PUBLIC SUBMISSION | As of: February 13, 2009 Tracking No. 80557344 Comments Due: August 08, 2008 |
Docket: FWS-R9-NSR-2008-0062
General Regulations for Areas Administered by the National Park Service and the Fish and Wildlife Service
Comment On: FWS-R9-NSR-2008-0062-0001
General Regulations for Areas Administered by the National Park Service and the Fish and Wildlife Service
Document: FWS-R9-NSR-2008-0062-3853
Comment on FR Doc # E8-09606
Glen Allen, VA, 23060
Submitter's Representative: n/aThe proposed rule falls far short of what Senator Crapo's letter to
DOI on December 14th, 2007 requested. The letter, signed by 51
Senators, asked that National Parks and National Wildlife Refuges
assimilate the host state's gun laws.
The rule also falls far short of the Virginia Citizens Defense
League's Petition for Rule Making sent to DOI and dated January 19,
2008. Like Senator Crapo's letter, the Petition, representing over
one million gun owners, requested that the gun laws for the host state
be assimilated.
The proposed rule needs to assimilate state law in a similar manner as
National Forests do for the lawful carry of weapons for self-defense.
That would make the rules for such carriage of self-defense weapons in
National Parks, National Wildlife Refuges and National Forests the
same and consistent with the laws of the state surrounding the parks
and refuges.
Please change the wording of the rules as follows, which would make
the regulation of carry commensurate with standards of the host state,
while removing the nebulous and confusing wording about "similar
lands." Existing poaching laws will serve to deter poaching in
National Parks and Wildlife Refuges, just as they do on state land:
"A person may possess, carry, and transport loaded, and operable
firearms or other weapons within a national park area in the same
manner, and to the same extent, that a person may lawfully possess,
carry, and transport loaded and operable firearms or other weapons in
the state in which the federal park, or that portion thereof, is
located, provided that such possession, carrying and transporting
otherwise complies with applicable federal and state law."
And for National Wildlife Refuges:
"A person may possess, carry, and transport loaded, and operable
firearms or other weapons within a national wildlife refuge area in
the same manner, and to the same extent, that a person may lawfully
possess, carry, and transport loaded and operable firearms or other
weapons in the state in which the federal wildlife refuge, or that
portion thereof, is located, provided that such possession, carrying
and transporting otherwise complies with applicable federal and state
law."