National Park gun regulations

We are planning a 10 day trip Yosemite next month. I have my CCL from California and plan on taking my Kahr PM9 with me. I just checked the current regulations for this park and found the following. Is this pretty much true for all national parks?


As of February 22, 2010, a new federal law allows people who can legally possess firearms under applicable federal, state, and local laws, to legally possess firearms in this park.

It is the responsibility of visitors to understand and comply with all applicable state, local, and federal firearms laws before entering this park. As a starting point, visit the California Attorney General's website.

Federal law also prohibits firearms in certain facilities in this park; those places are marked with signs at all public entrances.

Discharging a firearm for any reason is illegal.

Other Weapons
The possession, use, or discharge of pepper spray (including bear spray), pellet guns, and BB guns in Yosemite National Park is prohibited.

Yes. You must comply with all local laws. In Yellowstone, for instance, it varies with which part of the park you are in. Last trip, we couldn't carry in the Wyoming portion but could in the other parts. Also, I believe bear spray is allowed in Yellowstone. It is in Denali. I would expect other grizzly areas would allow it.

It's my understanding that national parks are no longer prohibited but any regulations will be limited to the state regs in which the park is located.

http://www.nps.gov/ozar/parknews/upload/weapons.doc

“Notwithstanding any other provision in this Chapter, a person may possess, carry, and transport concealed, loaded, and operable firearms within a national park area in accordance with the laws of the state in which the national park area, or that portion thereof, is located, except as otherwise prohibited by applicable Federal law.”

The buildings in the parks mostly have signs at the door prohibiting entering with guns. It's interesting to hear the foreigners discuss this. The National Parks are full of foreigners. You will feel like a stranger in your own land. Last summer I stopped at the Grand Canyon Watch Tower. Germans everywhere! Even the Orientials had that where did all these Germans come from look on their faces.
Just leave your piece in your car and lock it. That's what I do and i have visited a number of National Parks, Monuments with no problem.

I cant let this one go without a war story. Probley told it before. I worked for the NPS a couple seasons starting in 1960 in yosemite. Was a blister rust checker and fire fighter.
One day boss and I were driving by the glacier point turn off. A begger coyote claimed the turnout as his. I couldnt belive what we seen as we came around the bend. A older lady was hand feeding the yote with a scrap of bread. What shocked us was a dude was injuning around his car to get a bead on the coyote with his shotgun! Guns were totaly outlawed in the park back then. The boss was driving and skided to a halt right alongside him, got out and said, "Okay fella, give me the gun!" "Aint no one gonna take my gun!" With that boss grabbed the shotgun and they were wrestling over it. I got out and piled on and he gave up the gun. I felt bad about the incident as we effected a citizens arrest in front of his wife and kids.
You know, I worked the back country of both yosemite and the grand tetons daily. Carrying guns was out of the question back then except for a couple of rangers working law enforcement. The thing is I never heard a co worker complain about us not being allowed to pack. We never questioned the policy and accepted it. We all worked daily around possibly seeing bears. Once I did get nervious. I was going through some of the thickest manszinitta brush I ever got in and crawled up on a fresh killed buck, probley a cougar kill. I know I am one of those types that doesnt get excited or paranoid but will admit several times in my life I should have been more careful but I lived through those mistakes too.

The National Park regs go by the state they are located in. If that state does not honor your CCW, then you are not good in the park. I would not open carry nor would I possess or display a long gun. In NC, state parks only allow the carrying of .22 rimfire handguns.

BearBio said:

Also, I believe bear spray is allowed in Yellowstone. It is in Denali. I would expect other grizzly areas would allow it.

Click to expand...

Not only is bear spray allowed in Yellowstone, they sell it there! Here is my wife with "the best fifty bucks we ever wasted", i.e., the can of bear spray we bought for our hike on the Elephant Back Trail in Yellowstone last summer. We had seen a grizzly at an elk kill site about 5 miles away the previous day. My wife insisted on the bear spray and I was carrying my 41 mag Redhawk as backup!

Recent experience

Sat. June 15th 2013, 9:30ish P.M. NPS ranger at Mammoth Cave nat. park.

Agent: "Mr. Stuhr, do you have any drugs or weapons in the car?"

Me: "Yes sir, I have a pistol in the glove box". (3 1/2" 27)

Agent: "Do you have a CCW permit?"

Me: "No sir, I don't."

Agent: "Well, you can't do that in here." (I'm beginning to leak solids)

Me: "I have statute printed that says I can, inside the glove box with the pistol."

Agent: "Oh....yes, this is Kentucky."

Agent: "Have either of you been drinking?"

Me: "No sir, we tried."

Agent:"You tried?"

Me: "Yes we tried to get a beer with our Mexican food in Brownsville." (Surface of the sun dry)

He took Lic./regs. from me and my nephew, asked a million questions. He even questioned the State of Missouri appointed horsepower on the registration.
He returned our stuff, chewed on the nephew for 41 in a 35 and let us go.
Really wasn't a bad fellow and nosey is a good trait in a cop.
Just goes to show you. Even when you know you are right they can still scare a lump out of you.
Thanks
Mike

mstuhr said:

Agent: "Have either of you been drinking?"

