An outpouring of public input from citizens in Blowing Rock convinced a narrow majority on town council to deprive all but the lawless of their Second Amendment rights in public parks.

“Is it too much to ask somebody with a conceal carry permit to put it away for the time you are going to be in the park? I’m sorry, but that’s the way we want to live. I have a conceal carry permit, and I can’t tell you how many places I am denied the privilege of bringing my gun,” [Councilman Jim Steele] said. “To add three little places in the middle of town is not too much to ask. If our town suddenly becomes a dangerous place, we can always revisit this issue.”