There’s good reason – several reasons actually – for the longtime ban on loaded weapons in national parks. But there’s not a single good reason for the Bush administration to junk it.

The administration’s plan to overturn the ban is an election-year stunt by the National Rifle Association to create a get-out-the-gun-vote wedge issue. The NRA convinced 50 senators – mostly Republicans — to sign a letter demanding that the firearms rules be overturned and that state firearms laws be applied instead.

That would create a mishmash of rules across the nation that would be confusing for visitors traveling from state to state. It would be an enforcement nightmare for park rangers.

Congressman Norm Dicks, D-Belfair, is right to try to block the administration’s plan in his role as chairman of the House Appropriations interior subcommittee. Park employees want the rule retained for their own safety as well as the public’s. They argue that allowing people to pack loaded weapons will alarm families and could dangerously escalate conflicts between visitors or with park staff.

Under current rules – which have been working well since they were last revised under President Ronald Reagan and Interior Secretary James Watt 25 years ago – visitors may bring guns into national parks. They’re just required to keep them unloaded in a secure place, such as in the trunk of a car.

The original rule against carrying loaded weapons dates back to 1936 and grew out of concern about illegal hunting and poaching in the national parks. Poaching is still a problem, says the National Parks Conservation Association, causing the decline of nearly 30 species in the parks. If the loaded gun ban is overturned, park rangers would no longer have the authority to question individuals about their weapons.

Critics of the ban can cite no crime statistics that might warrant allowing park visitors to arm themselves for self-protection. Indeed, the number of crimes reported in the national parks dropped by 25 percent in the last decade.

The system isn’t broken, so why is the NRA pushing an unnecessary arms escalation in the national parks?

Maybe the only answer is: because it can.

That’s not good enough to overturn a reasonable rule that has been working well for so many years. Visitors to Mount Rainier and Olympic national parks should be able to enjoy the natural splendor without worrying about who’s packing heat.