House Overturns Ban on Firearms in National Parks (May 2009) PDF Print

I wanted to share with you a major victory in Congress for Second Amendment rights.  This week the House of Representatives passed legislation that will allow law-abiding citizens to carry firearms in national parks in accordance with state law.  This overturns a 1983 federal rule that required firearms to be kept unloaded and in an inaccessible place - such as the trunk of a car - while on land managed by the National Park Service.

This regulation presented a burdensome and senseless scenario that was contrary to other regulations that allowed firearms on lands managed by federal agencies such as the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management.  I am pleased that Republicans in Congress were able to stand up for gun owners and overturn this unnecessary regulation, bolster Second Amendment rights, and preserve the right of states to pass firearm laws that apply consistently, including on federal lands.