National Park Service Pushing Land Grab

U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance

Columbus, OH --(Ammoland.com)- The National Park Service (NPS) is eying important hunting lands for inclusion in a large new West Virginia park unit.

Apparently the agency is looking at establishing this new unit – the High Allegheny National Park — in the Allegheny Mountains of eastern West Virginia.

Most of the land under review is presently part of the Monongahela National Forest and Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge – both of which have long hunting traditions.

I have hunted ruffed grouse, woodcock, and turkeys in these areas for years, and just last year I wrote an article in The Pointing Dog Journal about the rich hunting history of this area.

Hunters and anglers need to watch this park study, and NPS, like a hawk. The agency is historically hostile to hunters, becoming increasingly hostile to anglers, and is flat out opposed to wildlife and habitat management (both activities are important on Forest and Refuge lands). Plus, almost all NPS units are “parks” where hunting is prohibited.

Having NPS take over management of wonderful hunting areas within the Forest, like Spruce Knob and Dolly Sods, sends shivers down this hunter’s spine.

Some park proponents are already trying to assure hunters that hunting will be protected in the new park. I’m not buying it. We have seen the value of similar promises in the Big Cypress National Preserve (a NPS unit) in Florida where hunters have been harassed and systematically restricted for years. Even when the agency isn’t doing the restricting, anti-hunting activists are in federal court every other year pushing new limitations in the name of endangered species, wilderness “solitude”, protection of vegetation, and adverse impact on the tender aesthetic sensibilities of non-hunting visitors (of whom there are few).

Even stronger legal protections for hunting on Refuge lands have barely been adequate to protect hunting. Antis tried to shut down hunting in the Canaan Valley Refuge via a federal lawsuit filed in Washington, DC. U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance helped fight off that suit, but it revealed that saving hunting on federal land units remains a challenge. Similar problems impacting hunting and wildlife management on Forest lands has prompted USSA and others in the hunting community to push for the enactment of new a bill – HR 2834 – that keeps hunting (and fishing and shooting) open on the National Forest system.

Recently, the U.S. House Natural Resources Committee favorably reported the bill which should be on the House of Representatives floor in January. If we can barely protect hunting on the Canaan unit, where a 1997 law makes hunting (and fishing) “priority public uses”, and need new statutory protections for hunting on Forest lands (like the Monongahela), how are we going to ensure continued hunting and access on a new High Allegheny National Park?

None of this makes on-the-ground sense. The thousands of acres of public land within the Monongahela National Forest, and the Canaan Refuge, are committed to conservation (and open to hunting). The lands are subject to professional habitat management by the U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the West Virginia Department of Natural Resources.

You can kiss bona fide conservation management, and habitat projects, goodbye if NPS takes over.

It treats lands like “biospheres under glass” where management to help fish and wildlife is considered a sin against nature and hunters are surely not welcome. As far as hunters and anglers are concerned, bringing in NPS adds absolutely nothing and guarantees nothing but protracted fighting to retain the hunting heritage in West Virginia’s Allegheny Mountains.

USSA will be monitoring this closely because of its broad consequences for hunters and anglers (and because I don’t want some of the East’s favorite grouse hunting woods under NPS control).

About:
The U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance is a national association of sportsmen and sportsmen’s organizations that protects the rights of hunters, anglers and trappers in the courts, legislatures, at the ballot, in Congress and through public education programs. Visit www.ussportsmen.org.

American Chestnut Foundation

Washington --(Ammoland.com)- National parks may once again include a true icon of the natural landscape – the American chestnut tree.

Under a recently signed agreement between the National Park Service and the American Chestnut Foundation (TACF), the two organizations will work together to restore American chestnuts within their native range

“We look forward to partnering with The American Chestnut Foundation to restore an iconic symbol of our eastern forests,” said National Park Service Director Jonathan B. Jarvis. “Chestnut trees have been ravaged by a pervasive fungus and are threatened with extinction. We think science has produced a tree that fights back and could be the key to bringing the species back.”

“The national parks offer a unique opportunity to not only restore the American chestnut, but also share the story about this remarkable tree with millions of people,” said TACF President and CEO Bryan Burhans.

The American chestnut, once a dominant tree in eastern U.S. forests, has been hit with a massive die-off caused by the chestnut blight. Only immature chestnut sprouts remain where these magnificent trees once stood. Very few of these sprouts will reach maturity as the vast majority will succumb to the fungus before they have the chance to flower. TACF has developed a hybrid that is genetically 94 percent American chestnut and tolerant of, and potentially resistant to, the fungus.

Over the next five years, TACF and the National Park Service will test the hybrid in carefully defined settings and evaluate the hardiness of the hybrid. The seeds and seedlings that survive will then be used to enhance TACF’s 27-year old breeding program and ultimately support restoration on public and private forest lands within the native range of the chestnut, along the eastern part of the United States.

About the National Park Service
The National Park Service cares for America’s 394 national parks and works with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close to home recreational opportunities. Learn more at www.nps.gov.

About The American Chestnut Foundation
The return of the American chestnut to its former niche in the Appalachian hardwood forest ecosystem is a major restoration project requiring a multi-faceted effort and involves nearly 6,000 members, volunteers, research, and sustained funding. TACF, founded in 1983, is a 501(c)3 organization headquartered in Asheville, NC. For more information on TACF and its national breeding program, visit www.acf.org.

U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance

Columbus, OH --(Ammoland.com)- North Dakota’s Theodore Roosevelt National Park has opened the door to volunteers to assist in managing its elk herds.

Between November 1, 2010 and January 21, 2011, the park would like to use up to 20 volunteers each week to cull up to 250 cow elks.

Potential volunteers can apply as an individual or as a group of up to four. The applications will be accepted only through an on-line process. Click here for the application and instructions.

As the applications are received they will be put into a database and assigned a number. Successful applicants will be selected at random for each week of the planned reduction effort. Up to 240 people may be able to participate with volunteers receiving meat from up to one elk depending on the success of each week’s harvest.

According to Park Superintendent Valerie Naylor, there has been a lot of interest in a volunteer effort for some time and the online process has been designed to be as efficient and fair as possible in offering a chance to those that want to help.

Additional information about the reduction effort and elk management in general can be found at the park’s website, http://www.nps.gov/thro/naturescience/elk-management.htm.

About:
The U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance is a national association of sportsmen and sportsmen’s organizations that protects the rights of hunters, anglers and trappers in the courts, legislatures, at the ballot, in Congress and through public education programs. Visit www.ussportsmen.org.

Theodore Roosevelt National Park Elk Herd Doing Too Well? Photo: Gary Zahm/U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

NRAHuntersRights.org

North Dakota --(AmmoLand.com)- Wildlife biologists believe that Theodore Roosevelt National Park (TRNP) in western North Dakota can support between 200 and 400 elk without serious damage to park vegetation.

