Bobarino
member
our local ABC affiliate has a "commentator" that spouts off about various topics. this time it was the guns in Nat'l Parks. he's a fairly liberal blowhard so you can imagine his stance.
here is the original piece :http://www.komotv.com/features/kenschram/17057371.html
to which i replied with this email:
then on fridays, he publishes the public's comments on his stories. http://www.komotv.com/news/17092781.html
hey at least he read it. still a blowhard though.
Bobby
here is the original piece :http://www.komotv.com/features/kenschram/17057371.html
By Ken Schram
Watch the story
My first reaction was that it sounded sort of reasonable.
But then I began to wonder: Are national parks so dangerous that people need to be allowed to carry guns in them?
Statistics don't even come close to holding up that theory.
So why would republican members of congress, and their NRA puppet masters, be pushing to allow people to pack pistols in their picnic baskets and backpacks?
Might it be an attempt to force Senators Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton to take an "anti-gun" vote before the election?
Gee, that'd be pretty irresponsible.
I mean playing the American public for dupes in order to score political points is certainly in the GOP playbook, but would they really stoop so low as to turn armed tourists loose in our national parks?
Actually, i think they would.
Never mind that there is not one iotas worth of justification for allowing pistol packing people into our national parks.
Never mind that national park rangers think the idea is totally ridiculous.
Yeah, at first i thought it sounded sort of reasonable.
But I was wrong.
Allowing guns in our national parks is a really stupid, irresponsible idea.
to which i replied with this email:
Mr. Schram,
It appears you don't really care about what the people want. The proposed rule change to allow the LEGAL carrying of weapons in National Parks in in direct response to a citizens letter writing campaign to their respective senators. In response, Senator Crapo wrote a letter to the head of the Department of the Interior, Kirk Kempthorne. The letter was signed by over 50 senators INCLUDING Democrats. Mr. Kempthorne's response can be found here: http://www.bighammer.net/images/022208_Kempthorne_response.pdf Those that wrote letters to their senators are fed up with being disarmed in a potentially dangerous environment while we are allowed to legally, with a permit, carry firearms virtually everywhere else.
Further, I'd sure love to see these statistics you talk about given that this article: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2003305418_safetrails15m.html states: "While neither the U.S. Forest Service nor the National Park Service keeps precise statistics about crime on federally protected lands, officers and rangers in Washington say that crime appears to be on the rise in the backcountry."
I have personally encountered a meth lab as well as a mother Black bear with cubs in tow on the trails in Washington's National Parks. I was lucky enough to see both before they saw me and high tail it out of there since I was obeying the law and did not carry my firearm with me in the Parks. Do you really think that changing the rules will encourage criminals to carry in the Parks? News flash, Ken. They already do. Illegally.
This is not just about Washington either. I'm sure you're aware that many of our Nat'l Parks butt up against the Mexican border and is home to or a thoroughfare for illegal immigrants who, as I'm sure you know, aren't always the most law abiding bunch as evidenced by their mere presence on US soil.
A quick search can turn up plenty of stories like this one: http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0802/p02s01-ussc.html
If you want to trust your safety and your life to a Ranger miles away, be my guest. No one is forcing you to carry a gun or even visit the Parks. If your life means so little to you that you would turn over your most effective means of defending it to a stranger that you most likely wouldn't be able to call to for help anyway, go right ahead. I'll take responsibility for my own safety and that of those who are with me, thanks.
A gun is just a piece of survival gear in the wilderness as far as I'm concerned. Did you know that firearm is part of the state required survival equipment for Alaskan Bush pilots? Those who know wilderness, know a gun is a very useful tool when it comes to being attacked by creatures with four legs, or two.
If you think our Nat'l Parks are safe havens, free from crime and bastions of peace and harmony with nature, you obviously don't get out much. Just ask Julianne Williams, Carole Sund, daughter Juli and friend Silvina Pelosso and Laura Winans. Oh wait, you can't. They were murdered in a National Park
Sincerely,
Bobarino
then on fridays, he publishes the public's comments on his stories. http://www.komotv.com/news/17092781.html
By Ken Schram
SEATTLE - Judging by the amount of "you don't know what you're talking about" e-mails, my commentary against allowing guns in America's national parks was about as popular as Kentucky Fried Chicken at a vegetarian picnic.
From Bruce Jackson: "I prefer to have my gun holstered at my side in national parks. The same as when I go to Wal-Mart or Home Depot. Guns save lives!"
Bobby (last name deleted): "A gun is just a piece of survival gear in the wilderness as far as I'm concerned."
Ken Jones: "My right to carry a firearm for self defense does not require your permission. (Just as) your right to pen stupid, irresponsible (commentaries) isn't dependent on my permission."
Bill Maness: "Go backwoods camping sometime ... when you hear the large animal snuffling outside your tent, tell me you wouldn't want a weapon handy, just in case your sleeping bag smells more appetizing than your last commentary."
Howard Stoppelman: "Lots of people carry guns whenever they go into the woods. … Screw the laws! You want to be eaten by a bear?"
And finally, from Wayne and Barbara Steen: "Our national parks are full of wild animals. ... Allowing ... guns ... is an ounce of prevention."
Lions and tigers and bears, oh my.
Thanks for writing everyone.
Have a great weekend.
hey at least he read it. still a blowhard though.
Bobby