Guns-in-parks comment period extended
Folks were not happy when a 60-day comment period on new rules allowing loaded guns in national parks and wildlife refuges ended at midnight on the East Coast, but at 9 p.m. out West and even earlier in Hawaii. (See this earlier blog post on the topic.)
So the Department of Interior will now take comments for another 30 days, ending July 30.
The new rules would, according to a National Parks Conservation Association press release: "allow visitors to carry loaded, concealed firearms in National Parks and Wildlife Refuges in states where guns are allowed in parks and refuges under state law, a change from current regulations which require guns to be unloaded and locked away during visits to parks."
Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva, D-Ariz., chair of the House Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands, was among those calling for an extension, saying:
"It is my hope that ultimately the department will decide to abandon this ill-advised idea for the safety of park visitors and wildlife alike."
Read the language of the proposed rules and directions for commenting on this Federal Register posting.
Posted by Lisa Stiffler at July 3, 2008 3:58 p.m.
