|
|
|
|
Park wars |
|
|
Thursday, 06 March 2008 |
Up Close and Personal
by Clint Hyde
Our dog was on the leash required by National Park rules as we walked the floor of Yosemite. It was a beautiful October day in the middle of November and we took advantage of the snow-free road over Tioga Pass to enjoy one more day in our closest National Park. As we came around the corner on a paved pathway I could see a deer with three fawns grazing close to our route. We tightened up on the leash, since our English Lab doesn’t really know how to behave around wildlife. If she ever caught a ground squirrel, she wouldn’t know what to do with it. She barks at coyotes from a safe distance and on this day was more curious than furious at a deer in the park.
As we came closer the deer with deadly pointed hooves that could perforate you started prancing around with her eyes locked on the dog. The youngsters grazed on, contented that the adult would take care of any charging dog. It was a stand off with lots of posturing, but no dangerous maneuvering. The park ranger, who was standing a ways down the path, taking it all in, praised us for keeping the dog on the leash and under control. He told us of dog owners that claim their dog is under voice command. We all know, as the ranger could attest, dogs in this situation will behave like dogs and ignore any verbal commands.
The Department of the Interior that oversees our National Park system is under a lot of pressure to allow gun owners to bring their loaded weapons into our parks. Naturally, the National Rifle Association is leading this effort to require parks to conform to state laws regarding guns. California prohibits loaded guns in state parks unless they are locked inside a car trunk or are inaccessible in some way. The proposed rule change would allow visitors in states like Montana to carry loaded weapons into National Parks, consistent with their state laws.
The arguments brought up by the NRA are the same as always. Members contend that visitors to our parks have the right to bear arms as outlined by the Second Amendment of our Constitution and they have the right to protect themselves from other gun-bearing humans as well as wild animals.
When I read the U.S. Constitution, I see a lot of ambiguity, and historians have written often that our Founding Fathers left our basic set of laws intentionally vague. In the context of grammatical analysis however I can see the logical extension of the sentence, “the right to bear arms.” Do we have the right to bear arms to overthrow a corrupt government? Do we have the right to bear arms to hunt in our neighbor’s backyard or recreational area? Do we have the right to bear arms anywhere we want, even if it makes everyone around us uncomfortable?
The need to carry a loaded weapon because others might be armed is an endless loop argument. The arms race between the USA and the former Soviet Union was based on this illogical loop. It cost trillions of dollars and millions of lives before someone finally yelled stop. NRA arguments always come back to the contention that if you outlaw guns, let's say in national parks, then only outlaws will carry guns. Makes sense to me! It’s easier to arrest the outlaws who carry guns, even if they are only stopped by the authorities for a traffic violation or because they start waving a gun around the campground. I can think of no quicker way to get shot at than to carry a loaded weapon. It’s like flashing a gang sign to attract attention. Look at me! I can do combat since I am armed.
The need to protect yourself from wild animals is thin. The National Park Service reported four bear attacks last year: one in Sequoia, one in Grand Teton and two in Yellowstone. I don’t know if this report includes Alaska, but I know the moose are more dangerous than bears up there. Of all the millions of visitors to our parks each year, I would rather deal with the wild animals than some gun-toting visitor, whether they are legally allowed to do so or not.
The National Rifle Association confuses training with education. I was trained as a boy scout to shoot targets with a .22 rifle. I was actually quite good, once I got the breath control down. When I tried shooting moving targets, such as clay pigeons, I had beginner’s luck and got the first three. After that I couldn’t hit anything. Still, no one talked about when it was appropriate to have a loaded gun in the house or car. No one mentioned the fact that even lighthearted arguments around a campfire with a couple beers might not be a good place to have a weapon easily accessible. Training might make it easier to pull the trigger, but education will give you cause to pause and think about the consequences.
As my kids were growing up and armed violence was in the news, we talked about the rational for having a gun. Statistically, your chance of being shot is higher if it is someone you know. Perfect strangers do get into spats now and then, but most likely you will know the person who shoots you. So, I told my children to be aware of who around them has a gun or access to a gun. When I learn that an acquaintance has a gun, I always ask if they know how to use it and when was the last time they fired it, hopefully at an inanimate target. Often, the gun owners I ask haven’t touched the gun in years and don’t know how good they are at aiming it anyway.
Since I am not going to a national park to overthrow a corrupt government, regardless of how wasteful I might consider the Department of Interior, I am not going to take a loaded gun with me. Since I am not afraid of wild animals and know how to control my dog, I am not interested in being armed in a national park. And as long as only outlaws have guns, I won’t need one to protect me around the campground. I realize these outlaws won’t respond to voice commands any better than dogs, but I am not going to make things worse by brandishing my weapon.
Clint Hyde left home at an early age and lived in Europe before traveling the rest of the world, working in international marketing. He moved to Mammoth in 2002 to pursue mountain biking, snowboarding, backcountry and cross-country skiing, hiking and backpacking. The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily represent policies and opinions of the staff or owners of the Mammoth Times. Reader response is encouraged.
|
|
Last Updated ( Thursday, 13 March 2008 )
|
|
|
|