But the current elk population is 950.

So, after seven years of study (at an expense to the taxpayer we can only guess at) the National Park Service (NPS) has decided that “skilled public volunteers” can be used to cull the elk herd “through the use of firearms.”

The volunteers will have to demonstrate their marksmanship skills, prove their physical fitness, and use non-lead ammunition only. They will hunt in teams, under close supervision of NPS staff, and the team leaders may even decide which animals should be taken. There are several possibilities as to disposition of the meat. Assuming tests for chronic wasting disease are negative, it may be donated to state agencies, tribes, or approved charities. Or it could go to the North Dakota Game and Fish Department, which could turn it over to charities and food banks, or even to the individual hunters who were involved.

While it may seem like a lot of hoops for a volunteer to jump through--and the non-lead ammo rule has no scientific basis--the plan is obviously far better than using public funds to hire “sharpshooters.”

“And it supports NRA’s longstanding position that NPS has and should use its authority to bring in volunteers to assist with culling,” commented Susan Recce, NRA’s Director of Conservation, Wildlife and Natural Resources.

“NRA is opposed to the ban on the use of lead ammunition,” Recce continued. “NPS has no evidence to suggest that the use of lead ammunition in hunting is a threat to the health of humans or wildlife in national parks. To my knowledge there have not been any studies on effects of hunters using lead ammunition in national parks where hunting is allowed.”

NRA fully expects the volunteers to come from the hunting community, and called for this during the public comment period, writing: The elk management plan “does not explain what kind of a system the Park will develop to identify skilled volunteers. We highly recommend that the Park work closely with the North Dakota Game and Fish Department (NDGF) in identifying volunteers within the hunting community.”

The NPS agreed, saying, “Under the preferred alternative, the Park intends to work with NDGF in order to recruit qualified volunteers and develop a reduction program that ultimately benefits both agencies.”

The many requirements imposed on volunteer hunters must be at least in part, a defense
against animal rights’ groups such as the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) which predictably opposed the decision.

In 2008, when Rocky Mountain National Park became the first to end the use of paid sharpshooters and instead work with volunteer hunters for badly-needed elk culling, HSUS campaigned that “trophy hunters” would be turning national parks into their “personal playgrounds.” Regarding the TRNP plan, HSUS has characterized it as “an attempt to allow private sport hunters to target elk.”

Since HSUS condemns and wants to end all forms of hunting, they use terms like “sport hunters” and “trophy hunters” as if there is something evil about us, and they get mileage out of the press with those terms. By exerting a level of control, NPS may reduce the potential for such terms to be used against them.

Read More about HSUS Anti Hunting agenda:  www.action.humanesociety.org/site/PageNavigator/Change_Agenda_for_Animals

Of course, what is happening in TRNP is neither “sport hunting” nor “trophy hunting,” anyway. It is a cull–lethal reduction absolutely necessary to keep elk from destroying the Park’s resources. An elk can eat 20 pounds of food a day, easily. Elk caused extensive damage in Rocky Mountain National Park after many non-lethal reduction attempts failed.

TRNP officials have the responsibility of managing more than 70,000 acres of habitat—for dozens of wildlife species, plant communities and a half-million human visitors a year. Elk have a very important and viable place in TRNP—a place that a managed culling operation will help ensure.

For more on the final Theodore Roosevelt Elk Management Plan/Environmental Impact Statement, click here www.parkplanning.nps.gov/projectHome.cfm?parkId=167&projectId=10833

For the most up-to-date information about your hunting rights there’s just one source: www.NRAhuntersrights.org.

National Rifle Association

Maine - -(AmmoLand.com)- Friday, February 26, the Joint Standing Committee on Criminal Justice voted 7-5 to reconsider LD1737 with an amendment that would allow permit holders and law enforcement officials to carry concealed firearms in Acadia National Park.

This amended version is a critical step forward in assuring the right of self-defense for the law abiding.

The federal law, which allows the carrying of firearms in National Parks, went into effect earlier this week. Without this important change, LD1737 would nullify federal law within Acadia National Park, by disarming potential crime victims.

The original version also defies Maine’s Constitution which states, “Every citizen has a right to keep and bear arms and this right shall never be questioned.”

Please contact your State Representative and State Senator TODAY and respectfully urge them to oppose any changes to LD1737 which would create victim zones in Maine. Remember to tell them that crime does not stop at the park gate and the right to defend yourself and family shouldn’t either! Contact information can be found by clicking here.

About:
Established in 1871, the National Rifle Association is America’s oldest civil rights and sportsmen’s group. Four million members strong, NRA continues its mission to uphold Second Amendment rights and to advocate enforcement of existing laws against violent offenders to reduce crime. The Association remains the nation’s leader in firearm education and training for law-abiding gun owners, law enforcement and the military.

National Association for Gun Rights

Washington, DC --(AmmoLand.com)- The new law, which went into effect this morning, mirrors state law. Simply put, you can now possess firearms in a National Park under the same state laws that govern firearms in the rest of that state.

The actual law reads:

• (b) Protecting the Right of Individuals To Bear arms in Units of the National Park System and the National Wildlife Refuge System.–The Secretary of the Interior shall not promulgate or enforce any regulation that prohibits an individual from possessing a firearm including an assembled or functional firearm in any unit of the National Park System or the National Wildlife Refuge System if–
• (1) the individual is not otherwise prohibited by law from possessing the firearm; and
• (2) the possession of the firearm is in compliance with the law of the State in which the unit of the National Park System or the National Wildlife Refuge System is located.

The truth is we don’t really know how the National Park Service is going to apply the law. Often, the bureaucrats on the ground don’t really know the law and end up randomly enforcing what they “want” and not always what is law.

For the time being one thing we know is true; you can now posses a firearm in a National Park, so long as you are in compliance with the state law where the park is located.

The legislation in question, H.R. 627 the credit card reform bill, was amended by Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK) to include the new pro-gun language.

Coburn’s amendment was a reaction to bureaucratic bungling by the Bush Administration. In the waning hours of the 2008, outgoing Interior Department officials attempted to change the rules to allow concealed carry in some parks.

However the last minute change circumvented the legal process for such rule changes and was blocked by a court order. Incoming Obama administration officials then reversed the rules, which led to Coburn’s amendment of the credit card reform bill.

While these rules are certainly a step in the right direction they are a far cry from truly embracing our Second Amendment rights. Sadly, the fact remains that virtually no one can carry a gun at Minuteman Park in Lexington and Concord, Massachusetts.

The very National Park that celebrates the armed uprising of our founding fathers, who were fighting against the British attempts to confiscate their firearms, remains closed to concealed carry.

