Anti-gun Columbus Dispatch continues editorial tirade

By Jeff Riley

Judging by the pubishing of yet another uninformed anti-gun editorial ("Carrying to Extremes"), having just recently been taken to task by Buckeye Firearms Association Chairman Jim Irvine for their false reporting about the eleventh-hour wrangling over HB450 has apparently not given pause to the editorial writers at the Columbus Dispatch.

From their latest editorial:

One way or another -- whether via Congress, the new Obama administration or the courts -- the long-standing ban on possession of loaded guns in the parks should be reinstated.

That statement makes it pretty evident that the editors at the Columbus Dispatch believe that law-abiding citizens cannot be trusted to take responsibility for their own safety. Not only that, anyone who carries a firearm is to be suspected and up to no good:

Pity the poor Interior Department employees and park rangers who try to determine the intent of the people they glimpse carrying weapons and whether they are carrying legally, with permits, or illegally.

Apparently now that lawful concealed carry of a handgun by license holders is now legal in National Parks we can now expect a rash of murders by CHL holders of both visitors and Park Rangers:

Whether the rangers are watching over crowds convening for Fourth of July celebrations in New York City or patrolling remote wilderness areas to prevent poaching, the new rule will make their jobs more difficult and dangerous.

I have some news for the Dispatch, the job of a Park Ranger is already difficult and dangerous, but not because of the law abiding visitors. It's because of the drug dealers, the meth labs, and the people smugglers who all view our National parks as places to do business.

Although the Dispatch cherry picks crime statistics for Mt. Ranier National Park in Washington State, comparing them to nearby Seattle, the truth is not as they would have you to believe. From the Seattle Times:

"Park rangers are the most assaulted federal officers," Jordan said. "Urban police officers had a lot more crime to deal with, but we have less staff. (emphasis added)

"It used to be that being a ranger in Washington state's national parks and forests meant guiding people through the great outdoors and serving as caretaker to plants and wildlife. But as cities and suburbs rapidly encroach upon wilderness areas, drugs and violence have crept into the outdoors."

Whether it's meth labs hidden amid lush forests or car prowls at trailheads, park rangers and forest officers are seeing an increasing amount of criminal behavior.

While neither the U.S. Forest Service nor the National Park Service keeps precise statistics about crime on federally protected lands, officers and rangers in Washington say that crime appears to be on the rise in the backcountry."

While this story is dated from 2006, it is important to note that the latest available crime statistics for National Parks used by the Park Service is also 2006.

In fact it has become so bad that "Rangers such as Jordan have become as familiar with firearms and evidence collection as they are with the best hiking routes and bear-safety tips."

It should be blindingly obvious that if Park Rangers feel the need to carry a firearm for protection, shouldn't law-abiding citizens be allowed the same basic right for self-protection. You can't rely on anyone to provide for your own safety and Meredith Emerson's murder is proof positive of that fact. Despite numerous close encounters with law enforcement, her killer was able to operate with impunity, even waving at one officer who drove by both Emerson and her killer.

The ban on guns is a farce, there have always been guns in Parks, just ones carried by criminals. Again from the Seattle Times:

"We take weapons off people all the time," O'Neill said. A rash of car break-ins at the Lake Quinault trailhead last summer resulted in the theft of nearly $20,000 worth of items from 21 people, Jordan said. By bashing car windows with a rock, thieves stole laptops, wallets and other items. Only six people recovered some of their possessions, she said.

During 12 years as a Forest Service officer, Shane Wyrsh said he's seen alleged gang members practicing shooting; he's helped investigate violent assaults and even stumbled upon "the mother of all meth labs." This was a property where people were exchanging cars, bicycles, generators and other stolen items for drugs."

The Dispatch would have you believe that crime is so low in National Parks that you don't need to carry a firearm since criminals are so well-behaved. But the mere introduction of lawful concealed carry by the "good guys" will unleash hell on earth reminiscent of the "blood in the streets" argument put forth to oppose concealed carry in Ohio. As we all know by now that argument has been proven false.

Concealed carry licensees are some of the most law-abiding citizens in the United States. Prior to obtaining their license they had voluntarily submitted to FBI and local background checks; had never been convicted of a crime of violence, drug, or weapons charges. I highly doubt that these are the people who are committing crimes in National Parks and are not likely to do so in the future.

The gun ban lobby which the Dispatch loves to parrot regularly accuses proponents of CCW and the NRA of fear mongering or paranoia, yet I would submit to you that they are the real fear mongers here. Normal people fear criminals and crime, not their fellow citizens. People with the mindset of the Dispatch editors fear freedom and the responsibility that goes with it. In the words of David Codrea of the blog TheWarOnGuns, "They hate us because we are free". They also fear their fellow citizens, those who have never commited a crime, but are already criminals in their mind just because they own a firearm.

I suspect that what the Dispatch is really opposed to just like their Brady bunch friends are ownership and use of guns for self defense. Any measure which restores the freedoms enjoyed by previous generation is anathema to the big–government, nanny state -loving editors at the Columbus Dispatch.

Jeff Riley is a Southwest Ohio volunteer for Buckeye Firearms Association.

Related Stories:
Dispatch Ignores Evidence in Concealed Carry Debate

Anti-Gun Columbus Dispatch Rears Ugly Head - Shows True Colors Again

Dispatch: 140+ years of anti-self-defense rhetoric

(We'd provide a link to every Second Amendment editorial published by the Dispatch over the past few years, but the the list was too long to compile in a reasonable amount of time. Type "columbus dispatch editorial" in to the search feature of our website at top right for many, many, many more examples.)