It's Okay To Carry Guns In National Parks

Do you own a handgun? Do you also have a legally issued permit allowing you to carry a concealed weapon in your state? If so, don't bother trying to carry that weapon in a National park... it's illegal. For a while, anyway, because that's about to change.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/18/AR2010021805124.html

The federal government will lift long-standing restrictions on guns in national parks Monday, meaning that visitors with proper permits could pack heat along with camping and picnic gear to most of the 392 parks. The move concerns current and former employees of the National Park Service who are convinced that the move will damage the spirit of the nation's park system.

The Park Service has spent months preparing for the new law, holding conference calls in recent days with park supervisors to review the changes and ensure they prepare signage and talking points for visitors, spokesman David Barna said.

Personally, I find this a refreshing change. Federal law currently prohibits us normal citizens from carrying a concealed weapon, even if we have the proper license, into most Federal buildings. This situation is more than a joke, if you ask me. The Constitution of the United States protects our right to own and carry guns... but not if we're anywhere near our Federal Government? What kind of a right is it if it can be ignored at will by the very government that is supposed to PROTECT that right for us?


Yeah... not much of one. If we actually have a right to own and carry a firearm, then exceptions should be FEW, not comprehensive. So this move with the parks is a good first-step in the right direction. Maybe if we continue pushing, more and more government-controlled areas in this country will allow us to exercise our RIGHTS.

So this is a good move. This change occurred under George Bush, so this goes in his credit column. PresBo gets credit for not fighting it, though.

The Bush administration had lifted the ban on concealed weapons in its final months, after pressure from gun rights groups, including the National Rifle Association. But a federal judge blocked the move last year. The Obama administration declined to appeal the ruling, and Congress passed the law. President Obama signed the measure without comment as part of a credit card reform package.

This is a victory for those in this country who believe that citizens have rights that our government can't ignore.