We can — and should — celebrate this victory, but keep our long term goal of self-defense in all National Parks in mind.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Washington, DC --(AmmoLand.com)- The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced that effective February 22, 2010, the rules governing possession of firearms on National Wildlife Refuges will change as a result of legislation enacted by Congress. After this date, the law allows an individual to lawfully possess a firearm within the boundaries of a National Wildlife Refuge in accordance with federal, state and local firearms laws.

As directed by this new law, the Service will look to the laws of the state and locality in which the refuge or refuge unit is located to govern possession of firearms on the refuge. Visitors will be allowed to possess firearms on National Wildlife Refuges provided they comply with applicable provisions of federal, state and local law. Persons with so-called firearm “carry” permits will be able to possess firearms on a refuge in accordance with the provisions of the state issued permit. The new law applies to all 551 units of the National Wildlife Refuge System, as well as the National Monuments and the 392 units of the National Park System.

While the law will change the application of rules regarding possession of firearms, it has no impact on the authorized uses of firearms on National Wildlife Refuges. The law does not allow visitors to fire or discharge the firearms in any way, brandish the weapon in the view of others, or any other use of the firearm. Enforcement of regulations concerning firearms use remains under the purview of the Department of the Interior.

While possession on a refuge may generally be allowed under state law, possession of firearms will remain prohibited in Federal facilities. Examples include: visitor centers, refuge administrative office buildings, refuge maintenance offices and workshops, field and backcountry offices, ranger stations and fee collection stations.

Refuge visitors wishing to possess firearms on any unit of the National Wildlife Refuge System should carefully read and understand the laws of the state in which the refuge they plan to visit is located — as well as applicable local and county laws and ordinances that derive from that respective state’s law. The laws of the states in which they reside, or from which they may have received firearms permits, do not apply when they are away from those states, although some states offer reciprocity and allow possession based on another state’s permits.

Hunting, trapping and fishing are considered to be a legitimate, traditional recreational and wildlife management use of renewable natural resources on refuges. However, this new law does not change or expand hunting opportunities on national wildlife refuges or exempt hunters from state or federal hunting regulations.

Each person who hunts on a National Wildlife Refuge must have the required state license(s) required by the refuge, as well as any permits and/or user fees. The National Wildlife Refuge System Act of 1966, other laws and the Fish and Wildlife Service’s policy permit hunting on a refuge when it is compatible with the purposes for which the refuge was established and acquired. For additional information, go to: http://www.fws.gov/refuges/hunting/.

The law does not differentiate between concealed handguns under state permit and long guns (rifles, shotguns, muzzleloaders) and it applies to all firearms, which are defined as a weapon designed to fire a projectile by the use of an explosive charge. All Federal firearms statutes remain unchanged.

Nearly 40 million people visit National Wildlife Refuges each year, generating almost $1.7 billion in sales for regional economies. In additional to wildlife observation, many refuges provide rich opportunities for hiking, canoeing, hunting and fishing. To learn more about visiting a National Wildlife Refuge go to: http://www.fws.gov/refuges/visitors/.

The mission of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is working with others to conserve, protect and enhance fish, wildlife, plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. We are both a leader and trusted partner in fish and wildlife conservation, known for our scientific excellence, stewardship of lands and natural resources, dedicated professionals and commitment to public service. For more information on our work and the people who make it happen, visit www.fws.gov.

OpenCarry.org

Maine - -(AmmoLand.com)- OpenCarry.org urges the Maine legislature to reject LD 1737, a misguided effort to ban the same citizen gun carry in National Parks that’s currently legal on the streets and sidewalks of every village and city in Maine, from Roque Bluffs to Augusta.

Ironically, LD 1737 singles out National Parks in Maine for this gun ban, but not White Mountain National Forest where gun carry has been legal under federal and Maine law as far back as anyone can remember.

Why can citizens in Maine be trusted to carry guns in cities, towns, and National Forests – but not National Parks?

Is there something in the water at National Parks that we should know about?

Congress finally did the right thing and ordered those pointy headed National Park bureaucrats to respect state gun carry rights, a proven rule long followed in all National Forests and Bureau of Land Management lands.

Maine’s legislature should now stand tall and reject LT 1737. After all, it’s not like there’s a National Park exception to Article I, Section 16 of Maine’s constitution which declares:

“Every citizen has a right to keep and bear arms and this right shall never be questioned.”

About:
OpenCarry.org was founded in 2004 by Virginia gun-rights activists John Pierce and Mike Stollenwerk and has served to ignite the “Open Carry Movement” that is sweeping the country. In addition to being an invaluable legal resource for gun owners, the site has quickly grown to be a social networking portal for thousands of American gun owners. Visit: www.OpenCarry.org

National Rifle Association

FAIRFAX, VA --(AmmoLand.com)- On February 22, a new law on guns in national parks takes effect.

The law repeals a National Park Service rule that has long prohibited Americans from lawfully possessing firearms in national parks for self-defense.

The new law, passed last spring by an overwhelming bipartisan vote in the U.S. Senate, will allow people to possess, carry and transport firearms in national parks, in accordance with state law.

However, many details remain to be worked out. Reports indicate that National Park Service officials are debating issues such as the definition of “federal facilities,” where firearms will remain prohibited under a different federal law.

NPS officials are expected to issue further information as February 22 approaches, and some parks have already published information on their new policies.

Because state laws vary greatly, before you visit a national park, you should check the park’s website or call the park headquarters for more information. NRA will also provide updates as they become available.

About:
Established in 1871, the National Rifle Association is America’s oldest civil rights and sportsmen’s group. Four million members strong, NRA continues its mission to uphold Second Amendment rights and to advocate enforcement of existing laws against violent offenders to reduce crime. The Association remains the nation’s leader in firearm education and training for law-abiding gun owners, law enforcement and the military.

Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation

Washington, DC --(AmmoLand.com)- CSF President Jeff Crane met last week with U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and Under-Secretary Tom Strickland to discuss the National Park Service (NPS) ruling on use of lead based ammunition and fishing tackle in National Parks.

The Department of Interior (DOI) representatives stated that there is no consideration of extending the lead ban to private citizens and that the ban would only pertain to DOI employees who are held to a higher standard.

Jeff Crane suggested to the DOI representatives that additional consideration should be given to scientific studies that refute studies showing harmful effects of lead ammo and tackle that were used in forming the NPS policy.

Secretary Salazar reiterated his comments that the sportsmen’s community is vitally important in the formation of DOI policy and offered that the sportsmen have a seat at the DOI table.

