awesome responsibility of carrying a firearm are good AND law-abiding.

There are many ways for folks to become educated and informed about firearms and concealed-carry safety. A little research can show people that they have nothing to fear from me or my CCW-permit brethren. Conversely, we are more likely to come to your aid, not just be an "eyewitness" at the investigation.


Fred,

Having played a key role in "our media" for a good part of my professional life, I take extreme exception to your comment about the media. The media does not cause a gun to go off, does not allow a gun to be in reach of youthful hands, does not get drunk or angry and resort to pulling the trigger. All these things are done by gun owners. As you said in an earlier comment, a gun is an inanimate object. It's the person behind the gun who commits the mistake ... or the crime.

Will park visitation drop off if the gun regulations are rewritten to make weapons more available in the parks? That's a good question, one that needs to be thought through extremely carefully by the folks at Interior. But I fear they are driven too much by politics to think clearly. Personally, I don't worry too greatly about it because I head to the backcountry where relatively few others do. But if I was heading to a campground, where folks sit around campfires and drink, where kids get into things when their parents aren't watching, yeah, I'd probably think twice about it.

Too, if you've read many of the comments that have been directed at me over this issue the past 2-plus years, you'd be rightfully concerned about the stability and focus of quite a few of the so-called good and law-abiding gun owners.

And what about the young adults who might have just obtained their CCW permit and head everywhere they go with their firearm? What if they're hiking down a trail, figure they're far away from civilization and rangers, and decide to take some target practice? What if they miss their target and hit a hiker coming the other way that they didn't see?

What about bluffing grizzlies? Many times they'll charge you to intimidate. Will a gun owner resort to pulling the trigger rather than taking more appropriate action and either wound or completely miss the bear and end up worse for it?

Why are ranger groups and police groups opposed to expansion of CCW regulations? Is it because they're macho organizations that want to consolidate firepower, or do they have legitimate concerns over the frightening array of loosely written CCW laws and the increasing availability of weapons?

I don't question that the majority of gun owners no doubt are responsible and conscientious. It's the minority that worry me.


Kurt -

One reason why you perhaps haven't seen so many anti-gun-in-parks comments recently is that this is an emotionally charged issue, and I'm probably not the only one who isn't commenting publicly because I don't want to be sucked into an argument/I-am-always-right-I-will-not-compromise 'discussion' with Mr. Rick and Mr. Fred.


Kurt -

These are all valid concerns. I truly hope that they are un-founded. I am an avid safety "nut" and would NOT tolerate any of the actions you speak about.

Please accept my sincerest apology. It is incredible bad taste for me to bad-mouth the media on "your" blog knowing your background as well as I do. I get terribly frustrated (as much as you, I assume) by the amazing distortions we have to put up with by people who "adjust" a story to support their agenda.


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