Visiting a county park? Don't forget to pack heat

Well, here's something that should make us all feel more at ease: After a review by the county attorney's office, signs prohibiting legally concealed handguns in Harris County parks have been removed because officials decided the ban couldn't be enforced.

County Attorney Mike Stafford's office told the court that the county has been violating state law by banning people with concealed handgun licenses from carrying their guns into parks.

A complaint from a resident who saw one of the signs while using a county park prompted the county attorney's office to look into whether it is legal to ban the guns, Stafford said.

"He was a concealed handgun carrier. He wasn't arrested," Stafford said. "His complaint eventually went up the line to us."

The county, other public agencies and property owners got the ability to ban concealed handguns after the state approved concealed handgun licenses in 1995. But a 2003 amendment changed the rules for public agencies, saying they could no longer bar guns from their property.

We suppose the change won't really change things — after all, if someone was going to shoot someone at a county park, we doubt a sign telling them they couldn't bring a gun on the property would have meant much anyway. And in case you wondered, you still can't take a gun into schools, courthouses, justice of the peace courts or places where county governmental meetings are being held.