About:
We can have the best wildlife habitat imaginable and a record number of people who buy fishing and hunting licenses, but it won’t matter if misguided laws and regulations are made at the federal and state levels that negatively impact our outdoor traditions. Keeping sportsmen’s issues front and center is what the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation does. Day in and day out, our sole focus is on providing a voice for sportsmen in the political arena. Serving as the first line of defense in protecting America’s outdoor traditions as well as promoting the sportsmen’s agenda through the collective muscle of sportsmen’s caucuses. Visit: www.sportsmenslink.org

Grass Roots North Carolina for Firearms Education

North Carolina - -(AmmoLand.com)- As we were alerted by members in the Blowing Rock area months ago, the Town of Blowing Rock plans to turn over town-owned land that local hunters have hunted on for generations to the National Park Service.

The issue started nearly a decade ago when the North Carolina Land Trust purchased a 192 acre tract of land from a local hunting club outside the city limits of Blowing Rock. Local hunters, believing they were protecting a treasured hunting area, generously donated to the Land Trust for purchase of the tract. As testament to the past use of hunting on the land, the Land Trust wrote language into their deed which designated hunting as an allowable activity on the land for perpetuity.

A few years later however, the Town of Blowing Rock, unbeknownst to the general public, purchased the 192 acre tract from the land trust for potential trade to the National Park Service. In late 2005 the purchase revealed itself to sportsmen when police tried to close the area, including the NC Gamelands portion, to hunting.

Hunters and GRNC members, concerned with suddenly being told they were not allowed to hunt public lands, began questioning recalcitrant town officials. It was then that the questionable land trade was uncovered. Further investigation revealed that an influential town councilwoman’s expensive home overlooks the land, as well as the fact this very same councilwoman is an outspoken anti-hunting, anti-logging activist. Some grassroots members are even beginning to question the Town of Blowing Rock’s role in the Land Trust’s original purchase of the tract. Letters written to Mayor J.B. Lawrence regarding these and other questions have not been answered. The town maintains the trade is necessary to gain full control of the town reservoir located on Park lands between Boone and Blowing Rock. This does not seem plausible given the fact Blowing Rock already has water interconnection permits with Boone as well as an unused intake permit at the! confluence of Payne Branch and Middle Fork.

As a new twist, Mayor Lawrence recently declared the 190 acres as closed to hunting via a vague town code prohibiting loaded guns on town property (i.e. town hall). Coinciding with the Mayor’s announcement, National Park Service spokeswomen Shelia Dixon indicated that if NPS acquires the land, all hunting, trapping, and shooting will be prohibited as per NPS policy. This deal will cut in half the last public lands that Blowing Rock hunters, shooters and trappers can easily access. Hunters attempted to voice concerns with Mayor Lawrence during a March 10, 2009 town meeting, however the Mayor decided to convene an illegal closed meeting to discuss the issue. No recordings or minutes exist of this meeting.

Now it seems that Senator Richard Burr and Congresswoman Virginia Foxx are on board with this deal as well. Burr’s and Foxx’s offices purport that their support stems from the dubious water issue. Locals are skeptical about this and again point to the councilwoman’s home which overlooks this land. Several times GRNC members have requested from both Burr and Foxx to have a voice in the questionable land deal, but that has not happened.

What Sen. Burr has not addressed is if this is part of a larger bill. If so, he can introduce a floor amendment to remove the land grab and protect the rights of hunters in this area. Remember, this could be your county where this happens next.

IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUIRED
* Call Senator Burr and ask him to remove the Blowing Rock land grab: (202) 224-3154

About:
Grass Roots North Carolina/Forum for Firearms Education is a non-profit, all volunteer organization devoted to educating the public about trends which abridge the freedoms guaranteed by the Bill of Rights, and engaging in grass roots activism to preserve those freedoms. Formed in 1994 to conduct a highly successful rally for the Second Amendment, GRNC has gone on to conduct projects like “Remember in November: A Gun Owner’s Guide to Voting,” bringing concealed carry to North Carolina.

National Shooting Sports Foundation

NEWTOWN, Conn.—-(AmmoLand.com)-A letter signed by members of the U.S. House of Representatives’ Second Amendment Task Force raising important questions about the National Park Service’s intent to ban the use of traditional ammunition in parks that allow hunting has been sent to Department of Interior Secretary Ken Salazar. The letter, which follows a similar message sent to Salazar by U.S. senators last week, was applauded by the National Shooting Sports Foundation, trade association for the firearms, ammunition, hunting and shooting sports industry.

A bipartisan working group dedicated to defending the Second Amendment rights of American citizens, the task force wrote that “the rationale for such a ban is not based on sound scientific analysis and it would greatly restrict the ability of sportsmen to engage in hunting and fishing activities in the national parks that permit those activities.”

The National Park Service continues to pursue a ban on traditional ammunition that it announced earlier in the year would apply to park personnel involved with culling sick and wounded animals, and indicated it would consider widening the ban to all hunters. The firearms industry, sportsmen’s groups and multiple conservation organizations criticized the ban in a press release, calling it “arbitrary, over-reactive and not based on science.”

Last week in a letter to Salazar, 13 United States senators detailed their concerns about the impact a ban on traditional ammunition would have on hunters, the economy and wildlife populations.

“This action by the House Second Amendment Task Force, in conjunction with the senators’ letter, focuses attention on the National Park Service taking unilateral actions concerning traditional ammunition and is welcomed by conservation and sportsmen’s groups and the firearms industry,” said NSSF Senior Vice President and General Counsel Lawrence G. Keane. “This process needs to be as transparent as possible, and Congress’ involvement will help to ensure that this is the case.”

The NSSF has stated in communications to the park service that any decision made about federal lands with regard to ammunition products be based on thorough scientific study of wildlife population impacts. Currently, no scientific evidence indicates that wildlife populations are being negatively impacted by hunters utilizing traditional ammunition that contains lead components.

The task force’s letter adds, “we are unaware of conclusive evidence that ingestion of lead fishing tackle or ammunition threatens fish and wildlife species at the population level.”

The House Second Amendment Task Force’s letter, signed by co-chairmen Paul C. Broun, M.D (R-Ga.) and Dan Boren (D-Okla.) and nine other U.S. representatives, encouraged Salazar to

“work closely with groups that represent hunters and anglers to develop a transparent scientific process to examine the impact of lead hunting and fishing products.”

About NSSF
The National Shooting Sports Foundation is the trade association for the firearms industry. Its mission is to promote, protect and preserve hunting and the shooting sports. Formed in 1961, NSSF has a membership of more than 4,000 manufacturers, distributors, firearms retailers, shooting ranges, sportsmen’s organizations and publishers. For more information, log on to www.nssf.org.

Boone and Crockett Club

MISSOULA, Mont.—-(AmmoLand.com Firearms News)-The true health and wealth of our country is being rightly brought to light in the ongoing television series, “The National Parks: America’s Best Idea.” Today the Boone and Crockett Club applauded the series’ treatment of early conservationists and especially Club members who committed their lives unselfishly for the betterment of future generations.

