Huckleberries Online

New West: The Cynical Gun Debate

May 20, 2009 5:17 p.m. • 14 comments

Coburn’s bill goes far beyond what the Bush administration tried to do, which was to allow loaded, concealed weapons in parks for people with concealed carry permits. That was disturbing enough to former park officials and park rangers, and for a federal judge who blocked implementation on the rule because none of the required environmental review had been done before the government tried to enact it. Coburn’s bill goes as far as to allow openly carried rifles, shotguns, and even semi-automatic weapons in parks, depending on whether the weapon is in compliance with state law/Joan McCarter, New West. More here.

Question: Should visitors to our national parks be allowed to carry guns?

14 comments on this post so far. Add yours!

hhuseland on May 20 at 7:45 p.m.
In this day and age, where cougars, wolves, grizzlies are protected, it is only fair that one be allowed the right to also protect his or her family, while visiting these parks.If it gets out of control, and becomes a problem, then the government can react to it. Personally, I value human life over the above mentioned predators. Wild animals do not follow rules, nor pay attention to laws. they just do what wildlife does. If, a visitor violates park laws by shooting an animal that isn’t a life threatening situation, they already can arrest and try those people.
Stickman on May 20 at 8:39 p.m.
No, No, and most assuredly, No. Stay in your car, and the bison may leave you alone, unless of course you want a picture with one of them. Then carry an assault rifle just in case.
Stickman on May 20 at 8:46 p.m.
We are so obsessed with our right to bear arms and have as many guns in our house as humanely possible. To do what, shoot our neighbors because they may have trespassed, or an animal that may have wandered by. Again, it’s just me, but we have to get over our mindset that guns are our only defense against the world.
JamesBond on May 20 at 8:53 p.m.
I’m an NRA guy, but I hate it when constitutional issues are reduced to what really amounts to crass, symbolic gestures.
Stickman on May 20 at 8:57 p.m.
James: I am old and not of a very good mind, so please explain your last comment, as I didn’t quite get it.
DCR on May 21 at 9:04 a.m.
Absolutely! Threats to life and safety come in both two and four-legged form, and not exclusively from carelessness or negligence on the part of the potential victim, as many would have us think. What’s so magical about a park boundary, outside of which individuals can carry arms as insurance against the same potential threats? Allowing law-abiding individuals to have the means to protect themselves isn’t going to increase the number of unlawful shootings of wildlife because the law-abiding aren’t committing those crimes; they are being committed by criminals who by definition don’t follow the law anyway. This law goes way beyond Yellowstone, folks, and isn’t going to turn these national treasures into shooting galleries or hunting preserves for the criminally stupid. It’s just going to ensure the law-abiding public has the same right to self-preservation on both sides of national park borders. There are already laws against shooting animals within the park boundaries - enforce them through vigorous prosecution, and leave the law-abiding alone.

Note also the groups opposing the idea - particularly the park rangers, both retired and active. Of course park rangers (they are federal law enforcement agents, you know) want to be able to operate without the possibility of having to deal with an armed individual - ALL law enforcement would love that! But why are park rangers so special that the public they serve and police must be disarmed, but the rest of the law enforcement community - local, state and national - doesn’t get that luxury by virtue of the Second Amendment? This legislation simply restores a degree of uniformity and consistency to individual rights that has long been absent.
Chris on May 21 at 10:25 a.m.
Uh, if you’re worried about being attacked by wildlife then why don’t you stay away from the wildlife? Seems like a simple solution to me.

Personally, I think bears should be allowed to eat the people stupid enough to get close to them. As a lover of our national parks I see no reason for people to arm themselves to the teeth in order to visit them. If you’re scared of the world perhaps you should just stay home.

South Park sums it up nicely:

http://www.southparkstudios.com/clips/149674/?tag=Uncle+jimbo
Sisyphus on May 21 at 11:05 a.m.
I’m with you Chris. Thanks for the clip. And god bless you Stickman. I do not feel safer with guns around. The knowledge that anyone around me may have a weapon does not imbue me with a sense of freedom. Quite the opposite. I’ll gladly take the risk with wild animals, that’s one reason I’m there after all. But I feel vastly more threatened by gun totin’ troglodytes with a 15 pack of keystone light lookin’ fer Bambi. Having the capacity to return fire is little solace to me.
toadman on May 21 at 11:40 a.m.
Excellent clip Chris…and true. People always get all bent out of shape about animals doing what animals are supposed to do. Predators eat other animals. When we’re in their environment, we need to accept the risk that we’re not only humans walking around in some sort of idyllic woodland setting, but that we’re also walking around in some predators pantry, waiting to be just another food item.

Also, like Sisyphus, I feel less safe in a national park now, knowing that there’s a possibility that the hillbilly at the next camp site might be armed. Yeah…not safe at all…or free. I feel my freedom to be free of weapons in a natural setting infringed upon.

I’ll always be confused why gun people can’t understand this point of view. I do NOT feel safer knowing that someone around me might be carrying a weapon without me knowing.
spokelooneh on May 21 at 11:57 a.m.
“Charlie’s in the trees!”

Too funny.

Guns have been used for killing family members engaged in domestic disputes in the home for decades, so why not extend that to the National Parks? Makes perfect sense to me.

Sometimes the herd needs culling.
Nick_Adams on May 21 at 12:20 p.m.
Actually, I don’t have a problem with this. Guns are already allowed in national forests (which is where I do most of my camping) and there was only one time—over nearly 40 years of camping in Idaho’s backcountry—where it was a problem for me.

I can understand the concerns that the Park Rangers have and the threat of increased poaching in National Parks, but it’s not a political battle I’d be willing to fight.
Nick_Adams on May 21 at 12:23 p.m.
On a side note, I just read that Ken Burns will unveil his latest documentary this fall on PBS. It’s a 12-hour, six-part series titled “National Parks: America’s best idea”. It’ll be interesting to see how he approaches, or if he does, this debate.
Me on May 21 at 12:49 p.m.
Arghhhh - Guess what toadman the hillbilly at the next camp already MAY BE ARMED!! My husband has a concelaed weapons permit - if it is illegal to take it in to Glacier then he won’t do it. That’s because he got a license, was fingerprinted, took a course, and is a law abiding citizen. The hillbilly in the next camp doesn’t care if there is a law about guns in parks - he’s doing it anyway!
Stickman on May 21 at 9:57 p.m.
I am against all guns for any and all reasons. It’s just me. I am a Vietnam Vet that was specialized in automatic weapons, such things as you have never seen to kill the enemy. I just don’t believe in them anymore, and will always be against them. I am sure you will defend your rights to the death to have them, and I have no problem with that, I just don’t like them. Period.

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D.F. Oliveria is a columnist and blogger for The Spokesman-Review. Huckleberries Online was judged the best 2008 Idaho newspaper blog by the Idaho Press Club. And the best 2007 news blog in the Pacific Northwest by the Society for Professional Journalist. Print Huckleberries is a past winner of the Herb Caen Memorial Column contest by the National Association of Newspaper Columnists. The Readership Institute of Northwestern University cited this blog as a good example of online community journalism.