Court decision blocks guns in national parks Update 3/19/09

[Al_HikesAZ]

Court decision blocks guns in national parks
Associated Press 03/19/098
Rule issued in the waning days of the Bush administration is overturned

A judge on Thursday blocked a federal rule allowing people to carry concealed, loaded guns in U.S. national parks and wildlife refuges.
The decision by U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly overturns a rule issued in the waning days of the Bush administration.

The rule, which took effect Jan. 11, and allowed visitors to carry a loaded gun into a park or wildlife refuge as long as the person had a permit for a concealed weapon and the state where the park or refuge was located allowed concealed firearms. Previously, guns in parks had been severely restricted.
The Obama administration had said it was reviewing the Bush rule but had defended it in court.

A spokeswoman for Interior Secretary Ken Salazar declined to comment Thursday, citing the ongoing court case.
Restrictions adopted during Reagan years

The Bush administration issued the gun rule in December in response to letters from half the Senate asking officials to lift the restrictions on guns in parks, which were adopted by the Reagan administration in the early 1980s.

The rule went further than a draft proposal issued a year ago and would have allowed concealed weapons even in parks located in states that prohibit the carrying of guns in state parks. Some states allow concealed weapons but also ban guns from parks.

Paul Helmke, president of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, one of two groups that sued to block the rule, called the judge's ruling a victory for the people.
"We're happy that this headlong rush to push more guns into more places has been slowed," he said.

Bryan Faehner, associate director of the National Parks Conservation Association, which also brought suit, said he was extremely pleased.
"We're especially glad to hear that the court is agreeing with the park rangers and the public who are concerned that there will be negative impacts from the (now-overturned) regulation and increased likelihood for opportunistic poaching of wildlife and increased risk of violence to the public."
NRA backed the Bush rule change

The National Rifle Association had pushed for the Bush rule change, saying law-abiding citizens had the right to protect themselves and their families while enjoying America's national parks and wildlife refuges. The previous regulations were inconsistent and unclear, the NRA said.
A group representing park rangers, retirees and conservation organizations protested the Bush rule change, complaining that it could lead to confusion and increased danger for visitors, rangers and other law enforcement agencies.

[TwoWeims]

Hang on folks... This is only the beginning.

[Jeffshadows]

Hang on folks... This is only the beginning.

I hope not...this is just what the tinfoil hat crowd is waiting for. More fodder for their wacko NWO theories...

[chumley]

NEW UPDATE: 5/20/09

Congress yesterday passed the credit reform laws to protect consumers from a variety of credit card things. Its a headline today, you'll find it on any news site.

In what is a display of one of my biggest pet peeves of government however, somehow -- completely unrelated to banking/credit cards -- the bill also includes the ability to carry loaded weapons in National Parks according to the state laws applicable to where the park is located.

Loaded guns allowed in national parks under bill

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Democratic-controlled Congress is moving to restore a Bush administration policy that allowed loaded guns in national parks.

The Senate voted Tuesday to allow guns in national parks and wildlife refuges, and the House could follow suit as soon as Wednesday.

The measure is included in a popular bill imposing new restrictions on credit card companies. Democratic leaders have said they hope to send a final version to the White House for the president's signature by week's end.

The Senate vote is a stark reversal from what many gun-control advocates expected when a federal judge blocked the Bush policy in March. The decision reinstated restrictions that had been in place since the Reagan administration. The rules severely restrict guns in the national parks, generally requiring them to be locked or stored.

The Obama administration accepted the March 19 ruling, saying that the Interior Department would review the policy over the next several months.

That timetable changed quickly last week after Oklahoma Sen. Tom Coburn inserted an amendment to the credit card bill that would allow concealed, loaded guns in parks and refuges.

To the surprise of many, the amendment easily passed, winning support from 67 senators — including 27 Democrats. Among those who voted "yes" was Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada, who had blocked Coburn's amendment from coming to the Senate floor for more than a year. Seven other Western Democrats voted with Reid to support the Republican senator's amendment, which allows a range of firearms in national parks and wildlife refuges as long as they are allowed by federal, state and local law.

[Jeffshadows]

This new version seems to require that the bearer not only have a valid CCW but also carry the weapon concealed. Presumably for the purposes of making other visitors less nervous. Whatever, it's just nice to be legal in the parks, now!

[azbackpackr]

YAY!!!

[PaleoRob]

Don't start celebrating until its actually signed. It is in the Senate bill, but not the House, so it still might be eliminated in Reconciliation. Here's hoping it stays, though!

[chumley]

True Rob, but it seems like the support is there for it, and there's not anybody who is going to stand up against the credit card reform over this issue. Which is fine by me, I think it needs to pass. I just wish congress would not mix up issues that are totally unrelated in the same bill. This kind of stuff makes politicians claim that they really did/didn't support something even though they did/didn't vote for it because they were more concerned with something else in the bill. Yeah, I get why it happens, I just don't like it. Its impossible to keep track of my reps actual views.

[djui5]

TWhatever, it's just nice to be legal in the parks, now!

+1