High Sierra Topix

See the letter from the Coalition of National Park Service Retirees re Senator Tom Coburn's amendment to allow loaded guns in national parks:

http://www.npsretirees.org/cnpsr/2008/s ... onal-parks

I feared getting an unpleasant 2nd Ammendment discussion going here, but Strider started it! Here's a link to a letter our Ranger Lodge of the FOP wrote on the same issue:

http://ostranderhut.com/stuff/Kempthorn ... nd-FOP.pdf

Not sure the current status of the bill, but it's attached to a land appropriation bill and will likely be brought up after the Senate gets to the economic stimulus package. Possibly Friday. A letter to your Senators opposing this would be appreciated.

Note that it requires NPS areas to adopt the same weapons laws of the state the park is in. For California, this doesn't change things much, since loaded weapons are prohibited in all areas except where hunting is allowed (or unless you have a concealed carry permit for that county).

George

My intent is merely to inform; you'll notice I did not take a position. The amendment is to Transportation, Housing and Urban Development HR3058. The obscure title "A hill to die on' was quoted in reference to the amendment by conservative commentator Mike Krempasky (RedState.)

My wife won't let me own a gun, but to be honest, I have been camping and hiking with people who were packing. Personally, I never saw the need. The only scary incident I remember was decades ago, when camping near Mammoth Pool and a gaggle of bikers from Modesto were knocking down the beers. We moved over to Whiskey Falls.

Strider:

Not meant to you. Only that I could easily see it getting out of hand. Your intro was absolutely neutral. Like you, I just don't see the need. Also, I like the idea of Parks as a refuge for both critters and a gun-free zone for people (though I suspect a fair number carry weapons in the backcountry -- I just rarely see them and I want to keep it that way).

g.