Interesting
The Obama administration is legally defending a last-minute rule enacted by President George W. Bush that allows concealed firearms in national parks, even as it is internally reviewing whether the measure meets environmental muster.
In a response Friday to a lawsuit by gun-control and environmental groups, the Justice Department sought to block a preliminary injunction of the controversial rule. The regulation, which took effect Jan. 9, allows visitors to bring concealed, loaded guns into national parks and wildlife refuges; for more than two decades they were allowed in such areas only if they were unloaded or stored and dismantled.
And:
In its reply, the Justice Department wrote that the new rule “does not alter the environmental status quo, and will not have any significant impacts on public health and safety.”
February 17th, 2009 at 11:33 am
“for more than two decades ”
— Which means that 30 years ago, some PSH jerk-off hadn’t written a “rule” and had it declared “policy” that we couldn’t defend ourselves in parks.
What changed in the parks “more than two decades” ago that suddenly made carrying in a park an act that should be declared illegal? Were the bears and wolves declawed and defanged?
February 17th, 2009 at 3:32 pm
Markie Marxist sez: “This is outrageous! How are women camping in the backcountry supposed to be raped and murdered by our Marxist/warrior/hero/criminals if those women are carrying guns? How is an elderly couple in their RV supposed to be kidnapped with their RV and found dead along the road somewhere if they can protect themselves with a gun? How are our Marxist/warrior/hero/criminals supposed to be comfortable mugging the tourists in the parks, if the tourists might be prepared to shoot them? It just doesn’t make any sense!”
February 17th, 2009 at 4:11 pm
I went to Yellowstone a week and a half ago. I was open carrying on the road trip and pulled up to the ranger station and got out to walk to the window to buy my pass when I realized I still had my gun on. It was too late to get back in the truck and remove it. Not wanting to get shot, I identified myself as law enforcement and informed the ranger I had a gun (as if he didn’t already know). I honestly couldn’t remember whether it was allowed or not that day.
Turns out the ranger didn’t know either. He let me in with it.
The next day I came back (we were staying at a hotel outside the park itself) and he said “I made some calls, you can carry if you are performing official duties as law enforcement, but otherwise, no operational firearms are allowed inside the park right now. I’m just telling you so you know that if a ranger inside the park sees you with one, you will probably be stopped and questioned.”
My gun, and my friend’s gun, were in the pickup. Loaded. Out of sight. We nodded and smiled and went in with them, then put then on once we were inside.
There were no problems.