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News & Analysis | REG•WATCH Blog | Press Room
Thursday, May 01, 2008
Bush Administration to Lift Ban on Loaded Weapons in Parks
Yesterday, the Department of the Interior proposed rolling back regulations that prohibit people from carrying loaded guns in national parks, according to the Associated Press. The decision comes in response to pressure from the National Rifle Association and conservative Senators from both parties who believe the current ban on loaded guns in parks is "confusing." (The fact that a ban on guns in parks is "confusing" for members of the nation's highest legislative body is another disturbing issue that will not be discussed here.)
Dollars to donuts, the proposed change will be finalized before President Bush's term expires, in the fear the next administration may not be as friendly to the gun lobby. While most regulations take years to develop, the rollback on the gun ban is moving faster than a speeding bullet. The rule change was not included in the most recent Unified Agenda (the semiannual listing of completed or planned regulatory actions), meaning it may be a relatively new undertaking for the Interior Department. The first public word only surfaced in late February.
Those who want to lift the 25-year-old ban say that park-goers have a right to defend themselves. Of course, as Bill Wade of the Coalition of National Park Service Retirees says, "This is purely and simply a politically driven effort to solve a problem that doesn't exist." The AP article goes into more detail:
There is no data to suggest that the public would be served by allowing visitors to parks to possess concealed handguns, Wade and other critics said. They cited statistics showing that national parks are among the safest places in the country. The probability of becoming a victim of a violent crime in a national park is 1 in more than 708,000 - less likely than being struck by lightning, the groups said.
Posted by Matt Madia
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