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Sen. Obama Non-committal on Carrying Loaded Weapons in National Parks

Mar 10th - 11:38am | Llewellyn

This talk of guns in the park is such a non-issue that even our presidential candidates are unaware what the contention is. The senator seems to think that bears are the problem. The problem is actually a states rights versus federal rights argument. Can the states issue carry permits that the federal government is required to honor? The NPS has so far said "no".

Battle Mounts Over Off-Road Vehicles at Cape Hatteras National Seashore

Mar 10th - 08:53am | Snowbird

Snowbird06 If one considers that 90% of are beaches in the world today are slowing dying from of lack of conscientious environment care, then I consider Cape Hatteras National Seashore is surely one of them. Now, get those oil dripping gas guzzling ORV's off the beaches. We have enough human crap fouling up the oceans today. Just asked any competent marine biologist.

Mar 9th - 23:45pm | JoeSF

A three mile hike might be too much for granpa but the kid will catch a lot more fish there now because there are less people. How about going in by boat gramps?

Haleakala National Park Officials Institute Moratorium on Bike Tours

Mar 10th - 02:02am | Bobby Tims

Please save us from ourselves!! The Nanny State has arrived!!

Violent Deaths in the National Parks

Mar 9th - 20:39pm | Fred Miller

Valid point Kurt. I was just curious how the folks who visit this blog feel about the issue. I can't help but wonder how the comments will go during the 90-day period after the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) is presented on April 30th. If 80% of the comments support carrying loaded guns in the Parks, what will that tell us?

Mar 9th - 18:49pm | repanshek

C'mon, Fred, using those comments to project an outcome is about as scientific as Sen. Coburn's "poll" on the question of concealed carry in the parks on his web site. I think it's fairly well-known how organized the NRA and its supporters are on these issues.

Mar 9th - 06:10am | MRC

Dear Anon, if you put your personal interest over the law, you are by definition not a responsible gun-owner. By every standard, including that of the NRA, your gun should be taken from you, if necessary by verdict and for life. And those who support him should start to think.

Mar 8th - 19:07pm | Kath

Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument is so dangerous that backcountry overnight camping is prohibited and certain roads are closed due to the danger from illegals and drug smugglers. They trample the rare plants and litter the park.

Mar 7th - 14:23pm | Fred Miller

I'm with Anon and Kath. Some of the Parks I want to visit have backcountry so far "back" that they're probably not visited by Park Rangers more than once or twice per season. I might be illegal when I carry my gun, but i"m going to carry it.

Mar 7th - 10:07am | Kath

Good point, Anon. The same could be said for Organ Pipe Cactus. The cross-border human and drug smuggling is very bad there. It's a no-go park for the average traveler.

Mar 7th - 09:31am | Anonymous

For once an honest response, I'm not posting my name this time because I am probably over trained and over armed. I am going to be illegal in national parks until they the laws are changed. I travese the roads on the border states and experience smugglers. I avoid them, but you can only do so much.

Mar 6th - 12:59pm | jsmacdonald

The comparison, correct me if I'm wrong, between Canadian cities with liberal gun laws and a U.S. city with liberal gun laws is that in the U.S. the homicide rate is higher. If that's right, that's actually more evidence to my point because given the same set of gun restrictions, there are different crime rates.

Mar 6th - 08:45am | Brad

I have to step in on one comment...."There is no correlation between gun laws and crime statistics". Compare homicide statistics between a U.S. city which has liberal gun laws, and ANY similar-sized Canadian city.

Mar 5th - 18:39pm | Anonymous

The Dc gun control issue is about guns in your home. It has nothing to do with guns on the street.

Mar 5th - 14:41pm | jsmacdonald

kath, My point was that there is no correlation between gun laws and crime statistics. That works both ways, whether they are strict or non-existent. I'm not arguing for gun restrictions in national parks. I'm arguing that the issue is a non-issue and that the two aren't connected.

Mar 5th - 14:30pm | Fred Miller

Frank -

Mar 5th - 10:54am | CF

I so hope that the law makers are really listening to those who have spent lived and worked in the many National parks . They have a wealth of experience behind their view points/observations/. I wonder within the stats reported how many incidents were between/involving indivuals who actually live and work within or near the National park area.

Mar 5th - 10:30am | kath

As I understand it, there are certain National Parks in Alaska where carrying weapons is permitted. It would be interesting to learn whether there has been any abuse of the weapons-carrying privileges in those parks. Have people been murdered there? Have bears been unnecessarily killed there? Have any crimes been prevented by guns there?

