Current Event 3

In the final days of the Bush administration, the Interior Department passed a measure to allow visitors to national parks to carry concealed weapons. According to the author, this policy is not a good idea. The policy went into effect on January 9th, though many organizations including the National Parks Conservation Association have asked a federal judge from Washington D.C. to wait on the rule. By doing so, they hope to have the measure reconsidered, especially considering the fact that although federal law requires it, the administration did not perform an environmental assessment. Next month, Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly of the U.S District Court for the District of Columbia will hear the case. If her ruling is that proper procedures were not taken, the rule will be thrown out. The author also believes that she should create a formal reevaluation of the concealed-weapons policy.

I agree with the author that this rule is not necessary, and is rather a bad idea that can bring more harm than good. With all the chaos going on in the world now, the parks are some of the most safest places to be. The Bush administration was much too hasty in ruling on this decision, especially with not following federal regulations. The author also wrote about how the Reagan-era regulations on concealed weapons in national parks should be come back into effect, and this new rule should just be thrown out.