Politics & Government

Tell Us: Are You OK With Guns on the Rail Trail?

Do you find a "no weapons" rule on the Saucon Rail Trail appropriate or objectionable?

--who was --is located along the trail in Hellertown's .

A PAFOA user from Northampton County named Micky writes that when walking the popular trail in the borough, he stopped to read a sign that outlines rules for its use.

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"Now, for once, I did not have my weapon on me, nor did my wife," Micky wrote June 13. "Part of (the sign) said 'no weapons.' Now, the trail isn't privately owned, so I was asking myself 'wtf?'"

Micky writes that he was concerned about his Second Amendment right to possess a firearm possibly being infringed upon, and subsequently called the for more information about the posted rule.

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He ultimately visited Borough Hall, where he spoke to a Hellertown police officer, acccording to the account posted online.

"(The officer) said that yes, OC (Open Carry)/CC (Concealed Carry) are legal, and that the law is aimed more at hunting rifles, because the trail goes through the woods, and they don't want hunters taking their rifles and hunting off the trail," according to Micky. "He also said, however, that if I carried a handgun, to keep it concealed. I asked why?"

The officer, Micky writes, "said that while OC (Open Carry) is legal, that if they got a call from someone saying that there is a man with a gun on the trail, they'd respond, detain me momentarily, 'take my weapon, and check to see if it's registered.'"

Micky says he was concerned about this answer, and other PAFOA members offer varying opinions about it on the lengthy comment thread that follows.

"Why take my gun? What registry are you talking about?" he asks.

What do you think? What do you think of guns being carried on the trail--either in the open or concealed (if an owner is legally permitted to do so). Tell us in the comments below.


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