BLM: Close 53,300 acres to hunting in national monument

The Bureau of Land Management has recommended closing 53,300 acres of the Sonoran Desert National Monument to recreational shooting, but keeping the remaining 443,000 open to shooters. It is the latest twist in a yearslong legal and administrative fight that saw federal officials at one point trying to prohibit shooting over the entire monument, only to reverse course and propose shooting throughout the site. That decision was subsequently halted by a federal court, which allowed shooting over much of the monument while ordering a bureau review. The latest plan , posted Oct. 20 in the Federal Register, calls for making 11 percent of the monument's land off-limits to shooting. Hunting is not affected by any of the proposals considered by the bureau, and would be allowed anywhere in the monument with the proper permits. Gun groups that were contacted declined comment on the latest proposal because they had not seen it...more