Guns in the National Parks

It's now legal to carry a loaded gun in the national parks of this country. That became legal today. It depends a lot on the state in which the park resides as to what is legal. However, many parks are in multiple states. The Grand Canyon for example is in 3 states (Utah, Arizona, Nevada) in the form of 3 parks. That's 3 different state laws for firearms. You gonna keep track of the laws as you tramp down a trail, knowing exactly where the state lines are? Probably not.

Full disclosure. I own a gun. But I don't agree with the people who think that they should be allowed everywhere at all times. Those people are the ones I don't really trust to handle a firearm responsibly. People do stupid things and get angry. They shouldn't be able to shoot someone in a fit of anger over a campfire.

Here's a couple fun facts.

1. It's illegal to shoot any animal in a national park or wildlife reserve. So the gun you have on your hip is for who? You can't shoot the bears, and that might be the only really dangerous animal out there. Maybe a moose. So why do you need the gun?

2. Park rangers are unarmed. So is the gun for all the bandidos out there in the wilds of Yosemite? Rangers do fine without them.

I grew up in Arizona. As a kid I remember a store called Smittys. It had a place where you could check your gun in before you went shopping. That's just the way Arizona was back then. I have a friend who carries a gun everywhere he goes. He's a deputy sheriff. It's part of his job. I trust him to be responsible.

People go the national parks to get away from the everyday world. Now if you ask the loud folks at the next campsite to quiet down, are you going to get shot at? I hope it doesn't happen, but people are kinda dumb at times.

So I think the bears should get rifles to counter-balance all these humans with guns out. You want the right to bear arms? Then there should be armed bears.