Gun Rights Groups File Lawsuit Over National Parks Bans

The Second Amendment Foundation, the Firearms Policy Coalition and a private citizen are ready to take on one of the toughest opponents in the U.S.—Smokey the Bear. Well, sort of. These firearms rights groups have filed suit to challenge the ban on carrying firearms in the National Park Service’s federal facilities.

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No guns allowed!

For years, the National Park Service (NPS) has had a ban on carrying firearms in federal facilities they operate. As their website puts it:

“Unless expressly authorized, Federal law prohibits the possession of a firearm or other dangerous weapon in NPS facilities. These buildings include, but are not limited to, government offices, visitor centers, ranger stations, fee collection buildings, and maintenance facilities.”

This does not necessarily mean that you can’t carry firearms in parklands themselves; there are some parks where you can hunt, and some you can’t, but the NPS does say, “Visitors should not consider firearms as protection from wildlife.”

The firearms rights groups are looking to reverse this.

The Second Amendment Foundation fights back

The SAF is making plenty of noise about its fight, saying that Americans are being denied their Second Amendment rights as they use the parks:

“More than 300 million people traveled through the National Park System last year, and each of them were unconstitutionally barred from carrying firearms inside specific buildings at those parks,” said SAF Executive Director Adam Kraut in the group’s press release. “Campers wishing to carry a firearm for self-defense in these parks, for instance, are made to disarm before stepping foot inside a visitor center or ranger station to obtain a permit to camp. This disenfranchisement forces peaceable citizens to choose between following the registration rules for each park or going unarmed while they gather the proper documentation allowing them to enjoy our National Park System. That’s not a choice any law-abiding American should have to make.”