An interesting side note to the tragic shooting of a Mt. Rainier park ranger yesterday, is that guns were not permitted in national parks until a National Rifle Association sponsored bill lifted the gun ban in 2010... a bill that had been widely opposed by park rangers and officials nationwide.

Now, I'll freely admit that the suspect being sought—who allegedly fled to the back country after an earlier shooting in Skyway, and then gunned down ranger Margaret Anderson in cold blood—is likely not the kind of person who would have been stopped by the old gun ban. But, for those who paradoxically insist that having more guns in parks makes us all safer... well... at least in this particular instance, clearly not.

And of course, if our gun laws weren't so permissive in general, the earlier shooting that sparked this confrontation, might never have happened. Because, you know, statistically, there is a clear correlation between the availability of firearms, and their illegal use.

Something lawmakers maybe should've thought deeper about before cynically attaching the gun-ban-lifting provisions to credit card reform legislation.