PORT ORCHARD —
On Monday, Kitsap County commissioners reluctantly repealed a ban on openly carrying guns in parks.
The law, written in 1971, ran counter to state law that prohibits local governments from establishing such a ban.
Commissioners said they were changing the county code — which is effective now — only because they risked litigation by keeping the current law in place.
“I think it’s bad policy on the part of the state,” said county Commissioner Steve Bauer. He said if he took his grandchildren to a park and saw someone openly carrying a weapon, he would contact police and then get the children away from the park.
Bauer said there’s nothing in the law that prohibits people to carry concealed weapons if they have a permit. “This is not about them exercising their constitutional rights, ” he said.
The commissioners’ move follows a demonstration in May, when a local group affiliated with OpenCarry.org held a barbecue in Silverdale’s Waterfront Park, where members came armed.
No arrests were made at the demonstration, with Kitsap County Sheriff’s deputies saying they recognized the discrepancy between county and state rules.
Read more:
http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2009/...issioners-reluctantly-lift-gun/#ixzz1MO7Lp0Pz
