Solicitor: Township's Gun Ban in Parks Not OK

Guns will no longer be banned in Lower Saucon Township parks and on the section of the that passes through the township--although, legally speaking, they apparently never were.

On Aug. 15, township council solicitor Linc Treadwell advised council that the township's firearms ban in parks is in contradiction to state law, which allows anyone who obtains a permit to carry a gun anywhere--including parks.

State law supersedes township law, he said.

To correct the current situation, Treadwell offered up language changes to the park and trail rules, which council voted unanimously to advertise. Final approval will come at a later date.

According to the revised rules, "you are now not permitted to unlawfully carry a gun," Treadwell explained.

If you have a permit, you are lawfully carrying a gun, he said.

Councilwoman Priscilla deLeon asked whether guns could lawfully be brought into a council meeting.

Treadwell then explained that they can be.

"There is a specific exclusion in the gun law and the permit-to-carry gun laws for courthouses and federal buildings," he said. "You can have (a gun) here sitting in the audience, but you can’t have one in a federally owned building."

Once the changes receive final approval, township signs will be changed to reflect the new language, township manager Jack Cahalan said.

Patch readers have recently spoken out about rules that target gun owners, both and at the .