The six-episode series directed by Ken Burns is currently airing on PBS. Check local listings and get more information at www.pbs.org/nationalparks.

Though filmed over the course of more than six years at some of America’s most amazing natural settings, the series is actually a story of people.

Citizens from every conceivable background—rich and poor, famous and unknown, soldiers and scientists, natives and newcomers, idealists, artists and entrepreneurs—people who were willing to devote themselves to saving some precious portion of the land they loved, and in doing so reminded their fellow citizens of the full meaning of democracy.

“Our hats are off to Ken Burns, Florentine Films and PBS for their exquisite and timely portrait of the people who established our national parks and the system that ensures their care in perpetuity,” said Boone and Crockett Club President Lowell E. Baier.

Baier said the series gives accurate and overdue acknowledgement to Boone and Crockett Club members like Theodore Roosevelt, George Bird Grinnell, Gifford Pinchot, Gen. Philip Sheridan, Senator John F. Lacey, Stephen T. Mather, Horace M. Albright, Charles Sheldon and others.

“We’re proud of our Club’s heritage and the contributions of hunter-conservationists who guided the Club in its early days and helped cast the mold for the most successful natural resource system ever conceived by man,” said Baier.

He added, “Sportsmen have realized for generations the spiritual importance of connecting with nature. ‘The National Parks: America’s Best Idea’ is uplifting, inspiring and a wonderful touchstone that all citizens should watch or own.”

About the Boone and Crockett Club
Founded by Theodore Roosevelt in 1887, the Boone and Crockett Club promotes guardianship and visionary management of big game and associated wildlife in North America. The Club maintains the highest standards of fair-chase sportsmanship and habitat stewardship. Member accomplishments include protecting Yellowstone and establishing Glacier and Denali national parks, founding the National Forest Service, National Park Service and National Wildlife Refuge System, fostering the Pittman-Robertson and Lacey Acts, creating the Federal Duck Stamp program, and developing the cornerstones of modern game laws. The Boone and Crockett Club is headquartered in Missoula, Mont. For details, visit www.booneandcrockettclub.com.

National Shooting Sports Foundation

NEWTOWN, Conn –-(AmmoLand.com)- A letter signed by numerous United States senators to Department of the Interior Secretary Ken Salazar raising important questions about actions by the National Park Service (NPS) to ban the use of traditional ammunition in parks that allow hunting has drawn praise from the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), the trade association for the firearms, ammunition, hunting and shooting sports industry.

In the letter to Secretary Salazar, 13 senators detailed their concerns about the impact a ban on traditional ammunition would have on hunters, the economy and wildlife populations.

“At this time, the motives behind NPS actions addressing lead issues are very unclear. Especially in these difficult economic times, this action will discourage people from hunting and fishing and decrease revenue into the Pittman-Robertson fund that funds state conservation efforts,” read the letter.

The NPS continues to pursue a ban on traditional ammunition that it announced earlier in the year would apply to park personnel involved with culling sick and wounded animals, and indicated it would consider widening the ban to all hunters. The firearms industry, sportsmen’s groups and multiple conservation organizations criticized the ban in a press release, calling it “arbitrary, over-reactive and not based on science.”

“The move by members of the United States Senate to step in and raise concerns about the NPS making any unilateral actions concerning traditional ammunition is welcomed by conservation and sportsmen’s groups throughout the country and the entire firearms industry,” said NSSF Senior Vice President and General Counsel Lawrence G. Keane. “This process needs to be as transparent as possible and Congress’ involvement will help to ensure that this is the case.”

The NSSF has clearly stated in communications to the NPS that any decision made about federal lands with regard to ammunition products be based on thorough scientific study of wildlife population impacts. Currently, no scientific evidence indicates that wildlife populations are being negatively impacted by hunters utilizing traditional ammunition.

The NSSF has clearly stated in communications to the NPS that any decision made about federal lands with regard to ammunition products be based on thorough scientific study of wildlife population impacts. Currently, no scientific evidence indicates that wildlife populations are being negatively impacted by hunters utilizing traditional ammunition.

In concluding their letter to Secretary Salazar, the senators were very clear as to what they wanted to see:

“We request that NPS cease all actions to prohibit the use of lead products on NPS lands by private citizens and NPS personnel.”

Signatories on the letter include:

• Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY)
• Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK)
• Sen. James E. Risch(R-ID)
• Sen. Jim Bunning (R-KY)
• Sen. Roger F. Wicker (R-MS)
• Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC)
• Sen. Michael B. Enzi (R-WY)
• Sen. Robert F. Bennett(R-UT)
• Sen. John Thune (R-SD)
• Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC)
• Sen. Mike Johanns (R-NE)
• Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK)
• Sen. David Vitter (R-LA)

About NSSF
The National Shooting Sports Foundation is the trade association for the firearms industry. Its mission is to promote, protect and preserve hunting and the shooting sports. Formed in 1961, NSSF has a membership of more than 4,000 manufacturers, distributors, firearms retailers, shooting ranges, sportsmen’s organizations and publishers. For more information, log on to www.nssf.org.

National Shooting Sports Foundation

NEWTOWN, Conn.--(AmmoLand.com)- In response to an announcement today regarding a National Parks Service program encouraging hunters to voluntarily switch to alternative ammunition, the National Shooting Sports Foundation rejected NPS’s categorization of traditional ammunition as a health threat. NSSF is offering to work with the National Park Service to develop measures to educate hunters about steps they can take to prevent scavengers from ingesting lead fragments of spent traditional ammunition. The park service is proposing to ban, at a minimum, the use of lead bullets, shot and sinkers in the park system by NPS personnel.

While no scientific evidence supports restricting the use of traditional ammunition containing lead components, the firearms industry believes that establishing voluntary measures is a more reasoned step than banning traditional ammunition, a drastic policy decision unsupported by science. NPS has raised concerns that lead bullet fragments found in game meat could cause lead poisoning in humans, a charge not borne out in scientific studies, including a recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report.

“While we’re not opposed to voluntary measures, we maintain there is no need for them,” said Steve Sanetti, president of NSSF, the trade association for the firearms and ammunition industry. “The firearms industry supports science-based decisions about wildlife management. Under current regulations, there is no scientific evidence showing that the health of wildlife populations and humans is at risk from the use of traditional ammunition.”

In a press release, Grand Teton National Park and National Elk Refuge officials encouraged hunters to voluntarily switch to alternative ammunition during the 2009 elk and bison seasons. The voluntary measures are being advocated even though the manager of the elk refuge has told NSSF there have been no population impacts on ravens and eagles connected with the use of traditional ammunition.

NSSF says that educational messages can help inform hunters about options related to voluntary measures, such as how to choose alternative ammunition and how burying game entrails can reduce the chance of scavenger birds ingesting fragments from spent bullets in game carcasses. “Hunters were the first conservationists and are second to none in their support of and concern for wildlife,” said Sanetti. “Surveys have shown that hunters are agreeable to taking voluntary measures, and our educational efforts in California to promote the burying of entrails was successful. We would like to work with NPS on this.”

