Rehberg Urges Obama Administration & Allies to Abandon Anti-Hunter Policies

The U.S. House of Representatives ^ | November 18, 2011 | Congressman Denny Rehberg

[neverdem]

 

Congressman Denny Rehberg meets with Montana State Bureau of Land Management Director Jamie Connell in his office to express his concerns about the draft policy.  Click herefor full-res image.  Image approved for re-printing or broadcast.

 WASHINGTON, D.C. – Montana’s Congressman, Denny Rehberg, today sent a letter to Interior Secretary Ken Salazar and Bureau of Land Management Secretary Bob Abbey asking them to revise a draft policy that empowers federal land managers to prohibit “recreational shooting” on public lands.  Yesterday, Rehberg voiced his concerns with this policy at a meeting with Jamie Connell, Montana State Director for the Bureau of Land Management in his Washington, D.C. Office.

“It’s been very clear from the onset that this Administration is uncomfortable with gun rights, and eager to restrict the Second Amendment at every opportunity,” said Rehberg, a member of the Second Amendment Task Force.  “In a state like Montana, where the federal government is by far the largest land holder, preserving Second Amendment rights on public land isn’t just a question of good policy.  It’s a question of protecting our way of life from big-city meddlers.  Whether it’s nominating anti-gun Justices to the Supreme Court or executive rules enacted by unelected bureaucrats, I’m going to stand with Montanans in defense of liberty.”

According to the draft policy, an authorized officer could close shooting access on public lands for a wide variety of reasons including concerns about creating a public disturbance, or risk to other persons on public lands.  There are no standards for what constitutes a disturbance or a risk, and no reason to think a single complaint from an out-of-state interest group wouldn’t be enough.

The draft policy would also allow access to be denied for recreational shooting for activities that have absolutely nothing to do with shooting.  For example, if the access is determined to contribute to the defacement, removal or destruction of natural features, native plants, cultural resources, historic structures or government and/or private property or if it is determined to be facilitating or creating a condition of littering, refuse accumulation and abandoned personal property is violating existing use restrictions.  Of course, these criteria could be equally applied to any land use, not solely targeting legal recreational shooting.

Rehberg has a long record of standing up for improved access on public lands, including several bills designed to remove access barriers in the 112th Congress.  His letter encourages the Administration to re-think its draft policy.

“The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation encourages the BLM to work with hunting and conservation groups to ensure recreational shooting opportunities as well as hunting are maintained on our public lands,” said Blake Henning, Vice President of Lands and Conservation with RMEF.

Rehberg, has an A+ rating from both the National Rifle Association and an A rating with the Gun Owners of America.

Rehberg’s letter is below:

Dear Secretary Salazar and Director Abbey:

I’m writing to express grave concerns with the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) new draft policy on recreational shooting.  As the sole Congressman from a state where public land access and the Second Amendment are virtually indistinguishable, I strongly oppose these new draft guidelines and I urge you to take a long, hard look at how this will affect public access opportunities for Montana’s gun owners and outdoor enthusiasts.

There aren’t many things folks in the Northern Rockies care more about than our Second Amendment rights and land access.  However, in the last several years, there have been unprecedented efforts to expand federal control of our lands and limit access.  Since 2010, the BLM alone has sought to close thousands of acres of public land to recreational shooters.  This is wrong and it simply must stop.

As a lifelong advocate for our Second Amendment rights, I ask you to reconsider this new blanket policy.  Recreational shooting on public lands is a cherished pastime in Montana, and across the West.  We have been participating in outdoor recreational shooting on these lands before our state was founded.

There’s also a concern looming in the minds of the folks around Montana and the country that this policy could potentially affect important aspects of hunting.  We have a rich hunting heritage in Montana that is unrivaled anywhere in the world.  It is also a big part of the economy for many small communities around our state.  Any draft proposal regarding recreation on public lands must continue to guarantee hunting opportunities.   

It is my belief that managers of our public lands should take an active role working to increase recreation opportunities for our all citizens, including gun owners.  Please make every effort to revise this new policy so that their views and concerns are taken into account.  Thank you for your consideration of this request, and please don’t hesitate to contact my office if I can be of further assistance.

Sincerely,

[neverdem]

NRA endorsement up for grabs in Montana's Senate race

With Tester's vote to confirm Holder, Sotomayor and Kagan, and with Rehberg's A+, this should be a no-brainer for the NRA.

[Gene Eric]

Gun grabbing jackasses tearing down the “recreational shooting” argument.

[gimme1ibertee]

Hopefully,big-dollar groups such as Ducks Unlimited,The National Shooting Sports Foundation,The National Wild Turkey Federation and others will throw their support behind Rehberg. Other pro-gun and pro-hunting orgs should flex their muscle as well,however they can. The regime needs to not only know how Americans feel,they need to also feel how we feel!