They’re still talking about the perceived Obama administration draft proposal to push recreational shooters off federal lands — a threat that may never have been as real as some people believed — but there is a serious aspect of this story that belongs in the spotlight.
The rationale, as reported by Washington Whispers columnist Paul Bedard, that the draft proposal was a response to “a social conflict issue” rather than a genuine safety issue, must be addressed, because this lies at the heart of the gun prohibition movement. Even the National Rifle Association zeroed in on it today.
"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.—Washington Whispers
If, as alleged by Bureau of Land Management (BLM) natural resource specialist Frank Jenks, people from the city “freak out” when they hear the sound of gunfire on public land, there is a simple solution. They can get over it, or just stay off public land.
Is that a ridiculous recommendation? No more ridiculous than a suggestion that shooting be banned on BLM lands. Considering the reaction the draft plan apparently got from shooters and hunters, maybe it's not so ridiculous.
Federal agencies, specifically the Interior Department and the U.S. Forest Service, have been listening far too much to the hoplophobic whines of greenies who are repulsed by the appearance of a firearm in their presence. This conflict between shooters and non-shooters goes back several years, long before the Obama administration took over.
This columnist has encountered anti-gun sentiments on the trail several times over the years. If we had a dollar for every time someone has asked, “You’re not going to shoot us, are you,” retirement would be looming comfortably. (Perhaps not surprisingly, upon inquiry, we've found that the bulk of these folks are not Northwest natives, and to many of them "gun" is a four-letter word.)
On the trail, this writer is always armed openly, unless it’s cold enough for a jacket or heavy shirt. It’s not to make a political statement, it’s to keep the firearm — a piece of emergency survival equipment — quickly accessible. Considering the Chelan wilderness wolf encounter this column discussed several days ago, that may become even more prudent as time goes on.
This column has repeatedly alluded to the reaction of Washington CeaseFire’s Ralph Fascitelli (he's not a Northwest native, either) at the sight of open carry activists at a hearing in Olympia almost two years ago.
The other day, this column alluded to the draft proposal, and mentioned a problem with the North Bend/Snoqualmie ranger district in the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest. The only remaining traditional shooting area — a gravel pit far up the Hansen Creek drainage accessible only during the summer and autumn months due to its elevation — is now being closed to recreational shooting, and being turned into a trailhead.
Shooting, we were told, isn’t compatible with other forest uses up there. This column did acknowledge that some recreational shooters are slobs, and encouraged others to turn them in.
Isn’t it time for the Forest Service to consider whether other forest uses are compatible with recreational shooting and hunting? Maybe that should be the new standard.
Social do-gooders, even the ones in the firearms community, like to talk about establishing a “dialogue” with their opponents. This will offend some people, but that’s an exercise in futility. Gun prohibitionists have a single mindset; they hate guns and they will talk you out of yours by talking as long as it takes to get behind you with a political dagger.
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READ:
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