ENDING A 25-year-old ban, the Department of the Interior announced on Dec. 5 that people who have a concealed weapons permit in their state can bring a loaded weapon into national parks, forests, and refuges. A week later, Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne confirmed what supporters of the Endangered Species Act have dreaded all year by issuing a ruling that lets individual federal agencies decide themselves whether their projects harm the environment - without being forced to consult with wildlife scientists.
This completes eight years of political cruelty to animals and a final imposition of the National Rifle Association on what is left of public serenity in America - our shared natural sanctuaries. Critters and plants have less protection, and now humans have to wonder what is more dangerous: an alligator along the trail in the Everglades or the loaded camper carrying a loaded weapon.
The lifting of the loaded gun ban was opposed by nearly everyone who works or has worked in a national park.............
ENTIRE EDITORIAL-http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2008/12/16/keep_guns_out_of_the_parks/
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