Me: "No sir, we tried."

Agent:"You tried?"

Me: "Yes we tried to get a beer with our Mexican food in Brownsville." (Surface of the sun dry)

Click to expand...

Never mind the stuff about guns, that exchange is priceless.

I've just been looking at various sites which purport to explain current California carry law, and it appears that if you have a California concealed carry permit, you're OK to carry concealed, but not OK for open carry, (in National Parks, and elsewhere), with the exception of federally owned buildings within the parks, such as visitor centers, and even pit toilets.

I understand that common California citizens cannot obtain concealed weapons permits, and that permits are issued only to persons with connections to pinko politicians, hypocrites, famous or infamous "celebrities", or large scale donors to sheriff's election campaigns, or some combination of the foregoing. That would obviously not characterize any upstanding member of the forum, so, please, inform us, what's the trick to get a CA CCL?

jkc said:

I've just been looking at various sites which purport to explain current California carry law, and it appears that if you have a California concealed carry permit, you're OK to carry concealed, but not OK for open carry, (in National Parks, and elsewhere), with the exception of federally owned buildings within the parks, such as visitor centers, and even pit toilets.

I understand that common California citizens cannot obtain concealed weapons permits, and that permits are issued only to persons with connections to pinko politicians, hypocrites, famous or infamous "celebrities", or large scale donors to sheriff's election campaigns, or some combination of the foregoing. That would obviously not characterize any upstanding member of the forum, so, please, inform us, what's the trick to get a CA CCL?

Click to expand...

I've read that, but also that some sheriffs in the northern part of the state are easier to get a license from than those down near Los Angeles, where even celebs usually can't get the permit.

"Discharging a firearm for any reason is illegal."

So I can carry it for self-defense, but if someone is trying to kill me I can't fire it? Boy, that's a relief. Your federal tax dollars at work.

I lived in california many years. It wasnt too bad in the early 60s but when I left in 2005 it was getting real bad and from my friend there that is on top of that stuff it has got a lot worse. I didnt worry much personaly about it when I lived there as I carried on my job as a guard. I also carried (one way or another) when off work. I remember one time I was recouperating from a bad MC accident and was walking in the desert just out of town. A deputy seen me from about a quarter mile from the secondary road he was on, took a dirt trail towards me and questioned what I was doing. I was OC a colt woodsmen. He said I could take you to jail for that. I didnt think he could make it stick but since he said he could, not "would" I didnt argue the point. This was about 1970 and certain areas around there had "shotgun only" areas and other areas we could pack. I think it was that same accident I was packing concealed. A crowd of people gathered around me. It was night and long story short, I had run off the highway and got busted up bad. I was rideing with a friend that had got ahead of me. Another cyclist I had passed ran him down and told him he better go back as he was sure I got killed. Bill showed up and it had dawned on me I was going to the hospital and had a gun on me. I asked the crowd to step back so I could have a private word with my buddy. I palmed bill my model 60 smith. Later at the hospital here come the CHP again. He ran the nurses off and said he wanted a word with me. He said someone told him I handed my buddy a plastic envelope. I said no, and told him I handed bill my stainless smith and that it probley did look like a plastic envelope in the moonlight. "Was it loaded?" No! Are you gonna write me up? "No, your suffering enough!" I had told him or showed him my guard and open carry (for my job) card. Also prefaced that with I know this doesnt cut concealed carry. Of course I didnt need to point out that I couldnt have got the cards if I was a BG.
Another time I had some drunk T-bone me and they ran. I and a GF ran them down and they hit and run me a couple more times in the process. We did run them to ground and I held them with my gun on me until the LAPD came. And came. And came. It looked like a police funneral. This was right down town los angeles about 1972. After a little visit with the watchmaster. I was given my same model 60 smith back with the ammo and a ride back to my poor wrecked 64 coup deville. The fact that the driver had warrants out on him probley helped me.
Today I suspect they would have jacked the jail up and rolled me under it. How can I bad mouth california? It was a different day.

Don't ask----Don't tell.
Blessings

If the state the park is in, honors your CWP, then you would be ok, and governed by that state's laws and in some cases local laws if they dont have preemption. However, the way I understand it, most federal "structures" you cannot bring a weapon into, and they should be signed. Think lodges at Yellowstone, any sort of visitor center or display building. At least they are not as anal as the post office, supposedly you cant even have a gun in your car if you are in the parking lot of the post office.

I am 72 years old. I have been around a number of rough situations and wild places. With the one exception of the incident that I wrote about above where I held two guys that hit and ran me on purpose 3 or 4 more times trying to get away after they initaly hit and ran me I have never had myself questioned, pat down or a vehicle searched. But then I never wore a mohawk, had jail house tatts, had hair down to my butt, wore "cool" filthy slogan t-shirts or stupid bumper stickers. I dont look like drug runner or on the other end of the scale like walter mitty either.
The point is just why and how do some of you guys fear being shook down? Keep your nose half way clean, dont do 20 over, or be flipping leo off and you should be okay. Yes, I know you could get in a bad wreck and while you are laying there dieing there is a outside chance it might happen.
Just dont advertise and you should be okay.