Parks Are For Backpacks, Not Packing Heat

With the approval of Secretary of Interior Dirk Kempthorne, the National Park Service published a proposed regulation in the Federal Register on April 30 that would allow private citizens who possess concealed weapon permits to carry loaded firearms in National Parks, National Recreation Areas, National Historic Parks, and National Monuments. The new rule, if promulgated, would also apply to National Wildlife Refuges administered by the Fish and Wildlife Service. The Public comment period on the proposal regulation is open through June 30, 2008.

This proposed regulation is in direct response to the efforts of 51 US Senators (41 Republicans and 10 Democrats) who wrote to Secretary Kempthorne earlier this year asking for a change in the current regulation which prohibits the carrying of loaded weapons within areas under the jurisdiction of the National Park Service. The carrying of loaded weapons has been prohibited since 1936 when the first NPS regulations were promulgated by Interior Secretary Harold Ickes.

Current regulations, adopted in 1983 during the Reagan Administration, continue that basic prohibition. Firearms must be unloaded, dissembled, or stored in a secure case when entering a national park or other area under the jurisdiction of the National Park Service.

Under the proposed regulation, if an individual has a concealed weapon permit issued by his/her state of residence, he/she could carry the weapon within the boundaries of a national park in that state. Forty-eight states issue permits upon application by citizens who state a valid reason, such as self-defense, for carrying a concealed weapon. The standards for issuing such a permit vary from state to state.

The National Parks Conservation Association, the Association of National Park Rangers, the Coalition of National Park Retirees, the US Park Rangers Lodge of the Fraternal Order of Police, and seven former Directors of the National Park Service have all written letters to Secretary Kempthorne expressing their opposition to the proposed change.

Numerous legislators have also spoken out. Senator Feinstein called the rule change confusing: 'This change makes no sense. It would create an incoherent, ineffective, and inconsistent patchwork of policies - rules would be different within the same national park if part of the park is in one state and part in another state' she said, citing the example of Death Valley National Park, which is partly in California and partly in Nevada.

It's important that concerned citizens let Secretary Kempthorne, and their respective Senators and Representatives, know that the proposed regulation will make national parks less safe for both park visitors and park wildlife. Background information, as well as the need for citizen action can be found at the website of the National Parks Conservation Association: www.npca.org/keep_parks_safe.

Public comments, identified by number 1024-AD70, may be submitted through the Federal rulemaking portal www.regulations.gov or mail to: Public Comments Processing - ATTN: 1024-AD70, Division of Policy Management, US Fish and Wildlife Service, 4401 N Fairfax Dr - Suite 222, Arlington, VA 22203.

David Czamanske is a member of the Sierra Club's National Parks and Monuments Committee.