From The Missoulian:
The move came in reaction to a call for changes to national park gun policy by 51 senators, including the four from Montana and Wyoming. But some park groups and former park officials blasted the proposal as unsafe and a bureaucratic nightmare.But the idea isn't going over well with conservationists or people who actually have to work in the parks.
Interior opened a 60-day public comment period on the proposal. It would allow an individual to carry a loaded weapon into national parks and wildlife refuges if the person has a concealed carry permit and the state where the park is located allows concealed weapons in its parks.
That would change regulations in place since the 1980s. Under current regulations, weapons can be brought into parks but must be inaccessible. That means they do not have to be disassembled or broken down, but simply put somewhere like a car trunk.
But several National Park employee advocacy groups and the National Parks Conservation Association said the proposal would lead to confusion for visitors, rangers and law enforcement. Making park-by-park regulation contingent on state laws will create problems, they said.Go HERE to comment on the proposed rule changes.
The groups said the move came from intense political pressure orchestrated by the National Rifle Association. They noted that some parks straddle the border of two states that have different gun laws. They also said the probability of being a victim of violent crime in a national park is less than that of being struck by lightning.
“There are no existing data that suggest any public interest to be gained by allowing visitors to parks to possess concealed handguns,” said Bill Wade, chairman of the Coalition of National Park Service Retirees. “This proposed regulation increases the risk to visitors, employees and wildlife rather than reducing it.”
Seven former Park Service directors sent a letter to Kempthorne in early April saying there is no need to change the regulations.
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