Under the headline “Pistol packing picnics,” The Philadelphia Enquirer calls the February 22 removal a federal firearms ban from national parks “wacky.” “Every day could seem like the start of deer hunting season with people strolling the parks armed. That has to be a frightening prospect for families and others who aren’t accustomed to being around guns. And there’s also the risk of accidental shootings. And to what purpose? There has never been any reasonable justification for civilian park visitors’ needing to be armed for their own protection. Since hunting isn’t permitted in national parks, it makes even less sense – other than as another bullying NRA legislative victory.” Clearly, the paper’s idea of “reasonable” doesn’t include the concept of “self-defense.” In case the Enquirer doesn’t have access to Google, Wikipedia offers a helpful list of fatal bear attacks. Not all of these occurred in National Parks but . . point taken? If not, YouTube “bear attacks.” As for intra-human threats . . .
