Want Loaded Guns in National Parks?--Senator Tom Coburn's Your Man!
As early as next week, Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK) is expected to offer an amendment to S. 2483, the "National Forests, Parks, Public Land, and Reclamation Projects Authorization Act of 2007," that would stop the enforcement of park service regulations requiring gun owners to keep their guns unloaded and stored while visiting most areas of America's National Park System.
Under the Coburn Amendment, state law would supercede the current federal regulations. So, if you have a concealed carry license that's valid in the state(s) the national park you're visiting is located, go ahead, load up that handgun and carry it around your campsite, over to Old Faithful, back to the general store for a six-pack of beer, and then back to your tent. If state law allows you to hang an AK-47 off your truck's gun rack, and then march with the loaded assault rifle along a backwoods trail to say "hi" to the bird watchers and flower gazers, all the better.
Among the groups opposing the Coburn Amendment are: the National Parks Conservation Association; the U.S. Park Rangers Lodge of the Fraternal Order of Police; the Coalition of National Park Service Retirees; the Association of National Park Rangers; and, The Wilderness Society.
Eh, but what do they know?
They're only the individuals and organizations charged with maintaining our national parks and protecting those who visit them.
In a letter sent to the U.S. Senate last Friday, three of these groups--the U.S. Park Rangers Lodge of the Fraternal Order of Police, the Coalition of National Park Service Retirees, and the Association of National Park Rangers--voiced their strong opposition to the Coburn Amendment and raised their concerns about the real-world effects of the bill. Among these:
o The Coburn Amendment "could dramatically degrade the experience of park visitors and put their safety at risk if units of the National Park System were compelled to follow state gun laws." The letter offers the following example:
"[S]ince Wyoming has limited gun restrictions, visitors could see persons with semi-automatic weapons attending campground programs, hiking down park trails or picnicking along park shorelines at Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks. Moreover, many rangers can recite stories about incidents where the risk to other visitors--as well as to the ranger--would have been exacerbated if a gun had been readily-accessible. This amendment would compromise the safe atmosphere that is valued by Americans and expected by international tourists traveling to the United States."
o The Coburn Amendment "will make poaching in parks even more prevalent than it already is, thus reducing the opportunity for children, families, and Americans from all walks of life to easily view wildlife that so many parks provide." The letter explains:
"This amendment could hamper efforts by park rangers to halt poaching, a chronic problem in many national park units throughout the country that is growing because of an increase in the illegal international animal parts trade. According to the National Park Service, poaching `is suspected to be a factor in the decline of at least 29 species of wildlife and could cause the extirpation of 19 species from the parks.' The...[current federal regulations]...have proven essential to law enforcement officers who patrol the boundaries of national parks looking for poachers who illegally take wildlife enjoyed by all people within the parks....Senator Coburn's amendment will make it more difficult to apprehend these individuals because possession and display of a weapon would no longer be probable cause to initiate a search for evidence of wildlife or wildlife parts."
In a lesson in understatement, the letter adds, "Moreover, wildlife will not remain easily viewable when it is being shot at."
Other concerns raised by the Coburn Amendment but not addressed in the letter include:
o The effect the amendment would have on heavily-trafficked national parks, national shrines, and other national "icons" (oh, say, like the Statue of Liberty) that are located in urban areas that allow the carrying of concealed weapons.
o The increased opportunity for vandalism and other dangerous activities by "slob shooters" who would now have their loaded weapons ready.
o If it is no longer illegal to have loaded weapons in parks, the number of charges that can be brought against those involved in illegal drug operations will be reduced.
As the letter concludes:
"There is simply no legitimate or substantive reason for a thoughtful sportsman or gun owner to carry a loaded gun in a national park unless that park permits hunting. The requirement that guns in parks are unloaded and put away is a reasonable and limited restriction to facilitate legitimate purposes--the protection of precious park resources and safety of visitors."
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Common sense while visiting a National Park is to stow your food away -- it's not even allowed on the front seat of your car (at least that's true in Yosemite Valley), so as not to entice bears.
This "load and carry" law is insane!
What happened to reverence for our last great havens of wildlife and unspoiled land?? Where is the "leave no footprint" code of conduct in this type of legislation??!!
I don't want your loaded guns in my parks, yes that's right: they're as much mine as any citizen's. It's bad enough the Rangers have to carry guns; that what was once a position of conservation/wildlife education has now become mostly one of policing visitors.
when guns are outlawed only outlaws will have guns.
wish i could vote for him.
Guess what? There are already people with loaded guns in National Parks. All this bill does is allow law abiding citizens to carry firearms. The criminals already do so.
911 response is a long way away when hiking on the Apalachian Trail.
As for all of the Park Rangers that do not believe anyone needs a gun when hiking through the forest, I say disarm them if they truly believe no on needs that firearm. I feel their opinions might change if they are under the same restriction as an average citizen.
There is the same whiny hysteria over this law as there was when states started issuing Concealed Carry Permits to all that wanted them, got training and passed background checks. Instead of relying on being a Sheriffs friend or a judges' crony to get a Concealed Carry Permit everyone that met the requirements is now able to get one. Anti gunners and some police officers screamed there would be rivers of blood in the streets and "Wild West Shootouts" after every fender bender. It never happened. They found out that CCW (Concealed Carry Weapon in my state) are the most law abiding citizens in the US. Statisticaly CCW holders are more law abiding as a group than police officers.
I suspect once this law passes we will see the same thing that happened with CCW permits. A few criminals will be captured, deterred or shot. Everyone will forget about the hysteria and the anti gun crowd will move on to disarming Americans somewhere else.
Have you visited a National Park lately?
This is absolutely ridiculous.
Ammunition and weapon should ALWAYS be
separated when traveling.
What next, they going to be selling shotgun
racks with favorite 'endangered species'
decorations?
The Rambos need to go find some nice private
property owners to set up their very own "wild,
wild west"....good luck - liability insurance
is sky high for a reason.....sayyyyy - who
WOULD be responsible if someone is injured or
killed by a gun owner in a national park?
U.S.?
By making the parks to dangerous to visit, the Republicans can then sell off the land at bargin basement prices to their buddies in the coal mining industry. Nothing is as it seems when Republicans are involved. It's all about money, plain and simple.
This reminds me a bit of an old "All in the Family" episode, in which Archie Bunker delivers a guest editorial on TV about how to stop airplane hijacking. His solution: hand out guns to every passenger getting on a plane so that everyone will be equal. Guns (presumably fully loaded) would be handed out by flight attendants in the same way as complimentary headphones.
If things start getting a bit too violent in national parks as a result of the Coburn ammendment, maybe the next step will be to give a "loaner" gun to every visitor to a national park. People would have to take the guns in order to be admitted. If everyone in the park has a gun, poachers, muggers and other criminals may think twice about using the guns the Coburn bill now allows them to carry. I foresee major bi-partisan support for this, and the gun lobby will love it.
Another reason to NOT vote Republican!
Another crazy initiative from America's gun lobby. They won't stop at parks either, they'll keep going until our schools, day care centers, churches, you name it, are filled with guns (which of course means more profits for the gun industry).
Here's the type of incidents we can expect in our national parks if this goes through:
http://www.startribune.com/local/11590461.html
After giving the gun lobby a massive handout with the NICS bill, it would be shameful if the Democrats allow this to happen. We're long past the time when we need to kick the NRA out of Washington. They have no regard for public safety whatsoever.
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