Bullets Over Big Bend
May 1st, 2008 at 2:39 pm
Updated below
Remember Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson’s brusque promise of “No guns, no deal” on the proposed transfer of the Christmas Mountains to Big Bend National Park? Well, the AP has a story today that should cheer Yosemite Sam Patterson:
Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne proposed new regulations Wednesday that would allow people to carry a concealed weapon in some national parks and wildlife refuges.
The new rules would allow someone to carry a loaded weapon in a park or wildlife refuge only if the person has a permit for a concealed weapon and the state where the park or refuge is located allows guns in parks, Kempthorne said.
Park rangers, retirees, and conservation groups are agin’ the idea, arguing that it could lead to heightened danger for visitors and park personnel.
At this point the rule is far from a done deal. The public has 60 days to comment and some Democratic lawmakers are blasting the rule as ill-conceived and untenable. One sticking point is that some local and state laws place restrictions on carrying firearms. That’s probably not a problem in Texas, thanks in part to the concealed handgun law that - guess who - Jerry Patterson passed in 1995 when he served in the Texas House.
In any case, one wonders how this affects the Christmas Mountains deal. We called General Land Office spokesman Jim Suydam for comment. When we hear from him, we’ll update this post.
Update: The Land Office just released a statement welcoming the “return of Second Amendment rights to some National Parks.” Patterson is quoted as saying, “When I’m in a state or national park, I’m armed. An unconstitutional rule promulgated by a federal bureaucracy is not sufficient to deny me that right.” He encouraged freedom-loving Texans to fire away at the Interior Department with comments supporting the rule.
May 1st, 2008 at 6:50 pm
There is nothing to keep someone from taking a firearm into a national park right now. There are no metal detectors. So what we have are rules that are only enforcable against people who will abide by the rules. Criminals can simply violate the rules. And when they do, honest citizens who abide by the rules will have no defense against them.
May 7th, 2008 at 6:51 am
Worth noting that if you DO carry a firearm into a park, you are by definition no longer an honest citizen. You’re just another criminal for the rest of us to defend ourselves against.