The use of traditional ammunition does not pose a health risk to human beings, a fact underscored by a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study on North Dakota hunters who consumed game. The study showed there was no reason for concern over eating game taken with traditional ammunition. There has never been a documented case of lead poisoning among humans who have eaten game harvested with traditional ammunition.

Earlier in the year, the park service announced a ban on traditional ammunition that applied to park personnel involved with culling sick and wounded animals and indicated it would consider widening the ban to all hunters. The firearms industry and conservation groups criticized the ban in a press release, calling it “arbitrary, over-reactive and not based on science.”

“In some areas today, wildlife management is being driven by fear of litigation, not by science,” said Lawrence G. Keane, NSSF senior vice president and general counsel.

For example, in California the Fish and Game Commission was forced to consider expanding a ban on traditional ammunition in areas protected for the California condor in response to a lawsuit settlement. Today, however, the commission followed the recommendation of the Fish & Game Department and recommended not to expand a ban on traditional ammunition in those areas. The department had previously cited lack of conclusive evidence to support an expansion of the ban.

Said Keane, “Any decision made about federal lands with regard to ammunition products should be based on thorough scientific study of population impacts. Currently, there is no scientific evidence that indicates wildlife populations are being negatively impacted. We are calling on Congress to step in and provide the necessary oversight to prevent any unilateral actions by NPS on this issue. To date, the NPS decision-making process has not been transparent and based on sound, thorough science.”

Keane also expressed concern over the cost to hunters forced or coerced into purchasing alternative ammunition products. “Non-traditional ammunition is expensive and about doubles the cost of a box of bullets,” he stated. “In these difficult economic times, imposing voluntary or mandated restrictions on the use of traditional ammunition will serve to keep people from hunting and have a negative impact on the Pittman-Robertson Conservation Fund.”

A portion of the proceeds from the sale of every box of ammunition and each firearm goes to the Pittman-Robertson Fund, which is the keystone for state wildlife conservation projects.

About:
The National Shooting Sports Foundation is the trade association for the firearms industry. Its mission is to promote, protect and preserve hunting and the shooting sports. Formed in 1961, NSSF has a membership of more than 4,000 manufacturers, distributors, firearms retailers, shooting ranges, sportsmen’s organizations and publishers. For more information, log on to www.nssf.org

Gun Owners of America

Washington, DC - -(AmmoLand.com)- Good news! The U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill today that included an amendment to repeal the gun ban on National Park Service (NPS) land and wildlife refuges.

The amendment, sponsored by Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK) and attached to a credit card industry reform bill, passed the House overwhelmingly by a vote of 279-147.

For decades, law-abiding citizens have been prohibited from exercising their Second Amendment rights on NPS land and wildlife refuges, even if the state in which the land is located allows carrying firearms.

With some limited exceptions for hunting, the only way to legally possess a firearm anywhere in a national park is by having it unloaded and inaccessible, such as locked up in an automobile trunk. A Bush administration regulation partially reversed the ban, but that action was singlehandedly negated recently by an activist judge in Washington, D.C. The Department of Interior decided not to appeal that ruling.

Senator Coburn believes, like you do, that Americans should not be forced to sacrifice their Second Amendment rights when entering NPS land and wildlife refuges.

GOA worked with Coburn on an amendment that simply allows for state and local laws — instead of unelected bureaucrats and anti gun activist judges — to govern firearm possession on these lands.

The anti-gun leadership in both the House and Senate went berserk and fought to keep the Coburn amendment from being attached to the underlying bill. Sparks were flying on the floor of the House of Representatives today.

Anti-gun Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY) whined that a “very good” credit card bill had been “hijacked” by the Coburn amendment. To this, Rep. Rob Bishop (R-UT) pointed out that gun control is the policy of tyrants, as evidenced by the British attempt to confiscate firearms at Lexington and Concord in 1775.

Congressional leaders and entrenched bureaucrats have fought GOA over the NPS gun ban for the past eight years.

But your activism has finally broken through. The late Senator Everett Dirksen said, “When I feel the heat, I see the light!” Well, you have applied a lot of heat. Members of Congress know that they oppose your Second Amendment rights at their own peril.

As it stands today, both houses of Congress have now passed the Coburn amendment — and President Obama is expected to sign the provision into law (only because it is part of a larger credit card bill that he really wants).

So, congratulate yourself for winning this long, hard battle. GOA was the leading, and often only, national gun group involved in this fight. You involvement was absolutely vital to achieving this win.

Of course, many more battles lie ahead. President Obama continues to push for the Senate to ratify massive international gun control treaties. There is a battle over a Supreme Court nominee coming up. Anti-gun zealots in Congress are aggressively pushing to renew the Clinton gun ban and close down gun shows.

And as the health care debate picks up steam in the coming weeks and months, GOA is battling efforts to create a computerized national healthcare database. Such a database can be used to deny people their Second Amendment rights in the same way that so many veterans have lost their gun rights based only on the diagnoses of a doctor for things like combat-related stress.

GOA will be calling for action on these and other Second Amendment issues as they move through Congress.

In the meantime, have a safe Memorial Day as we remember those who gave the ultimate sacrifice so that America would remain “Land of the Free.”

****************************

What’s Your Current GOA Status?

Obviously, we now face years of invigorated attacks on our gun rights. Shutting down gun shows, prohibitions on specific calibers, another semi-auto ban, and the anti-gun extremists’ Holy Grail of mandatory federal licensing and registration of all gun owners — these are just some of the horrors that we already know we’ll have to defeat head-on. Meanwhile, we’ll take every opportunity to go on offense and advance the Second Amendment.

It can’t be done without every single voice being counted. That’s why we are asking you to consider making the commitment of becoming a Gun Owners of America Life Member. By doing so, you put the politicians on notice that neither you nor GOA is going away — that no matter who’s in the White House, there is always going to be a solid wall of resistance.

Now is a perfect time to become a Life Member. And if you aren’t a GOA member at all, isn’t it time you became one?

Please go to http://gunowners.org/ordergoamem.htm to upgrade your participation in GOA.

Gun Owners of America

Washington, DC - -(AmmoLand.com)- After eight years of clashing with anti-gun bureaucrats and congressional leadership hostile to gun rights, we have never been closer to victory in the battle to repeal the National Park Service (NPS) gun ban.

As you are by now undoubtedly aware, NPS land is subject to a blanket gun ban. A Bush administration regulation partially reversing the ban was singlehandedly negated recently by an activist judge in Washington, D.C.

