Shooting on BLM to be restricted?

[Big Fin]

I am usually not too much of a black helicopter crowd, but this article from US News and World Report does have me concerned. I have copied and pasted below, and have provided the link.

Given we have some BLM folks who are regulars on this site, I am interested to know if this is being reported properly. If so, I have a serious problem with this proposed BLM policy.

http://www.usnews.com/news/blogs/wa...11/16/obama-pushing-shooters-off-public-lands

Obama Pushing Shooters Off Public Lands
November 16, 2011

Gun owners who have historically been able to use public lands for target practice would be barred from potentially millions of acres under new rules drafted by the Interior Department, the first major move by the Obama administration to impose limits on firearms.

Officials say the administration is concerned about the potential clash between gun owners and encroaching urban populations who like to use same land for hiking and dog walking.

"It's not so much a safety issue. It's a social conflict issue," said Frank Jenks, a natural resource specialist with Interior's Bureau of Land Management, which oversees 245 million acres. He adds that urbanites "freak out" when they hear shooting on public lands.

If the draft policy is finally approved, some public access to Bureau lands to hunters would also be limited, potentially reducing areas deer, elk, and bear hunters can use in the West.

Conservationists and hunting groups, however, are mounting a fight. One elite group of conservationists that advises Interior and Agriculture is already pushing BLM to junk the regulations, claiming that shooters are being held to a much higher safety standard than other users of public lands, such as ATV riders.

"They are just trying to make it so difficult for recreational shooters," said Gary Kania, vice president of the Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation. His group is one of several, including the National Wildlife Foundation, Cabela's and Ducks Unlimited, on the Wildlife and Hunting Heritage Conservation Council fighting the new rules. During a two-day meeting ending this afternoon, they are drafting their own changes to the BLM rules.

"What we probably are going to be looking forward to is a reversal," said Kania. Asked about how to handle people who freak out when they hear shots on public lands, Kania said, "I don't know how to quanitify 'freaking out,'" and noted that he's seen people panicing when fly fishing in float tubes but nobody wants to ban then from rivers.

BLM actually invited the fight, seeking the council's comments. But officials suggested to Whispers that no changes are being planned to the draft regulations.

Over five pages, the draft BLM regulations raise concerns about how shooting can cause a "public disturbance." They also raise worries about how shooting and shooters can hurt plants and litter public lands.

This is the key paragraph foes say could lead to shooters being kicked off public lands:

"When the authorized officer determines that a site or area on BLM-managed lands used on a regular basis for recreational shooting is creating public disturbance, or is creating risk to other persons on public lands; is contributing to the defacement, removal or destruction of natural features, native plants, cultural resources, historic structures or government and/or private property; is facilitating or creating a condition of littering, refuse accumulation and abandoned personal property is violating existing use restrictions, closure and restriction orders, or supplementary rules notices, and reasonable attempts to reduce or eliminate the violations by the BLM have been unsuccessful, the authorized officer will close the affected area to recreational shooting."

Squeezing out shooters, says the draft policy, is needed because, "As the West has become more populated, recreational shooters now often find themselves in conflict with other public lands users, and the BLM is frequently called on to mediate these conflicts."

At yesterday's meeting at Interior, the council balked at the BLM draft regulations, adding that the Obama administration was not being fair to shooters on the issue of safety.

In a draft retort to BLM, the council said other users of public land aren't required to be as safe as shooters. They note that shooters have a much lower injury rate than others, like ATV users. "The policy fails to recognize that recreational shooting has one of the lowest incidences of death and injury compared to virtually any other outdoor recreational activity. The policy is prejudicial and discriminatory to target shooters as compared to other recreationists," said the council's draft response, expected to be finalized today.

What's more, the group charged that the BLM is acting in a contradictory fashion, encouraging the shooting sports while limiting shooting areas.

I will admit to finding messes on the BLM where shooters leave their empties, their targets, their junk. But, I can say the same thing about hikers, dog walkers, ATVers, and anyone else who uses these public lands.

As far as "urbanites who freak out." That would imply that I care about people who freak out about most anything. They freak out if they get dust on the lip of their latte cup. They freak out if their French Poodle has a dark spot on their tooth. Some of these urbanites are freaked out all the time, so how do you distinguish if they freaked out from guys practicing on the BLM, or if they freaked out because the DVR erased the latest Kardashian episode?

Didn't know that the BLM lands were located near too many urbanites, with the exception of some in CA. AZ, and NV. Even there, I wonder if many of those "freaked out urbanites" spend much time on the BLM lands.

