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Friday, May 22, 2009

Law - Concealed carry to be allowed in Indiana national, as well as state, parks [Updated]

The ILB has had a number of entries on recent moves to allow citizens to carry concealed weapons in state and national parks.

A story in the Gary Post Tribune today has this headline: "Congress OKs guns in parks: Licensed owners can possess weapons in places like National Lakeshore." Some quotes:

Visitors will soon be able to carry loaded guns in national parks and wildlife refugees, including the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore.

Congress voted Wednesday to allow it in a stinging defeat for gun-control advocates. The measure was part of the popular credit card bill, which would impose new restrictions on credit card companies. President Barack Obama has vowed to sign it.

Tom Anderson, executive director of Save the Dunes, said his organization is concerned about the impact of the new law, which will allow licensed gun owners to bring firearms into national parks and wildlife refuges as long as they are allowed by state law.

"We do not believe our wildlife, neighbors or grandchildren should be exposed to this new threat and can't imagine a need to carry a loaded assault rifle on our beaches or at public educational programs at our national parks," he said. "Congress does not agree."

The House approved the measure 279-147 Wednesday, one day after the Senate acted. A total of 105 House Democrats and 174 Republicans supported the bill.

The vote was a bitter disappointment for gun-control proponents, who watched as a Democratic-controlled Congress handed a victory to gun-rights advocates that they did not achieve under Republican rule. Many blamed the National Rifle Association, which pushed hard for the gun law.

[Updated] But the new law won't go into effect until Feb. 2010, until then guns will continue to be barred from national parks, according to a Dept. of Interior decision reported in this story in USA Today. A quote:
The Interior Department's decision drew immediate criticism from Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., the chief sponsor of the gun measure.

Spokesman John Hart said Coburn will offer the gun amendment to other bills in order to implement the decision as quickly as possible.

Hart said Coburn was confident the amendment would be approved again, noting that the measure received support from 27 Democrats in the Senate, including Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev.

The measure, adopted by wide margins in the House and Senate, allows licensed gun owners to bring firearms into national parks and wildlife refuges as long as they are allowed by state law.

Hart said Congress clearly intended for the law to take effect soon, adding that Coburn was disappointed the law apparently will not be in place this summer, when national parks are most crowded.

Posted by Marcia Oddi on May 22, 2009 09:35 AM
Posted to General Law Related