If you’re spending time in a National Park this Memorial Day…
don’t forget to pack your FIREARM.
Now, I believe that gun ownership is not a right, but a privilege. Really, the practice of the US is in agreement (that’s why you’re supposed to acquire a license), despite the constant bellowing of people’s “right” to bear arms. There are many responsible gun-owners in America. There are also a lot Americans who sublimate other desires and bolster their ego by owning larger and more deadly weapons. There is no reason for someone to own an automatic weapon. None. All rules are changed when something available for purchase is immediately capable of ending another life.
Before I get too far into this, however, I’ll rein it in. Why would someone need or want to bring a firearm into a national park? I (perhaps naively) assume that hunting is not allowed there. What is it they are intending to shoot? Is this for last minute protection against wildlife? Coburn cites statistics about human-on-human crime in national parks but I can’t work that out logically. Is it possible that criminals are directly seeking to commit these crimes in national parks BECAUSE they know the victims legally cannot be armed? The possible risk of a victim carrying a gun does not deter these people from committing the same acts outside the boundaries of the park! I would argue it is the isolation and lack of efficient communication that endangers park-goers. This presents a difficult situation because that is what the general citizen is seeking (if indirectly) when they go to a park.
Overall, I have to worry that increased gun possession in national parks will only lead to more gun-related accidents and deaths.
