Guns in National Parks?

All I know about whether guns should be allowed in National Parks is this: several years ago I was backpacking on the Appalachian Trail, somewhere in Tennessee or maybe southwestern Virginia. One day we came across two hunters carrying rifles, hunting something or other. We exchanged short, polite greetings and we each went on our way. But I remember that the next half-mile was quite stressful, and I have rarely felt so vulnerable -- and this is a place where the locals hang fish hooks on the trail at eye level to warn-off hikers.

No one has a legitimate need to carry a gun in a National Park -- if you're that afraid of its animals, don't go there -- where hunting isn't allowed. It's a shame America will now allow this. People will die because of it, and, if not, will take on far more stress than need be in a civilized society.