Knox (county) parks advisers recommend opting out of carry law

[macville]

Saw this in the paper this morning (Knox parks advisers recommend opting out of carry law Knoxville News Sentinel )

Knox parks advisers recommend opting out of carry law

• By Rebecca Ferrar
  

People would be banned from carrying permitted guns in all of the county's 42 parks under a recommendation approved Monday by the Knox County Parks and Recreation Advisory Board.

The board advises the mayor, who in turn will make a recommendation to the County Commission, probably for that panel's September meeting.

Seventeen members of the board voted to adopt the restriction, and one member, Steven Waller, abstained from the vote.

Board member Laura Tappan, who made the motion to approve the measure, said the board does not need to wait to see what the city of Knoxville does but instead needs to act now. The Knoxville City Council last week delayed the vote until its Aug. 25 meeting.

"We didn't need to wait on the city. We needed to take a stand," Tappan said. "I don't think guns are needed anywhere we have children and families recreating. It could create chaos."

She said there are times when parents, coaches and referees "get into heated arguments. If you have guns handy, what's to prevent anyone from pulling their gun?"

During the last legislative session, the General Assembly approved a bill to allow people with gun permits to carry guns in local, state and national parks. The law has a provision allowing counties and municipalities to opt out of the bill.

"In my opinion, guns don't need to be anywhere where kids are," board member Steven Clabough said before the vote. "I can't see it."

Frank Shanklin Jr., another board member, said, "We need to vote that we don't have guns in parks at all."

Marty Bradley agreed, and said, "I can see no good from having someone armed at a sporting event - right there in a crowd of kids. I'm pretty much in favor of a ban. We need to send a message."

Paul James, the board's chairman, said, "Guns and families do not go together. We want to promote a very healthy environment."

Doug Bataille, director of the county's Parks and Recreation Department, said that so far Nashville, Memphis and Chattanooga have passed bans on guns in parks, 23 cities and counties have passed resolutions banning guns, 30 are working on resolutions, and 10 have failed to pass resolutions.

"I think with everyone that I talked to, we all agree that the issue of having (the ban) in sports parks for kids was a good idea," said Bataille.

The Knox County ban would also apply to the county's seven greenways.

Bataille said some had questioned whether the ban should also apply to greenways, but he said the greenways are "very intermingled with the school system and library system. It made sense to have one blanket system."

Waller, meanwhile, urged caution before the vote.

"We need to be very cautious and err on the side of being very conservative by allowing people to have guns in urban parks where there is potentially already a gun," he said.

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Here's my notes on this article.

First, the writer didn't do her research because she would know that the state assembly didn't have anything to do with allowing carry in the National Parks. In fact, even if they hadn't passed the carry in parks law, the NP's wouldn't be off limits because the law only said you couldn't carry in State and local parks!

Once again people brought up a whole bunch of emotional arguments that are not based on any cases that have happened in the US. Please find a case where a coach/ref/parent was shot by another person at a game... Could someone post how many states allow carry in local parks?

One interesting point though. The article said it wouldn't probably be brought up until September's CC meeting. That meeting is the 28th of Sept. Interesting that if that happens, carry would be legal in parks for 28 days until they ban it. Maybe that might help to show that it's not going to be the wild west.

Lastly, don't you love how the writer has plenty of anti views, but only one possible pro carry view????! Not to mention that KNS had it top front page in big letters. What view do you think they are taking...

Matthew

[Guest SUNTZU]

You remember that video of the kid flipping out over his mom canceling his HALO account? I think most of the people freaking out about this bill are like that, right down to the trying to shove the phone up their butt. I blame it on all the carpetbaggers.