Wow -- this is interesting. Even looking at it pessimistically, i.e., that the administration has some not above board purpose for doing this, it is still hanging the gun control advocates out to dry. Could mean they are the little fish in this administration's change agenda. Then again, being able to say, "We defended National Park concealed carry" might be a plan for the administration to come off as moderate when Obama signs an EBR ban.
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http://www.denverpost.com/nationworld/ci_11718779Obama defends Bush's late guns rule
By Juliet Eilperin
The Washington Post
Posted: 02/17/2009 12:30:00 AM MST
WASHINGTON — The Obama administration is legally defending a last-minute rule enacted by President George W. Bush that allows concealed firearms in national parks, even as it is reviewing internally whether the measure meets environmental muster.
In a response Friday to a lawsuit by gun-control and environmental groups, the Justice Department sought to block a preliminary injunction of the controversial rule. The regulation, which took effect Jan. 9, allows visitors to bring concealed, loaded guns into national parks and wildlife refuges; for more than two decades, they were allowed in such areas only if they were unloaded or stored and dismantled.
Three groups seeking to overturn the rule — the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, the National Parks Conservation Association and the Coalition of National Park Service Retirees — have argued that the Bush administration violated several laws in issuing the rule, such as failing to conduct an adequate environmental review. They also argue that the new policy could deter some visitors, such as school groups, from visiting national landmarks.
