Man appeals federal ruling about gun ban in Seattle parks

A Kent man has appealed last week's federal court ruling that found Seattle's ban on carrying firearms in city parks and community centers is constitutional.

Bob Warden, who tried to carry a gun into a community center after the city banned guns in parks, filed a federal lawsuit challenging the city's ban on guns, imposed by former Mayor Greg Nickels last fall.

But last month, in a separate case, a King County Superior Court judge ruled that the city cannot ban firearms in those areas because the ban violates state law. Warden said his case should still move forward.

"The added value of my case," said Warden, an attorney, "is that future legislatures would be unable to change state law to enable municipalities to arbitrarily regulate firearms due to a strong recognized Second Amendment individual right to keep and bear arms."

For now, the King County ruling takes precedent. Despite Thursday's federal court decision, the city's gun ban is still on indefinite hold.

Susan Gilmore: 206-464-2054 or sgilmore@seattletimes.com