The Obama Administration apparently thinks it's O.K. for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives to sell automatic weapons to Mexican drug cartels, but it is not O.K. for American citizens to target-shoot with their legally-owned firearms on 245 million acres of public lands that they -- not the government -- own.
Yet, if revised regulations proposed by the Obama Administration are adopted by the Bureau of Land Management, gun owners who have historically been able to use public lands for target practice would be barred from potentially millions of acres.
The draft policy would also limit public access to some BLM lands, severely restricting areas deer, elk and bear hunters can use.
Conservationists and hunting groups, however, are lining up in opposition. The Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation, National Wildlife Foundation, Cabela's and Ducks Unlimited have all filed protests with the Wildlife and Hunting Heritage Conservation Council, and have drafted their own alternative regulations.
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 BLM natural resource specialist, noting that people "freak out" when they hear shooting on public lands.
Others--including recreational shooters themselves--say target-shooters could be their own worst enemy in creating momentum for restricting their use of public lands.
"I don't think this is so much a Second Amendment issue as a 'trash' issue--at least here in Arizona," one gun-owner wrote on a blog. "People drag all kinds of stuff out into the desert, shoot the heck out of it and drive off. If we did a better job of cleaning up after ourselves, it wouldn't be an issue."
Maybe.
Then again, maybe not.
For more, go to:
Obama Pushing Shooters Off Public Lands
Gun Groups Decry 'Unacceptable' Proposal to Ban Target Shooting on Western Parkland
Feds Would Ban Target Shooting on a Million Acres
NRA Protests BLM Proposal to Ban Recreational Shooting in Arizona's Ironwood National Monument
Thread: BLM tries to ban shooting on public lands
BLM looking to ban target shooting on public lands
Obama to ban target shooting on Government land out west!
Ban target shooting on public land
Proposal to ban shooting on public BLM lands
Comments (9)
honest officer'''' I wasn;t shooting targets there was a coyote hiding behind that paper
Ohio also has public shooting ranges controled by ODNR. I think John has a point, sometimes we are our own worst enemy. I don't like to go into the woods and find old TV's, prpane canisters, microwaves ect. all shot up and left as trash or an old oak thats dead with targets stapled all over it. There are just too many idiots out there that don't give a sh*t, that are ruining it for the responsible people who do.
The Obama Administration needs to worry about protecting our boarders,unemployment, and its own selling guns illegally, more than law abiding Americans target shooting. Real problems in the US are happening now and the people are doing nothing, we need to vote these bums out and if the bunch of bums elected do the same they need voted out until they get the picture. Government waste is one of the biggest problems in this country and the government does nothing but spend more and more every day.
here we have a person and a group of idiots who are making the decisions concerning freedoms they know nothing about. do you really think obama knows anything about a gun. i'm sure just because he is the "first african american president" he knows all about guns. bet he can even shoot gangsta style. most of these idiots do not know how to operate a firearm of any type. the lands are owned by the united states of america. not just one certain group but by all. this is getting so sad it is not even funny. grest thing is there is an election coming up. the hunters and outdoorsmen need to remember this and vote accordingly.
Not everyone is going to like what people do to recreate in the outdoors on public land. But everyone needs to realize that no matter whether you are hunting, hiking, boating, etc... that land is public and is meant to be shared with everyone, no matter what you do as long as it is done safely and is legal.
their one true aim is to make us a nation of sissies. 3rd world, hear we come.
What's to complain about? It's apparent that we can't save ourselves from ourselves, but Uncle Obie can. And I am truly happy that my tax dollars go to buy lands that I can't use or access, and to pay someone to do my thinking for me. Utopia, here we come!
i'm sick of these guys and all this stuff. (that was a very edited for children way of saying that...) i'm going to a range this weeking to zero in, i need those ranges. i don't have a backyard big enough to shoot. now they want to take my rights away to use public land? get him out of here...what does he know?
Here in Missouri it is already illegal to target practice on the majority of public ground. Supposed to go to a conservation shooting range to target practice, sight in rifles, etc.
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What's to complain about? It's apparent that we can't save ourselves from ourselves, but Uncle Obie can. And I am truly happy that my tax dollars go to buy lands that I can't use or access, and to pay someone to do my thinking for me. Utopia, here we come!
The Obama Administration needs to worry about protecting our boarders,unemployment, and its own selling guns illegally, more than law abiding Americans target shooting. Real problems in the US are happening now and the people are doing nothing, we need to vote these bums out and if the bunch of bums elected do the same they need voted out until they get the picture. Government waste is one of the biggest problems in this country and the government does nothing but spend more and more every day.
Here in Missouri it is already illegal to target practice on the majority of public ground. Supposed to go to a conservation shooting range to target practice, sight in rifles, etc.
i'm sick of these guys and all this stuff. (that was a very edited for children way of saying that...) i'm going to a range this weeking to zero in, i need those ranges. i don't have a backyard big enough to shoot. now they want to take my rights away to use public land? get him out of here...what does he know?
Not everyone is going to like what people do to recreate in the outdoors on public land. But everyone needs to realize that no matter whether you are hunting, hiking, boating, etc... that land is public and is meant to be shared with everyone, no matter what you do as long as it is done safely and is legal.
their one true aim is to make us a nation of sissies. 3rd world, hear we come.
here we have a person and a group of idiots who are making the decisions concerning freedoms they know nothing about. do you really think obama knows anything about a gun. i'm sure just because he is the "first african american president" he knows all about guns. bet he can even shoot gangsta style. most of these idiots do not know how to operate a firearm of any type. the lands are owned by the united states of america. not just one certain group but by all. this is getting so sad it is not even funny. grest thing is there is an election coming up. the hunters and outdoorsmen need to remember this and vote accordingly.
Ohio also has public shooting ranges controled by ODNR. I think John has a point, sometimes we are our own worst enemy. I don't like to go into the woods and find old TV's, prpane canisters, microwaves ect. all shot up and left as trash or an old oak thats dead with targets stapled all over it. There are just too many idiots out there that don't give a sh*t, that are ruining it for the responsible people who do.
honest officer'''' I wasn;t shooting targets there was a coyote hiding behind that paper
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