“Contrary to the gun-control lobby’s hair-on-fire hysteria, there have been no gun-related incidents involving legally licensed gun-owners in national parks in the two summers since the ban was lifted. In fact, according to the Department of the Interior, crime — all crime — continues to decline on federal lands.” Quelle surprise! That’s outdoorlife.com’s take on the whole open carry in parks thing. And just to see for themselves, they sent one of their reporters, Scott Sexton [not shown], out on the Appalachian Trail packing a wheelgun. The result . . .
“The legal presence of guns in a park largely went unnoticed and neither added to nor detracted from anyone’s experience, as far as this experimenter could tell,” Sexton wrote in an April 30 column. “As an issue, the carrying of firearms in a park — handled legally and properly — is a nonstarter.”
Anecdotal? Sure it is. But just like all the other tired, overblown blood in the streets on the trail predictions, all is well. And no one’s freaking out about hikers with heaters on their hips. But that’s the great outdoors. Would they get the same result at sporting events? In concert halls? Even when we get to that someday when a gun on a civvy hip no longer prompts notice, are there some places that should just be off limits?