Keep guns out of national parks!

The Bush administration has proposed a rule that would allow
visitors to carry loaded firearms in every one of our national
parks, posing a grave threat to our nation's wildlife.

Please go to
http://www.savebiogems.org/yellowstone/takeaction
today and tell the Bush administration to reject this outrageous
proposal.

Under pressure from a group of senators, the Bush administration
would weaken the current rule, which requires that firearms be
unloaded and stored to prevent their ready use. This
long-standing precaution has been crucial in controlling
poachers within our nation's national parks and protecting
certain species from extinction -- in particular, Yellowstone's
grizzly bear population.

If passed, the new rule would likely increase poaching of
imperiled species, such as Greater Yellowstone's grizzlies and
wolves. In Wyoming -- where state officials have already begun
gunning down wolves -- the wolf population is especially
vulnerable.

Allowing visitors to carry loaded weapons would also pose a
safety risk to millions of Americans who use our national parks
every year.

Our national parks should be a safe haven for all wildlife and
citizens. Please go to
http://www.savebiogems.org/yellowstone/takeaction
right away and tell the Bush administration you won't stand for
loaded guns in our national parks!

Thank you again for taking action on behalf of our parks and
wildlife.

Sincerely,

Frances Beinecke
President
Natural Resources Defense Council

No Fully-Loaded Weapons in National Parks!

You won't believe this. Senator Coburn (R-OK) has introduced a bill that would allow anyone to carry loaded guns into our national parks. I need you to join me in keeping loaded concealed weapons out of our national parks! Please write your U.S. Senators today and urge them to vote "no" on Senator Coburn's bill on loaded guns in parks.

Let's keep our national parks SAFE for visitors and wildlife.

NPCA isn't opposed to individual gun ownership. But we agree with the National Park Service that our national parks are no place for loaded deadly weapons.

Senator Coburn brokered a deal with the Senate to allow him to introduce five amendments to a package of public lands bills, after he had been blocking those bills for nearly a year. However, despite attempts to keep this senseless amendment from seeing the light of day, Coburn introduced his amendment as a free-standing bill. Senator Coburn clearly has an agenda-- and it's not the safety of park visitors he's thinking about. Like the original amendment, this bill would prohibit Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne from enforcing current weapons restrictions.

Under current regulations, it is perfectly legal to transport firearms through national parks, as long as they are unloaded and safely stored. Asking Secretary Kempthorne to stop enforcing this reasonable rule (which dates back to the Reagan Administration) and start allowing people to carry loaded weapons in our parks would put park visitors, endangered wildlife, and iconic national treasures in jeopardy.

It is urgent that you join me in writing your U.S. Senators and telling them to vote "no" on the Coburn "loaded guns in parks" bill, S. 2619.

Let them know that passing the Coburn bill would:

-Create new safety hazards for families and children visiting our parks

-Make it more difficult for underfunded and understaffed park rangers to protect our parks

-Create confusion over gun laws in parks that straddle multiple states

-Allow loaded guns in crowded public park areas like the St. Louis Arch and the Jefferson Memorial

-Increase opportunities for illegal hunting and vandalism

-Park rangers are struggling to stay ahead of poachers and vandals. With poaching already threatening a number of species in our national parks throughout the country, allowing loaded guns in our parks could make the situation ten times worse!

I know this is hard to believe, but it's true-- and it's happening right now. Please take action today to oppose S. 2619, the Coburn "loaded guns in parks" bill. Tell your Senators you support the reasonable restrictions already on the books that allow unloaded, stored guns in our parks. It's a rule that respects the rights of gun owners --and protects the safety of families and wildlife.

Sincerely,
Thomas C. Kiernan
President

P.S. The Senate could take this bill up any day, so please don't wait. Write your Senators now and urge them to vote "no" on the Coburn bill. Tell them our national parks are a place for loaded cameras--not loaded guns. Thank you.