Tom Coburn
Posted on 05/22/2009 10:10:54 PM PDT by neverdem
POINT OF VIEW Guns in national parks
In 1999, a woman and two teenagers visiting Yosemite National Park were brutally murdered at gunpoint. That same year, park ranger Steve Makuakane-Jarrell, a father of three, was shot to death in Hawaii’s Honokohau-National Historical Park.
These are just two of the many tragic crimes that have claimed the lives of innocent national park visitors since the possession of loaded weapons was banned in the national parks.
How have law-abiding Americans been stripped of their Second Amendment right to bear arms and left unable to protect themselves and their families in national parks and refuges?
The park gun ban was enacted in 1936 by unelected federal bureaucrats and reinforced this year by unelected judges. While a similar gun ban in our nation’s capital was ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court last year, this complete gun ban on more than 170 million acres of national parks and refuges has remained largely unchallenged, until now.
On May 12, the U.S. Senate overwhelmingly approved legislation to repeal this ban by a bipartisan vote of 67-29. The House on Wednesday approved the same provision 279-147, and now the bill is headed to the president.
If enacted, this law would strike the ban, prohibit new federal gun possession restrictions and instead allow states to determine gun possession law within their borders. In short, the amendment reaffirms the liberties and rights guaranteed by the Second and Tenth amendments that no federal official — judge, bureaucrat, member of Congress or even the president — has the right to abridge.
The amendment will not turn national parks into the Wild West where visitors use natural treasures or animals as target practice. No federal or state laws governing firearm possession will be repealed and no other National Park Service or U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service regulations — including those prohibiting poaching — are negated.
While some politicians and federal bureaucrats may not appreciate or respect the right to bear arms, most Americans understand that the Second Amendment was recognized by the Founding Fathers as critical to ensuring individual liberty and freedom. With this legislation, Congress finally has reaffirmed this right so that the more than 3 million American visitors to national parks and refuges can once again bear arms.
This legislation, likewise, upholds the Tenth Amendment, which states, "The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.” States will once again determine firearm possession laws in national parks and refuges that exist within their borders.
Liberty and freedom for the individual and from the government are what make our country and our Constitution unique. America, like no other nation, is founded on the principle that the individual has basic rights, which no government may infringe upon. This bill will reverse the whims of overreaching government bureaucrats who have disarmed and threatened innocent Americans, and once again re-establish two of the fundamental rights upon which our nation was founded.
Coburn, R-Muskogee, authored the weapons legislation. Boren, D-Muskogee, represents Oklahoma’s 2nd congressional district.
The amendment will not turn national parks into the Wild West where visitors use natural treasures or animals as target practice.
Prediction:
Obama will be forced to send the bill back to adjust and ammend certain provisions.
Obama hates the 2nd.
He signed it already. It’s an amendment to the new credit card law.
Another Boren !
Good for these Oklahomans; OK was the only state where every county went “red” in the presidential election :)
problem is the 10th admendment thing. it allows state to enforce their own gun laws, laws thaty often violate the 2nd admendment, adn thus do actually violate the 10th (the power to ban the right to bear arms is not a power granted to the state.)
In california, where carry permits are near imposible to obtain in all but rular areas, this law will do little to help. heck we cant even buy a magazine with more than 10 rounds!!
little good would an unloaded gun would have done them dead folks in Yosemite. now if california had reconnized the right to bear arms, them hikers would have been allowed to concel carry loaded weapons, and possible have a chance of killing their attacker.
the right law would have been for the feds to say, all parks in all states are open carry!!! that would solve the probelm. the new law does very very little to help us folks in anti-gun states infact it in a sick way give the staes the authority to enforce their 2 nd admendment violating laws on national parks.
this was pssed by liberal as a stunt to make them appear pro-gun to voters, thats all. the liberal polticans from california know it would change little in california parks. this law actually seems to grant the state the right to strike down the 2nd admendment right.
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A link to the decision is in comment# 1. A lot of CA laws will probably be coming off the books soon.
Spell check is our friend.
Don't like the laws in your state? Then band together with like minded people and change them! all it takes is for people to turn off american idol and get into the fray.
I lived in CA during the early '80's and helped defeat a number of anti-gun measures through... activism.
All you have to do is peruse this forum and see how many bad state 2A laws have been struck down or changed over the years, throughout the country, even in the northern lib bastions... it can be done, if you take the fight to them.
Thanks for the ping!
been doing it, fighting anti 2nd admendment rights laws. got an uphill battle with the liberals out here, and un-constitutional judges. I wished you had lived here the late 80’s/90’s cause we could have used more folks to fight the assulat weapons ban in californazia that happened after you left
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