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Obama Administration and the Gun Regulation

UPDATE: The Obama administration had until April 20 to take an official stand on whether to uphold or overrule the Bush regulation that allowed guns to be carried in most National Parks. On Friday, April 17th, the Department of the Interior decided it will conduct a full Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on the effects of the rule change. Please see the National Parks Traveler for more coverage of this topic.

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One month ago on March 19th, U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly ruled that the process that was used to create the last minute regulation by the Bush administration to allow concealed, loaded handguns in National Parks was “astoundingly flawed” because it “ignored substantial information in the administrative record concerning environmental impacts.” The regulation, which went into effect on January 9th, allowed concealed weapons in 388 of the nation’s 391 National Parks, including Voyageurs.

Before Judge Kollar-Kotelly’s ruling, the Obama Justice Department defended the rule change stating that it “does not alter the environmental status quo, and will not have any significant impacts on public health and safety.” However, this did not signal that the Obama administration intended to make the rule change permanent, as evidenced in Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar’s call for a full review of the process used to effect the rule change and Judge Kollar-Kotelly’s ensuing ruling.

The Association of National Park Rangers, the Coalition of National Park Service Retirees, and the National Parks Conservation Association filed a joint suit to overturn the new law.  Park rangers, including seven former Directors of the Park Service, as well as 73 percent of the 140,000 people who voiced their opinions during the public comment period were also opposed to the new regulation, fearing that the new rule would lead to increased wildlife poaching, vandalism of historic resources, and gun-related accidents. Previously gun owners had been required to carry their guns unloaded and stowed away.

At Voyageurs National Park Association, we support a full EIS on the effects of the rule change. We do not believe the Department of Interior has yet provided ample justification for the gun regulation change in national parks, particularly in showing how the new regulation helps the National Park Service meet its mission.