Gun Owners of America reported last week about an amendment to repeal the gun ban, sponsored by Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK), that passed by an overwhelming 67-29 vote. Senator Coburn attached his amendment to a fast-moving “must pass bill,” H.R. 627, dealing with credit card industry reform.

The Coburn amendment simply allows for state law — not unelected bureaucrats and activist judges — to govern the carrying of firearms on NPS land.

“Visitors to national parks also should have the right to defend themselves in accordance with the laws of their states,” Sen. Coburn said.

The Senate wrapped up business on the underlying bill today, while the House passed its version of the bill several weeks ago. The measure now heads back to the House to be “reconciled” with the Senate bill.

The problem for anti-gun House leaders is that their priority bill, H.R. 627, now contains a pro-gun amendment. Speaker Nancy Pelosi is forced to either delay the entire bill in order to try to strip the popular pro-gun amendment out later in the year, or allow the underlying bill to move through the House before Memorial Day with the Coburn amendment intact.

Sources close to the situation tell GOA that the Democrat leadership, which has opposed the NPS gun ban repeal at every turn, may have finally run out of options. The enormous outpouring of grassroots activism from GOA supporters may have at last convinced congressional leaders that if they bury this measure yet again, the repercussions will reverberate into the next election.

President Obama wants to sign this credit card legislation before Memorial Day. So it is possible that there will be just one more vote on this issue in the House this week. As of today, it appears the leadership plans to bring the underlying bill to the floor in two pieces for two separate votes — one on the main bill and one on the Coburn amendment.

If both pieces pass the House, then they can be combined together as one bill and sent directly to the President without going to a House-Senate conference committee. (There would be no need to iron out differences in conference committee since the Senate would have already passed the exact same version of the bill.)

Bottom line: we just need to make certain that the gun ban repeal amendment passes in the House, after which it will be joined back up with the main bill and signed into law. That’s why the action item below — asking you to urge your Representative to vote for repealing the NPS gun ban — is so crucial.

This could be the last strike in a long battle, but even on the cusp of winning GOA has also learned that some — supposedly on the pro-gun side — are willing to compromise away this victory. Please be absolutely sure to take the action below, and then forward this email to your pro-gun friends.

And remember, the progress we have made on this issue would not be possible without your support. GOA has been the lone voice fighting for this gun ban repeal on Capitol Hill.

Action: Contact your Representative and urge that the Coburn amendment remain attached to H.R. 627. The vote is scheduled to occur this week!

Please use the Gun Owners Legislative Action Center at http://www.gunowners.org/activism.htm to send your Rep. the pre-written e-mail message below.

—– Pre-written letter —–

Dear Representative,

Last week, an amendment to repeal the National Park Service (NPS) gun ban passed overwhelmingly in the Senate by a vote of 67-29 as part of the credit card reform bill.

NPS land is subject to a blanket gun ban. Although a Bush administration regulation partially reversed the ban, that reversal was singlehandedly negated by an activist judge in Washington, D.C.

The pro-gun amendment, sponsored by Sen. Tom Coburn, prevents unelected bureaucrats and activist judges from stripping me of my Second Amendment rights on NPS land.

It appears that the leadership plans to bring the underlying bill to the floor in two pieces for two separate votes — one on the main bill and one on the Coburn amendment.

I urge you to stand up for my Second Amendment rights and to support the effort to keep the Coburn amendment attached to the underlying bill, H.R. 627.

Gun Owners of America will score this vote in its congressional rating, and will inform me of how you vote.

****************************

What’s Your Current GOA Status?

Obviously, we now face years of invigorated attacks on our gun rights. Shutting down gun shows, prohibitions on specific calibers, another semi-auto ban, and the anti-gun extremists’ Holy Grail of mandatory federal licensing and registration of all gun owners — these are just some of the horrors that we already know we’ll have to defeat head-on. Meanwhile, we’ll take every opportunity to go on offense and advance the Second Amendment.

It can’t be done without every single voice being counted. That’s why we are asking you to consider making the commitment of becoming a Gun Owners of America Life Member. By doing so, you put the politicians on notice that neither you nor GOA is going away — that no matter who’s in the White House, there is always going to be a solid wall of resistance.

Now is a perfect time to become a Life Member. And if you aren’t a GOA member at all, isn’t it time you became one?

Please go to http://gunowners.org/ordergoamem.htm to upgrade your participation in GOA.

Gun Owners of America
8001 Forbes Place, Suite 102
Springfield, VA 22151
Phone: 703-321-8585
FAX: 703-321-8408
www.gunowners.org

Gun Owners of America

Washington, DC - -(AmmoLand.com)- An amendment to repeal the National Park Service (NPS) gun ban is headed to the floor of the U.S. House on Wednesday, March 25.

The massive public land bill, which has bounced between the House and Senate in recent weeks, has sidestepped the issue of your right to self-defense. Several pro-gun representatives tried to amend the bill so that it offers real protection of Second Amendment rights, but they were prevented by the anti-gun leadership.

Repeal of the gun ban takes on added urgency after a federal appeals court issued an injunction last week to stop changes made by the Bush administration to allow concealed carry on NPS land from taking effect.

When the bill comes to the floor on Wednesday, pro-gun Representatives Doc Hastings (R-WA) and Rob Bishop (R-UT) plan to offer an amendment to repeal the onerous NPS gun ban.

First, a procedural vote, known as “Ordering the Previous Question,” will be voted on. A “no” vote is the pro-gun position on that motion.

If we are successful on that vote, there will be a vote on an amendment to repeal the NPS gun ban. Urge your representative to vote IN FAVOR of the Hastings-Bishop amendment.

And tell them not to be fooled by language that was recently added to the bill to protect hunting and fishing on certain parts of federal land, as if the Founding Fathers pledged their lives, fortunes and sacred honor to protect a recreational pastime.

Please urge you representative to support the Hastings-Bishop amendment, protecting your right to carry a firearm for self-defense, hunting or any other lawful purpose.

NPS bureaucrats and federal judges should not be empowered to negate self-defense on YOUR land.

ACTION: Please immediately use the Gun Owners Legislative Action Center at http://gunowners.org/activism.htm to send your Representative the pre-written message below.

—– Pre-written message —–

Dear Representative:

On Wednesday morning, the Omnibus Public Land Act (H.R. 146) will come to the floor.

This bill, which has bounced between the House and Senate in recent weeks, has completely sidestepped the issue of my right to self-defense.

Several pro-gun representatives tried to amend the bill so that it offers real protection of Second Amendment rights on National Park Service and Fish & Wildlife Service lands, but those efforts were defeated.

Repeal of the NPS gun ban takes on added urgency after a federal appeals court issued an injunction last week to stop changes made by the Bush administration to allow concealed carry on NPS land from taking effect.

