ANSWERS: 28
  • Of course, and in some parks they are. :-)
  • Well, the good guys are the ones that obey the laws. The bad ones aren't. so, if you restrict guns in parks, then all you have are bad guys with guns and good guys with none.
  • in my opinion, guns shouldn't be allowed. full stop.
  • I should say that noone should carry a gun or have in thier house.
  • Yes, because the Goverment has no obligation or duty to protect you! This applies to all leos per a US Supreme Court Ruling.
  • The proposed ruling seeks only to recognize a concealed carry permit within the parks. I favor it as in order to get a concealed weapons permit you must at minimum pass a finger printed background check and be legally able to own a firearm (no felonies period, never convicted of a drug related charge, not adjudicated mentally incompetent, no misdemeanor DVs or restraining orders, and a bunch of other items), additionally virtually all states require some sort of firearms training from something as simple as a basic safety course to a more indepth course with the weapon you plan on carrying. In short, those who would be legally allowed to carry a concealed weapon are those who have already passed fairly stringent requirements to do so outside of the park, they are not the sort inclined to shoot people for no reason nor the sort to be dim enough to shoot at an animal (I would point out that most common calibers people use for concealed handguns are rather puny and would not be much use on deer, elk, or any large game). Just because they cross some arbitrary line on the map should not disqualify them from carrying their weapon. Further, as I live close to and frequent Yellowstone I can tell you first hand that its not uncommon for human predators to take advantage of the lack of ability to defend oneself. The crime rate as a percentage of annual visitors is not absurdly high but robbery and rape for example are relatively high, particularly on the trails and away from the more touristy areas. Its not like going to a bad neighborhood but some caution is definitely advisable. Additionally, it is a wise idea to carry at minimum a .357 when exploring the backcountry. Bears and similar predators avoid humans as a rule and one should never actively seek to try and 'sneak up' on a bear but accidents to happen and they are an unpredictable animal. So in short I see no reason the ruling should not be valid nor on a related note why persons who have a concealed weapons permit from one state should not have it honored in any other state that issues them as the basic fact is the person who has it has already demonstrated they are law abiding by going through the background check process. There was a bill recently proposing just that but it never got anywhere. I've had my concealed carry permit for over five years now and hope I never have to use it but as the adage goes, tis better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it.
  • If you have a permit to carry concealed pistols/firearms, yes. If you have a valid small game hunting license you should be allowed to carry long gun hunting rifles and shotguns. I am certified through a Hunter Safety course many years ago to carry these and hunt.
  • In my anger with canadian law. Police shot an 18 year old 3 times in the chest , he and his two friends where un armed , now 2 cops where against 3 people , whom the victim tryed to go for the gun of the officer, was There No other way to subdue him but 3 bullets to the chest? According to the law that was her only way of self defence. Implyin that defensive skills of police are not that necessary when you have a gun , Not even accuracy matters . No knee cap shot? So , since the police could only defend them selves with guns , I see why not PEOPLE have rights to guns.
  • sorry, i was talking about the government.
  • i don't see why they aren't.
  • yes. why should parks be special safe zones for criminals?
  • Yes, how much is your life worth to some one? People get killed raped robed and what have you in parks all the time. Area to rangers/enforcemant officers your out of luck if you need them. If guns are so bad why do places like Vermont have low crime rates?
  • Not only do I think guns should be allowed in parks but everywhere else as well. We should end ALL "Gun Free" Zones! Yes that means schools as well. . How far do you think Columbine or V. Tech would have went if others had firearms to protect themselves?!
  • If you're talking about National Parks, yes. I don't want to be camping at Yosemite National Park and have a bear eat my family for dinner.
  • If they are possessed legally it would be no different than them being allowed on a public sidewalk. I guess my answer would be yes then.
  • Assuming that they are possessed and transported legally, yes.
  • No, because parks are just used as gang meet up places.
  • If they have a legal permit to carry one, yes.
  • Sure, there are some bad people in parks, and some bad bears, too.
  • Only criminals and cops should carry guns, (even if they are both) and I'm not so sure about the cops. Normal citizens should only be allowed to be victims, like in the UK. </sarcasm>
  • How did I miss this question, Spicy? :):):) The "Parks" in question at the moment are the National Parks. The local city park and zoo are not in question. In my opinion, the answer is YES, they should be allowed. When I visited Yellowstone National Park many years ago, they had a sign prohibiting guns in the park. Well, I never travel on the road alone ANYWHERE without one of my pistols with me, and this cross country trip was no exception. So I brought my pistol with me into the park anyway. Yep, I could have gotten in trouble if caught. And the only thing I had in my favor was the fact that I slid the slide off my receiver and removed the magazine from the well. So I could at least argue that my pistol wasn't loaded AND it wasn't functional if caught. However, the pistol I chose to travel with that time was my Baretta 92FS, which would only require a few seconds to reassemble and insert the magazine. I felt that was a reasonable compromise at the time. But I probably could still have been hammered under a technical violation of the law. I am not a stupid man with respect to the use of a firearm, nor the circumstances wherein I may require the use of a firearm. And a National Park is no different than any other place where I might visit in the wild where it may be a reasonable precaution to be armed. What you DON'T want in National Parks are people poaching or people injured or killed due to accidental gunfire. Poachers DON'T CARE about the laws in the first place. That's what makes them poachers. So the law doesn't mean anything to them. National Parks like those under consideration aren't places where people target shoot. And any target shooting that would be allowed would be in authorized places anyway. So injuries to other people are no more a concern than the would be for injuries if guns aren't allowed in the first place. But having a firearm IS a reasonable precaution against incidental animal attacks or human attacks. And before anybody out there says anything: yes, I know my .45 or 9mm aren't going to amount to a hill of beans against Bison or a big ole bear. A little common sense applies here: stay away from those buggers like you're supposed to in the first place! But for the INCIDENTAL attacks which cannot be avoided...I want every means for reasonable defense available to me. And for any who may disagree with me: so be it. I'll be a criminal in the technical sense, by virtue of carrying a firearm into a National Park against the law. But I'm NOT a criminal by intent to commit a violent crime, as in the case of attacking other people. Law or no law...criminals won't care and neither do wild animals.
  • I think they should. To get a concealed carry permit (required to carry handguns in parks and anywhere else, usually) you already have to prove that you are a responsible and capable firearm user. Basically, you become a card-carrying "good guy" and I would feel alot better knowing that there are folks like that anywhere, even in parks, because there is nothing keeping the crazies out of parks, and I may just owe my life to an armed citizen one day, should I ever find myself attacked by said "crazies."
  • Yes absolutely. however I have to wonder the import of constantly being armed. isnt there enough over reaction to answer your own question, you cant take the bullet back once its fired. thats the ultimate point, anytime folks are allowed to weild weapons in public they tend to also allow for their use.
  • Yes, if they have gun permit.
  • Yes if they have it legally
  • I think they should not be allowed in parks and be held at the park gates.
  • uhmm all the park rangers carry them

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