One item Gentry residents and the Gentry council should consider before adopting the proposed ordinance establishing further rules and regulations for the use of city parks is the prohibition of firearms. I'm not advocating hunting or shooting sports within our city parks -- a gun show might be OK -- but I do have a concern for those who are licensed to carry a concealed handgun that they not be banned from doing so in the city park.
An exception needs to be added to the proposed ordinance for those who may possess or carry firearms lawfully. As the ordinance now reads, there's not even an exception for police officers, though I don't think anyone is trying to make police officers lock their firearms in their patrol cars and park their cars out on the streets before entering the city's parks. Hey, but if there's no exception written in the law, they too would be in violation!
Though, perhaps I should, I don't use the parks all that much; and, when I do, I'm usually armed with a camera or two. But I have seen a lot of people using the parks, especially in the mornings and evenings, for a daily walk or run. And if that man or woman, out alone and getting exercise, is packing a pistol or revolver under a shirt or in a fanny pack for his or her own safety or security, I have no problem with that. It is, after all, a right protected by both the state and federal constitutions; and I'm a strong proponent of not legislating away constitutional rights, whether it be the right to keep and bear arms, the right to practice my faith, the right to say what's on my mind or the right to publish news, views and information in newspapers.
My fear, should the city council pass the proposed ordinance in its existing form, is that decent, law-abiding citizens who like to walk or run on the trails in the park might avoid using the park just because they are decent and law-abiding and wouldn't want to violate the law, even if it is only a misdemeanor offense.
Council members might think about the women who walk or run alone through the park. Is it safe for them to do so with no means to defend themselves? I know Gentry is a pretty safe place, but bad things can happen anywhere and it is not a wise idea to invite trouble.
As a former police officer who has investigated rapes and assaults, I wouldn't recommend to my wife or daughters, or to the wives and daughters of anyone else, to be out alone on a street or highway or in a park, especially in the early morning or evening hours when there are few other people around, without some means to protect themselves should they be assaulted.
A big dog with a protective nature like a German Shepherd might be the best deterrent and a good running or walking companion but not everyone has the time and space such an animal requires. And besides, I doubt the council wishes to have more big dogs in the park. There are, after all, far more injuries from dog bites than from firearms; and if one took out the firearm injuries and deaths which included criminal intent to make it more comparable to the unplanned and unintended injuries and deaths from dog attacks, it would be far, far safer to allow the law abiding to carry a concealed firearm in the park than to allow people to bring their dogs into the park.
And, lest someone think I would like to ban dogs, I have no such desire. I'm a dog lover and have two -- though not nearly as big as the German Shepherd that used to ride with me in my patrol car in rural western Kansas. I suppose, if I still had him, I'd be taking him for walks in the park.
I will say, too, that I would hate to create another gun-free zone since they seem to be the preferred hunting grounds of those bent on evil. What better place to plan and carry out a crime than where the law-abiding are defenseless until police can be summoned and arrive! I count businesses and places with the "no firearms" signs at the door the most dangerous places to be. I try to avoid them and quite often choose to spend my time and money elsewhere.
All I ask of the city council members, since they represent the people of Gentry, is to stop and consider my arguments and check to see what their constituents wish for their city parks. And, for those who live in Gentry and use the parks, let your council members know your wishes.
I'll probably be in the parks occasionally either way, unless, of course, the council bans my cameras. Then I'll need a German Shepherd to get me motivated enough to use the parks and exercise my dog, but I'd probably choose instead to go someplace outside of town where I didn't need to carry a plastic bag and a pooper scoop with me.
Randy Moll is the managing editor of the Westside Eagle Observer. He may be contacted by email at [email protected]. Opinions expressed are those of the author.
Editorial on 10/14/2015