Posted on 03/04/2025 5:57:38 AM PST by marktwain
On January 4, 2025, President Joe Biden signed H.R. 6492, also known as the Explore Act. The Act contains H.R. 1614, the previous Range Access Act. The act, as passed, requires bureaucrats in the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the United States Forest Service (USFS) to consider the establishment of a target shooting range in each National Forest district or Bureau of Land Management (BLM) district. This is not a difficult requirement.
In Arizona, there are only four BLM districts. Each district is much larger than some of the smaller eastern states. BLM recently constructed three shooting ranges north of Phoenix, Arizona. These ranges were constructed before the Explore Act. The current rules on these ranges are extremely restrictive.
Here is a slide show/video supplied by Tony Urso showing what experienced desert shooters expect of a range open to the public. The show is about 11 minutes long. It is very well done.
(Excerpt) Read more at ammoland.com ...
The federal government owns way, way, way too much land.
Steel targets only, eh? And once fire weather rolls around how much you wanna bet some unelected anti-gun BLM bureaucrat shuts the ranges down due to claimed fire risk from sparks and ricochets coming off the mandatory steel targets?
(In addition to the BS like closures and no one allowed downrange that the article rightly brings up)
They even re-paint the targets.
You wouldn't want to be down range and have someone else show up to shoot not knowing you are there.
The rules of these BLM ranges would make them useless to most shooters. Perhaps that is the idea.
You are probably right. When I lived in that area, I shot on Forest Service land, and they routinely prohibited shooting whenever they considered it a risk for fire (often most of the year)...
I’ve been to long shooting ranges - even shot at 600 and 1000 yards. The newest setups use electronic targets that broadcast your shot placement back to you on your iPad or other connected device.
Old school ranges have a pit area and the target can be raised and lowered for shot marking via ropes and a counterweight system. One shooter at the firing line, the other in the pit tending to the targets (and protected by earth and a wall). The shooter shoots, the pit person lowers the target, marks the shot with a large disk to make it obvious to the shooter, and then raises the target back up for the next shot. Each previous shot is taped over with the appropriate black or white colored tape.
The problem with steel is keeping score. I mean, it’s fine for plinking - fun, even - but you need to account for score in any sort of shooting match.
;^)
I stumbled into this Range last year and thought it interesting but restrictions seemed reasonable. At 100yd intervals it’s got it’s place. Out to 700 IIRC.
I’m usually bouncing pop cans at 50 yds.
Good to hear from someone who has been there.
>The federal government owns way, way, way too much land.
‘Odd’. My copy of the Constitution says D.C., forts, ports, postal roads ONLY.
After the war-criminal, anti-Const. Lincoln, Teddy “environmental pioneer” R. was the beginning of the Socialist take-over of the U.S.
That Range was a few miles West and on the opposite side of the road from
Ben Avery shooting park.
One of the things the BLM did when deciding to place ranges, is to determine if they would be competing with existing ranges. Perhaps the steel target system was a way to avoid competing with Ben Avery?
Especially in Arizona. It owns just about the whole state.
Re useless:
Does anyone really think that a repressive government would want a nation of rifleman that know how to shoot long range?
This hasn’t been grandpa‘s country for a long time… Although it might be a little closer to it at this particular moment with this particular administration.
SaddleBack Moutain Recreational Shooting Sports....
Closed Every Wednesday for Maintenance
Typically 7am to 6pm days a week.
.
No shooting Less than 100yds !
So it’s not My kinda range
Unless I’ve got the 300yd 10-22 out !
The above info was from a photo I took At the Range January 3 2024
We had a fire from steel-cored AK ammo being fired into the rocks in the dry desert.
It made good sparks at night, but . . .
Now BLM says we can’t.
How about points just for participating?
But, the higher those points are, the more chance of ATF coming after you.
Nearly all of BLM and USFS land are generally open for shooting. Are people being herded into organized ranges now?
Not every day out shooting needs to be tactical Timmy working as though it’s an Olympic sport. Informal plinking is completely legitimate and should not always need to be organized by the authorities.
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