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BLM seeking comment on target shooting bans west of Utah lake

utbagpiper

Banned
Joined
Jul 5, 2006
Messages
4,061
Location
Utah
This issue is not directly related to OC. But very much affects the ability to target shoot on public lands.

KSL is reporting that the BLM is taking public comment on the "temporary" closure three years ago of public lands west of Utah Lake to target shooting. The article can be read here.

The meetings will be announced on the BLM website. Comments can also be emailed to blm_ut_sl_comments@blm.gov.

I encourage everyone to submit comments in favor of permitting and facilitating recreational shooting on BLM lands.


For those living east of the Colorado - Kansas State line, I will explain that here in the West, we are second class States where vast tracts of land within our borders continue to be controlled by the federal government. Congress (read our Eastern fellow citizens) have never upheld their promise and obligation to turn land over to the States as was done for all prior States entering the union. So much for the equal footing doctrine.

In Utah, about 60% of our land area is controlled by various federal agencies including the National Park Service, National Forest Service, and the Bureau or Land Management (BLM). The BLM is supposed to manage federal lands for multiple use including ranching, logging, mining, oil/gas extraction, public recreation, huntingand protection of natural and historic artifacts. However, for several decades, the BLM has systematically worked to shut down (motorized) public access and now shooting.

The BLM manages nearly 22.9 million acres of public lands in Utah, representing about 42 percent of the state. That is almost 36,000 square miles of land. That is an area larger than each of our dozen smallest States (Maine, SC, WV, MD, Hawaii, Mass, Vermont, NH, NJ, Conn, Del, and RH)

federal_lands.jpg


An article on the subject is available here.

Charles
 
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