Concealed carry in Smoky mountains??

K

kenneth owens

New member
we are taking a trip to tennesee next week I do have a permit to carry,we are going to do some hiking in the smokey mountains, can I carry my pistol??
I am sure the state honors my ohio permit,what about the smokeys?
 
Mmmmm.... NOPE! National Park... Felony... BIG trouble... But by now, you know this.

Actually, this is a problem in my part of the world. There are LOTS of national parks, and it's rather difficult to keep up with where the boundaries are. As part of my martial arts class, we go over some jo (short staff) techniques specifically for use with your "walking stick" on the trails. (My "walking stick" is a jo with a furniture stopper on one end!)

I trust you're either going to Gatlinburg or Pigeon Forge? Both are in a dry county, which means that you can be pretty safe carrying into the eateries on the strip. And, you can leave the pistol in the car while you're on the hiking trails.

The Smoky Mountain hiking trails are pretty safe. There are people EVERYWHERE, so you don't have to worry much about personal security. The only real thing to worry about is the bears, but honestly, if you find a bear and don't have the common sense to leave it ALONE, then you DESERVE whatever happens to you! (Every year we hear about some tourist who gets eaten by a momma bear after they try to go "pet" the bear cubs. The feds always go kill the bear, but they never address the fact that the tourist basically had it coming.)

So, recap: Gun in car? Check. Gun on the strip? Probably check. Gun on trails? Negative. Bears? Cute, but not for petting.
 
No firearms (as noted above). Oh one other thing... don't park your car except in established parking areas. You can not leave your car along the road and go explore. A park ranger will ticket you. Established parking areas are gravel areas and not grass covered no matter how tempting the grass looks.
 
for national parks, can you keep you guns in a locked container? It's still a trip and good to have them on the way there and back.
 
I'm a backpacker and frequent backpacking boards. Recently I've read of several cases of backpackers/hikers being stopped and searched by NPS Rangers. The Rangers claim there has been poaching activity in the area and they are checking for guns.

I know that if was going to poach deer in the Smokies I would want to do it with a backpack. Nothing like shooting a 150 lb. deer and backpacking it out un-noticed. Nazi's plain and simple.
 
It's not a felony, it's a federal misdemeanor and it carries fines starting at $50.00. I think it can go up to $250, and *CAN* involve some jail time, but I am not familiar with anyone who went to the big house for a violation of 36CFR2.4 in and of itself. It could cost you by the mere conviction though, if you ever apply, renew, etc. for a(nother) permit to carry.:eek:

Also, if Rangers are searching people for guns on the guise of a poaching preventative, chances are they're using "leading questions" to coerce a consent search since a backpack is not even close to reasonable suspicion required to initiate a Terry stop.

Yes, you may lawfully transport a cased, unloaded firearm in the park as well. And finally, if you find this inappropriate and believe it should be changed, now would be a good time for you to become involved by lobbying your elected delegation to compel the NPS to change this stupid regulation - which also disenfranchises off duty law enforcement BTW..

Here's how you can help: http://bighammer.net/repealthenpsban.html
 
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"I know that if was going to poach deer in the Smokies I would want to do it with a backpack. Nothing like shooting a 150 lb. deer and backpacking it out un-noticed. Nazi's plain and sim"

I think bear poaching for their organs and paws are more a concern in NC/TN than deer.
 
Hayley,
I'm aware of the bear poaching possibility, but what are the realistic chances of someone backpacking in, poaching, and then backpacking out when they are looking to make an easy dollar? I've hiked those trails and that's not a way to make easy money.
 
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