Guns in parks signed into law
by Wyoming Delegation (Enzi, Lummis, Barrasso)
May 31, 2009
Senators Mike Enzi and John Barrasso and Representative Cynthia Lummis, all R-Wyo., praised the President’s signing of a bill that allows law abiding citizens to carry concealed weapons on to National Park Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service public lands.
"The constitution has spoken. No political party in Washington is above the Second Amendment. It is a good day for gun owners, especially gun owners in Wyoming," said Enzi.
"Washington has forced inconsistent federal land gun laws on the states for far too long. Washington, D.C. gun policies just don’t work in Wyoming. This legislation has put gun regulations back in the control of states where it belongs," said Barrasso.
"Commonsense and the rule of law have prevailed," Lummis said. "I am pleased this overwhelmingly bipartisan effort was signed into law so quickly. Thankfully, the power to govern firearm possession on Park Service lands now goes back to state and local laws instead of unelected bureaucrats and anti-gun activist judges."
President Obama signed the Credit Cardholders' Bill of Rights Act of 2009, H.R. 627, today which included language the delegation fought for to ensure Second Amendment rights are not infringed upon for law abiding weapons owners.
Enzi, Barrasso and fifteen other senators led an effort to force a vote on an amendment to the credit card bill in the Senate that outlined that guns would be allowed in national parks. Lummis voted for legislation in the House that included the same language. The Senate passed the bill by a vote of 67-29 and the House passed the bill by a vote of 361-64.
In December 2008, a rule was implemented to allow concealed weapons in national parks and wildlife refuges. That rule was soon after challenged in court and the U.S. District Court of Washington, D.C. ruled that an environmental study is needed before the new rule change can be accepted.
With H.R. 627 signed into law, the courts no longer have to wait for a final decision on the environmental study.
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