Mar 5th - 09:43am | Frank n

Fred, sending me to a pro-gun web site is kind of like me sending you to an anti-gun web site. Each will have tons of statistics that will "prove" each of our points. I do not believe that if a "law abiding citizen" stepped up and stopped a mass shooting such as the Nebraska shopping mall or one of the school shootings, or a bank robbery etc. that it would not make the news.

Mar 4th - 20:21pm | JTR

Millions of women live in big cities with high crime rates, yet they stay safe without resorting to carrying weapons or staying indoors all the time. You can carry pepper spray, an airhorn or mace. Firearms aren't needed.

Mar 4th - 17:38pm | Anonymous

You have to go out seven decimal places on a calculator to determine what percentage of Park visitors got killed in 2007. I'll leave my guns at home and take my chances.

Mar 4th - 17:32pm | Frank N

I'm curious why we rarely see stories about how "law abiding" gun carrying individuals stepped forward and prevented a crime? If carrying guns prevents so many crimes, it just seems logical that we would see hundreds of stories of this nature. On the rare occasion that we do, it tends to be a Bernie Getz type.

Mar 4th - 17:26pm | Anonymous

I agree, the hot heads etc. are already carrying guns illegally. It is not the permitted weapon carriers that people need to worry about. It is the untold number of people that already carry them illegally. In most states where permits are allowed, brandishing the firearm irrationally is illegal anyway. Not many people that have a permit and carry do so for illegaly purposes.

Mar 4th - 16:57pm | repanshek

Marie, I wouldn't say we're "thinking like guys." My wife won't go out for a run by herself because she fears for her safety, and we live in a pretty darn safe area. I understand her fears, and I can understand the fears of a single woman or even two or three women out hiking in the backcountry. I certainly wasn't trying to minimize a woman's fears. Sadly, they're justified.

Mar 4th - 16:45pm | Marie

Gentlemen,

Mar 4th - 16:26pm | Fred Miller

Good questions Kurt. Perhaps these stats are non-issues. But since I know that I am a responsible person, and I've received many hours of expensive training, received three separate FBI background checks, and purchased a quality conceal-carry handgun I'll continue to carry. But I will be responsible and safe. I only wish you and I could say that about everyone.

Mar 4th - 16:05pm | repanshek

Fred, I hear what you're saying regarding the rapes. Still, I would be curious to know the details and locations of those crimes. How many were in the D.C. metro area? How many were in the backcountry? How many were "date rapes." How many involved women hiking alone by themselves?

Mar 4th - 15:58pm | Snowbird

Snowbird06 Fred, your taking more of chance of being wiped out in a major car crash then the "million-to-one" chance of being a crime statistic in the National Parks.

Mar 4th - 15:17pm | Fred Miller

I like to think that I'm one of the level-headed guys you mentioned and not one of the stressed-out guys. I carry in case I encounter the one-in-a-million people who should be in that anger management class.

Guns in the Parks: A Bad Idea

Mar 9th - 13:52pm | Sphenodon

Do you think it will change my park experience to be sauntering along a trail in Big Bend National Park, and encounter people carrying rifles? You bet your sweet bippy it will! Ask yourself if it will affect your park experience, as you walk _____________ (your favorite trail) in _____________________ (your favorite park unit), and encounter someone "loaded for bear".

Grand Canyon National Park Officials Take Issue With High Flow Releases from Glen Canyon Dam

Mar 8th - 13:16pm | Lover of Lake Powell

I am constantly amazed at the comments that come in to this site from people who want to see Lake Powell drained and the Glen Canyon Dam removed. These people all seem to have two things in common; a deep desire to restore Glen Canyon to pre-lake days, and a hatred of dams in general.

Bison Slaughter In Yellowstone National Park Draws Protest Against Park Service

Mar 8th - 10:43am | jsmacdonald

Very tragic news.

Would a Change in Gun Laws Be a Threat to National Park Bears?

Mar 7th - 14:24pm | Anonymous

It's not the bear or animal I fear, it's the two legged critters who want to do me harm. 99% of people who legally pack a weapon are very nice, respectable and law abiding. They are not hot heads, ready to start a shootout like some of the liberals claim.

