Front Sight, Press

Friday, February 22, 2008

Fairfax, Va. - At the request of the Bush Administration and 51 members
of the United States Senate led by Senator Mike Crapo (R-ID), the
National Park Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service prohibition of
firearms on agency land will be revised in the following weeks. The
National Rifle Association (NRA) is leading the effort to amend the
existing policy regarding the carrying and transportation of firearms in
National Parks and wildlife refuges.

“Law-abiding citizens should not be prohibited from protecting
themselves and their families while enjoying America’s National Parks
and wildlife refuges,” said Chris W. Cox, NRA chief lobbyist. “Under
this proposal, federal parks and wildlife refuges will mirror the state
firearm laws for state parks. This is an important step in the right
direction.”

These new regulations, when finalized, will provide uniformity across
our nation’s federal lands and put an end to the patchwork of
regulations that governed different lands managed by different federal
agencies. In the past, only Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and Forest
Service lands allowed the carrying of firearms, while National Park
lands did not.

The current regulations on possession, carry or transportation of loaded
or uncased firearms in national parks were proposed in 1982 and
finalized in 1983. Similar restrictions apply in national wildlife
refuges. The NRA believes it is time to amend those regulations to
reflect the changed legal situation with respect to state laws on
carrying firearms.

The effect of these now-outdated regulations on people who carry
firearms for self-protection was far from the forefront at the time
these regulations were adopted. As of the end of 1982, only six states
routinely allowed citizens to carry handguns for self-defense.
Currently, 48 states have a process for issuance of licenses or permits
to allow law-abiding citizens to legally carry firearms for
self-defense.

The move for regulatory change by the Administration will restore the
rights of law-abiding gun owners who wish to transport and carry
firearms for lawful purposes in most National Park lands and will make
the laws consistent with state law where these lands are located.
Fifty-one U.S. Senators from both parties sent a letter to the
Department of Interior late last year supporting the move to render
state firearms laws applicable to National Park lands.

“These changes will respect the Second Amendment rights of honest
citizens, and we look forward to the issuance of a final rule this
year,” concluded Cox.

-NRA-

Visit www.nraila.org/pdfs/KempthorneRTC.pdf to read Secretary
Kempthorne’s letter to Sen. Crapo

Established in 1871, the National Rifle Association is America’s oldest
civil rights and sportsmen’s group. Four million members strong, NRA
continues its mission to uphold Second Amendment rights and to advocate
enforcement of existing laws against violent offenders to reduce crime.
The Association remains the nation’s leader in firearm education and
training for law-abiding gun owners, law enforcement and the military.