Worrisome to me. Will be calling my Senators and Rep to make sure they know about this and what a concern it is for us "calmed down country folk."

 

[fowladdict]

Wow!! I hope this is a joke. Even here in Boise the BLM land that people target practice at is pretty dam far away from where any "freaked out" city folk would care to venture. Having grown up in California, I could pretty much say the same thing. I will say that the "targets" some choose to use and leave behind pisses me off to no end, but like you say the atv crowd does create quite a mess as well.

Funny thing is if you live in the Boise valley you are likely to be awakend early everyday to the alarm of a duck/goose hunters shotgun during the season. I suppose that is the next thing that will be attempted to be banned due to "freak outs".

 

[MNHunter]

Man I hope that doesn't go anywhere. Its been said before, we won't loose our gun rights in one fell swoop...rather, it will be the chipping away and the slow erosion of our rights that we need to be concerned about

 

[Ben Lamb]

Saw CSF's write up of this. Very concerning.

I can see weapons restrictions areas immediately around developed areas like subdivisions, etc, for safety reason, but to exclude shooting because someone get's uppity about it makes no sense.

I'll be reaching out to the Delegation as well.

 

[Mudranger1]

As far as "urbanites who freak out." That would imply that I care about people who freak out about most anything. They freak out if they get dust on the lip of their latte cup. They freak out if their French Poodle has a dark spot on their tooth. Some of these urbanites are freaked out all the time, so how do you distinguish if they freaked out from guys practicing on the BLM, or if they freaked out because the DVR erased the latest Kardashian episode?

that's what I'm talking about

 

[MThuntr]

I'll be sending some emails this afternoon! I'm gonna post this on other forums at lunch

 

[putm2sleep]

Here we go.

 

[Taylor]

Infringement on Urban development? Wow, how about infringing on the Constitution and my God given rights as an American. Somebody call Ted Nugent and the NRA.

Nov 2012 can come soon enough.

 

[Ben Lamb]

Went one better than the NRA and contacted the Chairman of the Congressional Sportsmen's Caucus.

 

[Mikeflies]

When is enough enough. When I lived in Wyoming I loved the fact that we could use the public land for hunting, shooting, camping, whatever. Now the California City Slickers are moving away what from they created & want to do it again in other states. Their way of thinking is since the area is smaller, its easier to get the laws changed. I know that for fact, because I had a neighbor in WY that moved there from California and thats what he told me once. There are Locals who have lived there for years & years without any complaints & now that the West is getting populated, more like popular, this starts to happen. I think if the "new" population gets freaked out about gunshots, then go back to where you came from.
Sorry did not mean to rant, but that is HORSE $H!T.

 

[fowladdict]

Now the California City Slickers are moving away what from they created & want to do it again in other states. Their way of thinking is since the area is smaller, its easier to get the laws changed. I know that for fact, because I had a neighbor in WY that moved there from California and thats what he told me once.

Not to take away from the point of this thread, but what you stated above is typical hogwash. I get some of the reasons people dislike Californians, but you are wrong about most that have ventured East of Cali. Being a former Cali City Slicker...I know a little about those misconceptions and being treated like I'm not welcome.

 

[gjflyfisherman]

Unbelievable! Time to get the word out to everyone that this is unacceptable!

 

[sweetnectar]

Several years ago BLM land was closed to shooting that was 8 miles outside of Billings. They cited reasons like Lots of junk left behind unsafe lines of fire, and being too close to Billings that someone could fire stray rounds into the city and bla bla bla. So now most drive 16 miles out of Billings to do their target practicing on a piece of BLM that has nice back drops.
Also reminds me of another nice piece of BLM land about 20 miles outside of Billings that was closed to target shooting but can still be hunted. Can't understand the reasoning on that one.
And then there is that piece of state land 400 yards from my house that is closed to all recreation.
I hate to see any more public land get shut off from shooting.

 

[justdada]

Sad day, another step towards pushing hunters and recreational shooters off public land. I hope some sense comes to the blm.

 

[Mikeflies]

Fowladdict1, your right, I don't mean to pick on all CCS'lers. I just let my finger do the talking & put all in one pot. My Bad. I just got mad while reading the post & it reminded me of my Old no good neighbor. Please accept my apologies.

 

[mtmiller]

http://www.usnews.com/news/blogs/wa...s-heard-interior-will-not-ban-target-practice

 

[Ben Lamb]

Crap. What am I going to rage about today?

 

[tjones]

wolves,,,,,,,,,,,

 

[mtmiller]

.....................

 

[Ben Lamb]

wolves,,,,,,,,,,,

Not my money machine. Dang it.