"In a victory for gun-rights advocates, the federal government is preparing to relax a decades-old ban on bringing loaded firearms into national parks . . . in states with few gun restrictions," report Richard Simon and Judy Pasternak of the Los Angeles Times. Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne responded to pressure from members of Congress, including 50 senators. "Senators from both parties have backed a drive to repeal the ban, which has been in place in some parks for at least 100 years," the Times notes.
The National Rifle Association and other Second Amendment groups praised the action as common sense. ""If you're hiking in the backcountry and there is a problem with a criminal or an aggressive animal, there's no 911 box where you can call police and have a 60-second response time," Gary S. Marbut, president of the Montana Shooting Sports Association, told the Times.
Erika Bolstad, Washington reporter for the Idaho Statesman, offers another rural viewpoint and a summary of current rules: "It is common for outdoorsmen to carry guns in the backcountry for hunting and self-protection, and citizens can carry loaded guns on most federal lands. Sometimes, people must stop, break down a gun and stow it in a carrying case when they cross from state lands to federal lands. ... Generally, people who carry or transport guns in national parks or wildlife refuges must render them inoperable. However, there are some exceptions, especially in national parkland in remote parts of Alaska. Loaded guns also are allowed in some national parks and refuges where hunting is permitted." (Read more)
Some park rangers and advocates say "permitting firearms would be dangerous for visitors and wildlife and would alter the national park experience," Simon and Pasternak write. Thomas Kiernan, president of the National Parks Conservation Association, said the move was "alarming" and "a blow to the national parks and the 300 million visitors who enjoy them every year." (Read more)
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