Preserve the Right of Self Defense

As one of their final acts in office, the Bush Administration finalized regulations that will allow loaded and concealed firearms in our national parks.

Existing regulations in effect since the Reagan Administration override local laws and force law abiding gun owners to store and secure their weapons before entering a National Park, even if they are only passing through.  Such regulations render such men and women...people who have been vetted by the FBI as decent and trustworthy, people who, as a class, have a lower incidence of violent crime than even the police..criminals unless they render themselves defenseless.

Urge Interior Secretary Ken Salazar to respect the desire of the hundreds of thousands of citizens who responded to the Interiors call for public opinion and stated that they want the National Parks to respect local laws regarding the carrying of concealed weapons while in National Park borders.

Although our National Parks are relatively safe places, they are not proof against animal attack or violent crime.  In addition, very often these Parks are crossed by public roads that permit holders use for travel.  Permit holders should not become criminals just for passing through, or for wanting the desire to protect themselves.

Some would have you believe that we don't need loaded weapons in our national parks %u2013 we need a safe environment for our wildlife, our families and our national heritage.  But the fact is that this is not about a need, it is about the right to self-defense, a right that transcends all others, and as long as a permit holder respects the laws of their locality with regard to carrying concealed, we should not take away that right just because a person crosses a border.

As one of their final acts in office, the Bush Administration finalized regulations that will allow loaded and concealed firearms in our national parks.

Existing regulations in effect since the Reagan Administration override local laws and force law abiding gun owners to store and secure their weapons before entering a National Park, even if they are only passing through.  Such regulations render such men and women...people who have been vetted by the FBI as decent and trustworthy, people who, as a class, have a lower incidence of violent crime than even the police..criminals unless they render themselves defenseless.

Urge Interior Secretary Ken Salazar to respect the desire of the hundreds of thousands of citizens who responded to the Interiors call for public opinion and stated that they want the National Parks to respect local laws regarding the carrying of concealed weapons while in National Park borders.

Although our National Parks are relatively safe places, they are not proof against animal attack or violent crime.  In addition, very often these Parks are crossed by public roads that permit holders use for travel.  Permit holders should not become criminals just for passing through, or for wanting the desire to protect themselves.

Some would have you believe that we don't need loaded weapons in our national parks %u2013 we need a safe environment for our wildlife, our families and our national heritage.  But the fact is that this is not about a need, it is about the right to self-defense, a right that transcends all others, and as long as a permit holder respects the laws of their locality with regard to carrying concealed, we should not take away that right just because a person crosses a border.

Dear Interior Secretary Ken Salazar,

We the undersigned are deeply troubled that you are considering reversing a December regulation that passed during the Bush Administration that required our National Parks to respect local laws regarding the concealed carrying of firearms.  Persons who have concealed carry permits are persons who have been vetted by the FBI and the state police as decent & trustworthy people.  Such persons, as a class, have a lower incidence of criminal activity than even the police.  Such persons will not be using firearms common for self defense to poach the park wildlife.  They will not change the relationship between rangers and visitors, except for good (since most permit holders have a great respect for law enforcement and want to co-operate with them).  And they will not create new safety hazards (if they do not create a significant hazard in our cities, or in the National Forests, we fail to see how they would be hazard in our National Parks).  The rules already in place since 1983 require gun owners to safely stow their unloaded weapons while in national parks, rendering them defenseless and making them felons if they do not.  We should not be turning law abiding gun owners and permit holders into criminals for the simple act of crossing a boundary.

Although our parks are relatively safe, the borders of the park, and the very limited presence of Park Rangers, are not proof against animal attack or violent crime.  Responsible, law-abiding citizens should be allowed to make the choice regarding where they carry their weapons, especially in areas where there is not strict control of who enters or leaves.  Many of our parks are wide open and wild spaces, not closed and secured court houses.

I urge you to preserve this common sense regulation, preserve the fundamental human right of self-defense, and preserve the liberty of our responsible and law abiding citizens.

Thank you so much for your time and attention to this important matter.

[Your Comments]

Sincerely,

[Your Name]