Guns are no longer prohibited in America's national parks. (Photo courtesy of Fenners)
People can now carry guns in national parks. The National Park Service is adapting to the new law. Samara Freemark reports:
Transcript
People can now carry guns in national parks. The National Park Service is adapting to the new law. Samara Freemark reports:
The new policy means a reversal for the nation’s 392 National Park sites. Firearms have been prohibited in the parks.
But now….
Whatever law you were under in that state outside of the park now applies in the national park unit.
That’s National Park Service spokesman David Barna. He says that means that parks everywhere except Illinois and Washington DC will allow firearms.
But different states have different laws about the specifics – for example, whether you can conceal your weapon or not.
Barna says that could get complicated.
Appalachian Trail passes over 14 states. Yellowstone National Park is in 3 states. And the burden is going to be on the public to know those various laws.
Barna says the Park Service will help gun owners out with website updates and postings in park facilities.
But he says they can’t put up notices every time a park trail crosses a state line.
For The Environment Report, I’m Samara Freemark.