{"id":10544,"date":"2026-04-10T19:00:05","date_gmt":"2026-04-10T19:00:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/?p=10544"},"modified":"2026-04-10T19:00:05","modified_gmt":"2026-04-10T19:00:05","slug":"gun-rights-groups-sue-to-end-gun-free-zones-in-national-parks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/?p=10544","title":{"rendered":"Gun Rights Groups Sue to End Gun-Free Zones in National Parks"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"justify-start\">\n<nav class=\"align-left col-span-full mb-base\" data-pom-e2e-test-id=\"breadcrumbs\"\/>\n<p>Can you legally carry a firearm in National Parks? While carrying on the trail is legal, a new lawsuit seeks to end the ban on guns in facilities like gift shops and visitor centers. &#13;\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div><\/p>\n<p class=\"fp-leadCaption py-tight text-left font-utility text-utility3-size leading-utility3-line-height text-secondary\">A sign in the window prohibits firearms in the Medgar and Myrlie Evers Home National Monument in Mississippi<!-- --> (Photo: Getty Images)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"article-body\">\n<p>Published April 10, 2026 12:36PM<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>A gun rights group wants Americans to be able to legally bring firearms into visitor centers, restaurants, and gift shops in national parks. On March 27, the Second Amendment Foundation filed a lawsuit in federal court in Texas that challenges a law banning visitors from bringing guns into buildings or facilities at National Park Service (NPS) sites.<\/p>\n<p>The suit was then joined by a private citizen, Gary Zimmerman, and another gun rights group, the Firearms Policy Coalition. Their suit targets\u00a0<span style=\"box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px\">18 U.S.C. \u00a7 930(a),\u00a0a statute enacted<\/span> in 1988 as part of the Undetectable Firearms Act, which prohibits possession of weapons in government buildings.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe ban on federal facilities is overly broad,\u201d Bill Sacks, SAF director of legal operations, told <em>Outside<\/em>. \u201cNot only is it simply unnecessary, but also there\u2019s no historical tradition that substantiates this sort of ban.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>NPS visitors have been allowed to bring firearms to most national parks\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"text-brand-primary underline hover:text-brand-primary\/85 break-words overflow-wrap-anywhere underline-offset-[3px]\" rel=\"noopener\" data-afl-p=\"0\" href=\"https:\/\/npshistory.com\/publications\/ranger\/firearms-fs-2010.pdf\">since 2010<\/a>, provided they comply with state and local laws. Federal regulations prohibit discharging a weapon\u2014such as for hunting or target practice\u2014without a permit at an NPS site, but allow carrying one for self-defense. A spokesperson for the National Park Service told\u00a0<em>Outside\u00a0<\/em>that the agency does not comment on ongoing litigation.<\/p>\n<h2>The \u201cTrail to Table\u201d Loophole<\/h2>\n<p>While the NPS does allow visitors to bring guns into parks, other laws regulate where a gun-carrying person can go. A visitor who is legally carrying a firearm outdoors currently violates the\u00a0law the moment they step inside a federal facility, such as a ranger station, gift shop, or museum.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn most of the park, writ large, you can carry, but when you\u2019re going to go buy your passes, or water, or snacks, or use the facilities, or anything else like that, you\u2019re forced to disarm,\u201d Sacks explained. \u201cWe\u2019re challenging that.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Natural Sanctuaries vs. Self-Defense<\/h2>\n<p>Gun violence prevention groups\u00a0that spoke to <em>Outside<\/em> said the SAF\u2019s argument fundamentally misunderstands the law, noting that the government has always had the constitutional authority to restrict firearms in designated public spaces.<\/p>\n<p>Shira Feldman, senior director of constitutional law at the gun-reform nonprofit <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"text-brand-primary underline hover:text-brand-primary\/85 break-words overflow-wrap-anywhere underline-offset-[3px]\" rel=\"noopener\" data-afl-p=\"0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bradyunited.org\/\">Brady United<\/a>, told <em>Outside<\/em> that striking down the ban would violate the National Park System\u2019s foundational purpose: to create a safe place for visitors.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFrom the moment parks were first conceived in the U.S., they were designed as natural sanctuaries of respite and repose, starting with places like Prospect Park and Central Park, and firearms have often been intentionally prohibited,\u201d Feldman said. \u201cMost park rangers do not carry weapons, and this Park Service rule exists to protect safety across the board\u2014for park staff, for visitors, and for wildlife.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>But Sacks argues that gun owners should be allowed to carry guns inside these facilities to ensure visitor safety.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s exactly why the Second Amendment gives you the right to carry in public, because you may face unlawful violence,\u201d he said. \u201cYou may need to protect yourself, and that can happen when you are hiking, because you get cornered by a mountain lion, or it can happen at the visitor center, because you get cornered by a meth addict. The point is, your right to defend yourself and your family doesn\u2019t change in either event.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>According to a <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_self\" class=\"text-brand-primary underline hover:text-brand-primary\/85 break-words overflow-wrap-anywhere underline-offset-[3px]\" data-afl-p=\"0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.backpacker.com\/survival\/deaths-in-national-parks\/\">2023 report by our sister publication<\/a> <em>Backpacker,\u00a0<\/em>which analyzed mortality statistics on NPS sites, approximately 243 people die each year at NPS sites. The most common cause of death is drowning, followed by vehicle collisions, suicide, medical events, and accidental falls.<\/p>\n<p>Adam Skaggs, vice president of Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, noted that the right to carry a firearm in public has never been absolute, especially in government buildings.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs a legal matter, the Supreme Court and lower courts have uniformly held that prohibiting guns in sensitive places is entirely consistent with the Constitution,\u201d Skaggs said. \u201cNational parks and government facilities are sensitive places that should be protected from gun violence. The safety of all visitors to our national parks must come first.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The court has not issued any rulings in the case as of this writing. Always look for the \u201cNo Firearms\u201d signs posted at the entrances of all federal buildings.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><\/p>\n<section id=\"\" class=\"content-card rounded-xl px-base-loose pt-base-loose pb-loose shadow-sm shadow-black\/10\">\n<h2>Current 2026 Rules for Firearms in National Parks<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Since 2010, the National Park Service has deferred to the laws of the state where the park is located.<\/li>\n<li>Under 18 U.S.C. \u00a7 930, firearms are strictly prohibited in federal facilities. This is the rule currently being challenged in court.<\/li>\n<li>Even if a person is legally carrying on a trail, they cannot enter the following while armed: visitor centers and museums, ranger stations and administrative offices, gift shops and restaurants, post offices, or fee collection booths.<\/li>\n<li>If a person plans to enter a federal facility, their firearm must be lawfully secured inside of their vehicle according to the storage laws of that state.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><!-- --><\/section>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.outsideonline.com\/outdoor-adventure\/environment\/guns-in-national-parks-laws-lawsuit\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Can you legally carry a firearm in National Parks? While carrying on the trail is legal, a new lawsuit seeks to end the ban on guns in facilities like gift shops and visitor centers. &#13; A sign in the window prohibits firearms in the Medgar and Myrlie Evers Home National Monument in Mississippi (Photo: Getty<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":10545,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-10544","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-wild-living"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10544","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=10544"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10544\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/10545"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=10544"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=10544"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=10544"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}