National Park question

[secretbard]

Pennsylvania Governor Signs HB 2563 Into Law!

Friday, December 08, 2006

On November 29, Governor Ed Rendell (D) signed House Bill 2563, sponsored by Representative Ed Staback (D-115), into law.

This legislation will allow individuals with a valid Right-to-Carry permit to carry a firearm for personal protection while engaged in any hunting activity or other activity regulated by Title 34 (Game & Wildlife) of the Pennsylvania Code. This new law takes effect in 60 days. Currently, any individual with a carry permit, including law enforcement officers, must disarm before archery hunting and spotlighting. HB 2563 will remove any requirements for individuals who are permitted to carry a concealed firearm for protection to disarm while engaged in any activity regulated in the Game Code, including all hunting seasons.

The bill specifically states that concealed firearms are for personal protection only, and are not to be used to hunt or harvest any wildlife unless the Game Code authorizes them.

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Don't know exactly what this means for LTC in parks when not hunting, but I can tell you that spotlighting is not engaging in hunting, so that in itself tells me that I am now allowed to wander around the Delaware Water Gap Recreation Area wearing my conceal carry handgun. At least this is how I interpret the new law.

[PA_SIGpacker]

Unfortunately, that bill only applies to Title 34 and the PA Game Commission. It definitely cleared up a grey area for lands and activities controlled by the PGC, but not land controlled exclusively by the DCNR. In other words, this law applies only to activities regulated by Title 34, e.g. hunting, furtaking, bird banding, falconing, fox chasing, dog training, etc. So one could infer that it is legal to carry concealed in a state park if you were legally engaged in any activity regulated under Title 34. As the law states:

It is lawful for a law enforcement officer
or any person who possesses a valid license to carry a firearm
issued under 18 Pa.C.S. § 6109 (relating to licenses) to be in
possession of a loaded or unloaded firearm while engaged in any
activity regulated by this title.

Of course, National Parks and federal law/regulations supercede this, but the grey area is "what is legal if you are in a state park and not engaged in one of those activities?"

[Chevmeister]

I can be 100% positive when i say any road in a national park is federal property. Some years ago one of our guys had to swerve to miss a oncoming driver, and rolled a truck, trailer, and backhoe. One park ranger showed up, we asked if he called for a DOT on the truck or did we have to call. He told us im here, noone else is coming, PA DOT has no authority on my road. Get that truck out of my park. We brought in a loader and righted the trailer, loaded tha smashed up backhoe on another trailer and were gone in 45 minutes. when the cop left he told us spread some grass seed, i dotn want to have to call a maintence crew.