Armed men and women will be roaming Rhea County parks in the near future. While that might ordinarily be a disturbing thought, local officials believe this will actually make the parks safer for those who use them.
The Tennessee general Assembly passed a law last spring that permits gun owners, who hold a Tennessee concealed handgun carry permit, to legally carry their guns in parks and nature areas across the state beginning Sept.1. The law also applies to municipal parks unless the municipality decides to opt out of the law.
Both the Dayton City Council and the Graysville Board of Mayor and Commissioners decided not to opt out of the new law, and the Spring City Commission may well follow suit next month.
“Anything we do to restrict gun permit holders is restricting law abiding citizens,” Dayton Councilman Steve Randolph said in July.
“If I go walking in the park with my wife, I hope everyone I meet is a handgun carry permit holder with a gun in their pocket.”
In Graysville Commissioner Charles Kaylor said banning guns at the Graysville Park wouldn’t keep criminals from carrying guns illegally.
“If they don’t have [a permit], they’re going to carry it anyways,” he said.
He said allowing permit holders to carry their guns in the park would make lawbreakers think twice before causing any trouble.
An online poll conducted by The Herald-News in Dayton indicates 61 percent of respondents believe gun permit holders should be allowed to carry guns in local parks.