New regulation will relax gun control in national parks
The Bush administration last Friday announced it is overturning the 25-year-old Reagan-era regulation that severely restricted loaded guns in national parks. Under a rule to take effect in January, visitors who have the proper permits for carrying a concealed weapon will be able to carry a loaded gun into a park or wildlife refuge.
The new regulation allows individuals to carry concealed firearms in federal parks and wildlife refuges to the same extent they can lawfully do so under state law. The previous regulation required that firearms be unloaded and placed somewhere that is not easily accessible, such as in a car trunk.
The National Rifle Association has hailed the rule change, which will take effect next month before President-elect Barack Obama takes office. NRA officials say the new rule is more consistent with federal law and it eliminates confusion.
The park rule will be published in the Federal Register early this week and take effect 30 days later. Federal officials say overturning the rule could take months or even years, since it would require the new administration to restart the lengthy rule-making process.
So will Obama live up to his promise he made last week or will he reverse this rule?
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