Handgun Carry Federal Parks Question, My Experience

[runco]

Has the law changed about being legal to hand gun carry inside federal parks with a TN HCP?

This happened to me back in 1999. This particular time, I was packing two weapons, a small NAA 22 revolver and a Glock 17 under my seat. I was riding one of those crotch rockets, ZX11 to be exact. I use to ride with a group of guys, 10 to 15 bikes. We were leaving Gatlinburg around 1am heading towards Sevierville after an evening of wooing women, and blah, blah, blah which was a weekly event for us. As was custom when we would depart, as soon as we entered the spur, the road between Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, our 20 year old something testosterone filled bodies would begin the rite of who could ride the fastest kicked in like so many times in the past. I was always #1 or #2 by the time we reach Pigeon Forge, fun, excilerating, and very dangerous. This particular time, a National Park Ranger was hiding and caught us (he called ahead, and had PF city waiting to help block traffic in case we ran). For you who do not know, the road between Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge is actually apart of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The officer orded me off my bike and I informed him before he could ask that I had a gun and a permit. After he secured the situation, he proceeded to give me two citations one for the obvious speeding and the intent to go armed inside the National Park. I tried to argue, and he just laughed and said my permit was good for Tennessee but not the National Park. Oh crap! $700 later with lawyer fees, and federal court, my lawyer was ultimately successful in negotiating the federal prosecutor to drop the charge. You see on this section of the highway beteen Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, the Federal Park Service and the state of Tennessee share the road maintenance responsibility and my attorny knew that. So he argued in the hallway with the federal prosecutor that the Feds couldn't have both ways, either the State has rights or the Feds could not receive co-road maintenance. So the Feds dropped the going armed citation. However my speeding ticked stuck and at a hefty price ~$300. Needless to say I do not speed inside the Park anymore. Just curious if the handgun thing happened in 2012, would I have been okay? At least on the gun!

[macville]

Yes, you would have been totally okay. This coming year it will have been almost 3 years that you have been able to carry a firearm in the NP's as long as it's legal to do so in the state in which you are in. So basically you have to be able to carry in the state legally, and you have to carry in the manner which the state allows. So that means in TN & NC conceal and open carry are allowed with a valid permit. The only restrictions are places where federal employees work. So inside most visitor stations and places like that are off limits. However, the NPS has been really good at posting those building and you will see a no guns signs posted on those buildings (they are big and obnoxiously obvious.) The only other law is no shooting in the park unless in self defense. But that's similar to TN law anyhow.

[Clod Stomper]

Yes, the law changed a couple years ago. I don't remember when, exactly. But now the park service observes the law of the state which it's in.

Even back then, had you not been driving like a maniac, most Rangers I knew at the time would probably have just given you a warning and made you unload the weapons.