nukeit1's flickr photostream/Creative Commons

A few days ago (Thursday, to be precise), a federal judge halted a rule that allows visitors to national parks to carry concealed weapons. Because that is a rule that has actually been in effect for three months. Apparently there’s an epidemic of stolen pic-i-nic baskets throughout our park system (the other source I’ll be citing in this post is right here, for the record).

Calling the process that went into creating the rule “astoundingly flawed,” United States District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly directed the Interior Department to review the ruling to decide if it could be upheld. The rule, which allows people with concealed weapons permits could bring loaded, concealed guns into national parks in states that allowed concealed weapons. This is a change from the previous rules set in the 1980s, which stated that guns in parks had to be unloaded, stored, or dismantled.

Now, interestingly enough, the Justice Department “had sought to block the injunction against the controversial rule,” and the Obama administration “had said it was reviewing the Bush rule but had defended it in court.” So, I guess the new guys don’t really see this is a problem, either. The National Rifle Association is appealing the ruling, stating, and I quote their brief, “That Old Faithful has had it coming long enough.”

I’ll save the anti-gun tirade for another day, because this story doesn’t even need the whole range of rants about guns and all that for this. All we need to say is, for what reason on God’s green earth do people need concealed, loaded weapons in national parks? I mean, this goes beyond the “just not needed” argument for cellphone reception on airplanes. I bet, too, it might even be more of a nuisance than if you allowed phones on airplanes. Because, you know, they’re guns in national parks. I just don’t get it.

Okay, done proselytizing. Just takepart with the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence. You can read more about this story while you’re there (the Brady Campaign was one of the groups that sought this injunction).