While this might not be of much interest to my international viewers, who might be puzzled to find that Americans can simply find a desolate spot in the wilderness and shoot to their heart’s content, it should make a lot of Americans sit up and take notice.
Because “urban” people might “freak out” when they hear shooting. No, I’m not making this up. This extends to hunters, too, for those of you who aren’t too concerned with recreational shooting.
Around here, you can pay to shoot at a range which might be very busy, or you can shoot in the desert. One popular desert shooting spot is on BLM land, but I can guarantee you that no “urbanites” go there to walk their dogs. The only visitors are shooters, drug smugglers, and law enforcement.
I’m willing to chalk this one up to stupidity in BLM instead of a concerted effort by the Obama Administration to attack gun owners – but I’m not sure which one is worse, frankly.
So the people who really use these lands get hurt so that some urbanite who just bought a $500 Arc’Teryx jacket doesn’t spritz their shorts when they hear gun fire? I generally never cry malice when stupidity will do, this included. Time to write the Congressmen and Senator again. I don’t know how much they can do, though.
What’s wrong with Arc’Teryx jackets?
I have enjoyed shooting on public lands (mostly Forest Service) since first owning firearms as a kid. One thing does does concern me about public land shooting is the remarkable frequency with which shooting areas get trashed or the resources damaged (e.g. trees shot up, targets, brass, shotgun shells, glass, cans, trash, appliances, TV’s, etc. left lying around). If you do shoot on public lands, treat it like you own it (because we all do), be responsible, and clean up after yourself. It leaves a better image of all shooters and gives the anti-gun advocates less “ammunition” to use against recreational shooting on public lands.
This kind of legislation really concerns me. With so many other problems that our country is facing, these kinds of efforts really make me question the effectiveness of our government. Large swathes of public land should be open for all to enjoy; safely, responsibly, legally. The BLM needs to focus their efforts on something else – like actually managing the land effectively.
Not surprising. So now we will be able to carry a gun in a Natioal Park, we just can’t fire it. They worry about noise, but make it difficult to by a suppressor. One could go on and on.
How do you like shooting AKs?
PS: You mentioned problems dealing with RGUNS, anything you can share?
AKs…they work and are a good choice for a lot of people.
RGuns…make an order, be assured that it’s in stock and will ship within a reasonable period of time, call back two weeks later to cancel and be smugly informed that your order shipped that morning and can’t be canceled, receive UPS tracking number that night and have its first update be the next day. Won’t ever do business with them again.
Thanks for the heads up on RGUNS.
Good news andrew, looks like this is getting cleared up.
http://www.usnews.com/news/blogs/washington-whispers/2011/11/17/shooters-heard-interior-will-not-ban-target-practice
The way I read the linked article, Odie, is that they are doing political double speak. They are still planning to ban it, but only from areas they arbitrarily choose.
This strikes me as one of those “give an inch…” moments and we should not put up with it.
What I want to know is where the hell is the NRA? Why am I leaning about this from a blog instead of an action notice from the NRA to write my Washington Representatives?
Awesome, thanks.