Gun owners who have historically been able to use public lands for target practice would be barred from potentially millions of acres under new rules drafted by the Interior Department, the first major move by the Obama administration to impose limits on firearms.
Officials say the administration is concerned about the potential clash between gun owners and encroaching urban populations who like to use same land for hiking and dog walking.Bad enough, but here's the kicker (bolding is mine):
"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.It's not a safety issue. It just scares city folks. Next thing you know they'll be whining because they got some nature on their shoes.
And as to their discussion of trash, I have just two words: Zuccotti Park.
What this administration can't get one way, they'll go for another way.
The full story can be read here.
And I'm not a hunter. But I have sense enough to check the hunting seasons if I'm thinking of hiking in certain places at certain times of the year.