Mar 5th - 16:58pm | kenairanger

I spent a summer as a back country ranger in the Chugach National Forest on the Kenai Peninsula. This included the famous Russian River, where the red salmon run attracts many of Alaska's bear/human encounters. I was required to carry a shotgun (unfortunately). The damn thing was heavy, and I'd much rather have pepper spray at my side.

Clinton, McCain, Obama Answer Questions on National Parks

Mar 7th - 10:53am | Snowbird

Snowbird06 After hearing Hillary and seeing her dirty tactics in the democratic primaries, I don't put much trust in her handling the NPS affairs with much credibility.

Mar 7th - 09:39am | Carla McConnell

I would like to have them address a very specific question such as; How would your administration handle the issue of snowmobile access in Yellowstone?

Park History: Channel Islands National Park

Mar 7th - 10:32am | Snowbird

Snowbird06 Thanks Rick! Plan to take my daughter and her husband. One quick question, what time of year is the best time to visit... for the optimum experience? Your personal choice!

Mar 7th - 09:03am | Rick Smith

Snowbird-- You won't regret it. It's a bit of a chore to visit the park as Kurt mentions in his introductory piece. But, the islands are spectacular and the historic resources on Santa Rosa are interesting. If you are a diver, this is a must. Rick Smith

Mar 7th - 01:05am | MRC

You don't need a private boat or charter one, as there is a regular service to all of the islands. Even in the winter, there is at least one trip per day from one of the departure sites to one of the islands. In summer many more.

Mar 6th - 22:41pm | Snowbird

Snowbird06 I'm going Rick! You just sold me.

Mar 6th - 19:50pm | Rick Smith

This is one of the great parks of our National Park System. I was fortunate to have worked in the NPS's legislative division when the Act that changed Channel Islands from a national monument to a national park was being negotiated. I was also lucky enough to have been on the region's dive team while stationed in Yosemite. We often did training dives in the kelp forests off the islands.

Carrying Guns in the National Parks -- Is This Being Fast-Tracked?

Mar 6th - 14:01pm | Fred Miller

Packing Hiker - I couldn't have said it better myself. Right on!

Mar 5th - 22:24pm | packing_hiker

As someone who travels and hikes in remote and wild areas including many national parks, I think it would be irresponsible for me not to carry some method of defense. Any number of threats could exist from wildlife, bandits, thieves, or the above-mentioned crazed methheads.

Critics: Changing Gun Laws in National Parks Would Open a "Pandora's Box" of Problems

Mar 6th - 00:08am | Fred Miller

Thanks again Scot for correcting me. I hope everyone who read my statement also read your response and found out that I was wrong. I have done a lot of research since you posted this correction. I have not been able to find anything to dispute your statement. I was wrong and you were right. Carrying in National Parks is a misdemeanor, not a felony.

Mar 5th - 15:55pm | Phil Johnson

Pandora's box of problems eh? Give me a break. Believe it or not most people who carry guns are not wild crazies out to kill random people and animals. I can see the headlines now, "Random drunken wild west style shoot outs at camp grounds". Dumb, dumb, dumb.

How Many Tourists are Too Many in the Yosemite Valley?

Mar 5th - 16:11pm | Mark Sutherlin

Hi Rick,

Park History: Kings Canyon National Park

Mar 5th - 09:37am | Ted

Excellent article, both Kings Canyon and Sequoia Parks don't get the attention of Yosemite, both are true gems in the park system and a must see if you are in the area. Thanks Ted www.campingsierra.com

Park History: Hot Springs National Park

Mar 5th - 08:22am | Rebecca McCormick

Kurt, Thanks for sharing such interestings statistics about our home town National Park! When my husband and I visited here six years ago, we were so impressed that we moved here two months later!

Glen Canyon NRA Releases EA on Castle Rock Cut Deepening

Mar 4th - 23:02pm | realist

Oh my GOD!!!! will you people get a life the dam is not going anywhere and thank god. if it wasn't there the water wouldn't be there to drink or grow food. as for recreation i love boating on lake powell and all you people out there with your so called enviro cars where do you think the elec comes from, the dam!

Of Geologists, Paleontologists, And Science in the National Park System

Mar 4th - 20:38pm | Dave

We spend 12.5 million daily in Iraq - We spend $49 billion a year to incarcerate our inmates - We spend so much on crap (cigarettes, junk food, Big TV's, etc.) and yet we can't employ a few thousand scientists. It's appalling statistics like these that reaffirm my assertion that the Religious Right is quietly winning America.

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