doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Allowing guns in National parks

The is no need for special legislation to carry firearms in National Forests since hunting is permitted in them.
Jim

Gillebrand is facing a vicious primary battle with one of, if not the, most fanatical anti (McCarthy) in the House for her Senate seat in 2010. Gillebrand, like every other politician, first and foremost wants to keep her job so she's not about to give McCarthy something that will be used against her in that primary.

So much for "NRA A-rated" Gillebrand's backbone on the 2nd Amendment. She's on our side when it helped put her in Congress, against us if it could possibly put her out of the Senate.

Italiansxs,
My understanding is that firearms can be carried in the National Forest ONLY during hunting season, which is why I asked the question.

The hunting season, at least in Arizona, for pests like Coyotes never closes so you can carry at any time as long as you have a hunting license.
Jim

There are shooting ranges in national forests. You can possess a firearm in one at any time.

When I lived in Los Alamos, New Mexico, it was standard for town residents to openly carry a gun, often a holstered handgun, when going into the surrounding national forest. With a hunting license, coyotes, at least, were always shootable. Frankly, the question never came up as to why guns were carried as far as I know. It was just "normal".

May 20, 2009
Second Amendment victory in the offing
Rick Moran
A little noticed amendment to the "consumer friendly" credit card reform act passed by the Senate and heading for approval in the House will give a victory to gun right activists they never could have gotten under George Bush.

In recent years, national parks have become havens for crriminals, pot growers, and just plain crazies. Republicans, with some help from Blue Dog Democrats, added a measure to the credit card bill that would allow citizens to conceal and carry guns on national park lands in order to protect themselves.

Carl Hulse of the New York Times has the details:


Mr. Coburn and his allies in both parties say the provision is less about guns than it is states' rights. Under the proposal, people who are otherwise authorized under state law to have firearms would be entitled to have them in national parks and wildlife refuges unless a state law prohibited it. Currently, firearms must be unloaded and secured on those national lands, creating what backers of the bill say is a situation where someone passing through a park with a firearm can be charged with a violation.

"I don't like guns necessarily," Mr. Coburn said. "What I want is those constitutional rights to be protected."


Mr. Coburn has been trying for the past two years to get the measure through Congress. The Bush administration, in its final months, had pushed through a rule change that would have allowed the guns, but in March a federal judge blocked the change. The Obama administration chose not to appeal the decision while a review of potential impacts was made.

The House will vote on the measure today where it faces a very good chance of passing.

This shows that Republicans, despite being badly outnumbered, can stand up for principle and win a victory for an important constitutional right.

IMO: We're going to have many more battles in the States vs The Federal Government arena. We started down this path of the Feds getting more involved during the depression under Roosevelt. And this was a path with little variance no matter which Party was in power up till now.
Clinton declared a huge area in Northern Arizona a National Park in the waning days of his administrarion. I used to do some exploring in this area and,after seeing some on the others in there, There's no way I'd go back unarmed.
Jim

Well, it looks like it passed. And the gun/parks ammendment too. So, strange as it may seem, we have more gun rights under the Obama adminstration rather than less. So far... Who'd a thunk?

I'm curious how this all comes down in the end. I believe the Washington Mall is considered a National Park or at least it is operated by the National Park Service and I cannot imagine permitting firearms along the White House fence. One of my students was just tackled there a couple of weeks ago when Obama stepped out on the balcony unexpectedly. They cleared the area within seconds.

Brent

"people who are otherwise authorized under state law to have firearms would be entitled to have them in national parks and wildlife refuges unless a state law prohibited it."
This pretty much precludes anyone carrying on the Washinton Mall, but will allow me to have a loaded handgun in my truck in Yellowstone or Glacier N.P. (It is odd to see Smokey the Bear hats in D.C.!)