Just prior to leaving office, George W. Bush reversed a twenty-five year old ban on weapons inside of national parks which was instituted by the Reagan administration. This has upset visitors and environmental activists knowing that anyone with a concealed weapon permit, in a state which allows for the carrying of concealed weapons as in California, can now also carry his firearm into any state national park. This then affects places like Muir Woods National Monument with its towering sequoia redwood trees and the Golden Gate National Recreation Area which includes popular tourist destinations such as the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz and Golden Gate Park.
The new law which went into effect on January 9th seems at odds with the tranquility and escapism associated with enjoying the environments at national parks and sightseeing attractions such as those in the San Francisco Bay Area. Many in the national park system are reluctant to express their opinions publically, with a spokesman for the Golden Gate National Recreation Area saying only that they are still coming to terms with the recent change. But one retired president of the National Park Rangers Association expressed concern for not only other humans in the parks where confrontations could escalate to a scale not previously seen, but worried about the loss of park animals through impulse shootings or the destruction of park property.
While it is still forbidden to carry a concealed weapon in federal buildings on the national park properties, that seems to be of little consolation to those opposed to the overturning of the long-standing ban and a number of groups are working to reverse the new law: Coalition of National Park Service Retirees, National Parks Conservation Association, and the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence. The other hope stands with newly elected president, Barack Obama, as he might wave his pen in this direction on the list of numerous reversals that he intends to enact now that Bush is out of power.
