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...
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2 comments:
Once again we see Agenda 21 being implemented by agency rule in spite of the fact that Congress refused to ratify the treaty to implement the UN policy.
The thrust of Agenda 21 is to vacate as much of rural America as possible to push people toward urbanization. Now, traditional hunters must give way to urban hikers and dog walkers. So many people still do not believe that Agenda 21 is "real" and that it is not "law" because our Congress did not ratify it---they just don't realize that the agencies are implementing it daily.
1st, urban growth is a result of more people moving out west, which is in part a result of economic development. Western communities need to realize they have to be smart about wanting all this so called economic development. It is not always just about jobs and money.
2nd,when people from urban areas move into more rural communities and want to exercise their rights to use public lands just like hunters, gun enthusiasts, hikers, ranchers, loggers, hikers, etc they have to understand it is land for multiple use. Of course, the newer uses for dog walkers and hikers must be balanced with all the current uses.....this is the great challenge....to find balance.
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