And please don’t be fooled by language that was recently added to the bill to protect hunting and fishing on certain parts of federal land, as if the Founding Fathers pledged their lives, fortunes and sacred honor to protect a recreational pastime.

First, there will be a vote on Ordering the Previous Question. I urge you to vote “NO” on that motion, in order to allow for consideration of an amendment by Reps. Doc Hastings and Rob Bishop.

The Hastings-Bishop amendment to repeal the NPS gun ban protects my right to self-defense on OUR public lands, and I urge you to SUPPORT it.

Gun Owners of America will inform me of how you vote, and will rate the procedural vote and the vote on the amendment in its upcoming Congressional rating.

Sincerely,

****************************

About:
Gun Owners of America (GOA) is a non-profit lobbying organization formed in 1975 to preserve and defend the Second Amendment rights of gun owners. GOA sees firearms ownership as a freedom issue.

GOA was founded in 1975 by Sen. H.L. (Bill) Richardson (now retired). Richardson continues to serve as the Chairman of Gun Owners of America, bringing his many years of political experience to the leadership of GOA. Richardson is also an avid hunter and outdoorsman.

The GOA Board of Directors brings over 100 years of combined knowledge and experience on guns, legislation and politics. GOA’s Board is not satisfied with the “status quo.” Americans have lost some of our precious gun rights and WE WANT THEM BACK! This is why GOA is considered the “no compromise” gun lobby.

National Rifle Association

Washington, DC - -(AmmoLand.com)- On Thursday, March 19, a federal district court in Washington, D.C. granted anti-gun plaintiffs a preliminary injunction against implementation of the new rule allowing law-abiding citizens to defend themselves by carrying a concealed firearm in national parks and wildlife refuges.

In Thursday’s ruling, Federal District Court Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly issued the preliminary injunction against the Department of the Interior rule that took effect on January 9, 2009. The revised rule allowed individuals to carry concealed firearms for self-defense in national parks and national wildlife refuges located in states that allow the carrying of concealed firearms.

Today, NRA filed a notice of appeal in Federal District Court to oppose the preliminary injunction.

NRA-ILA Executive Director Chris W. Cox, said, “NRA is moving aggressively to protect this common sense rule and that’s why we filed this notice of appeal today. Just as we did not give up the fight to change the old, outdated rule, we will not give up our fight in the courts to defend the rule change. We will pursue every legal avenue to defend the American people’s right of self-defense.”

Until further notice, individuals cannot legally carry loaded, concealed firearms for personal protection in national parks and wildlife refuges.

About:
Established in 1871, the National Rifle Association is America’s oldest civil rights and sportsmen’s group. Four million members strong, NRA continues its mission to uphold Second Amendment rights and to advocate enforcement of existing laws against violent offenders to reduce crime. The Association remains the nation’s leader in firearm education and training for law-abiding gun owners, law enforcement and the military.

Washington, DC – -(AmmoLand.com)- Thanks to you, a bill expanding gun control on federal land was narrowly defeated Wednesday morning, March 11.

The Omnibus Public Lands Act of 2009, S. 22, would have drastically increased the amount of land controlled by the National Park Service, thus subjecting such land to the anti-gun regulations of the agency.

The bill was brought to the floor of the U.S. House on what is known as the “suspension calendar.” This calendar is normally reserved for non-controversial bills. As such, any bill being passed under the suspension calendar requires a two-thirds majority of those voting.

In this case, the pro-gun position prevailed by a mere two votes — meaning S. 22 is far from being non-controversial.

Although suspension bills are not normally amended, one change was allowed in a secret backroom deal between a few members.

The amendment, offered by Rep. Jason Altmire (D-PA), was intended to alleviate the concerns of gun owners.

The Altmire amendment sought to protect hunting and recreational shooting on federal land, but those steps are completely inadequate to address the concerns of millions of gun owners.

The Second Amendment protects, as the Supreme Court affirmed in D.C. v. Heller, an individual right to keep and bear arms. That right was never intended to protect only the shooting sports.

Under current regulations, firearms possessed for the sole purpose of self-defense on land controlled by the National Park Service is prohibited unless the person holds a concealed carry permit.

While millions of law-biding Americans hold CCW permits, many more do not.  It is these citizens’ rights that are going unprotected.

NPS land covers the gamut from busy thoroughfares to remote wilderness areas.  These gun free zones are dangerous, in addition to creating a patchwork of inconsistent regulations between federal and state land.

Although we won today, unfortunately the battle is not over.

The anti-gun leadership will attempt to bring this bill back to the floor in a way that requires a simple majority, rather than the two-thirds vote they needed Wednesday.

Several pro-gun congressmen will try to offer an amendment in committee to simply allow state and local law to govern firearms possession on NPS land.  This type of amendment would put more control at the local level and protect the gun rights of all law-abiding Americans.

What is expected is that the leadership will propose a new “rule” that blocks any such pro-gun amendments.

If that happens, the vote on the rule becomes the gun vote.

House leaders have not indicated when they will attempt to bring the bill back to the floor, but it could come up at any time.

Therefore, your Representative needs to hear from you once again, for two reasons. First, the entire House needs to be urged to reject any parliamentary trick that excludes language to protect Second Amendment rights on federal land.  Next, those who voted against your rights need to know of your dissatisfaction, while those who stood up for your rights should be thanked.

ACTION: Please use the Gun Owners Legislative Action Center at http://gunowners.org/activism.htm to send your Rep. a pre-written letter.

Note: the LAC will automatically load the correct text for individual Representatives, based upon their vote Wednesday.  Because the list has to be divided in this way, the pre-written letters are not editable by the sender.

—– Pre-written letter for those who voted pro-gun —–

Dear Representative:

Thank you for standing up for the Second Amendment by voting against S. 22, the Omnibus Public Lands Management Act of 2009.

This bill would greatly expand land controlled by the National Park Service, and thus spread the agency’s gun restrictions to even more areas.  The NPS gun ban should be repealed, not expanded.

Although the pro-gun side won today, the battle is not over.  The anti-gun leadership will try to bring the bill to the floor again, this time with a rule intended to exclude a pro-gun amendment to repeal the NPS anti-gun regulations.

If that is the case, I urge you to once again stand up for the Second Amendment and vote against the rule.

Sincerely,

—– Pre-written letter for those who voted anti-gun —–

Dear Representative,

I am extremely disappointed that you did not stand up for the Second Amendment on the issue of S. 22, the Omnibus Public Lands Management Act of 2009.

This bill would greatly expand land controlled by the National Park Service, and thus spread the agency’s gun restrictions to even more areas.  The NPS gun ban should be repealed, not expanded.

Although the pro-gun side won today, the battle is not over.  The anti-gun leadership will try to bring the bill to the floor again, this time with a rule intended to exclude a pro-gun amendment to repeal the NPS anti-gun regulations.

If that is the case, I urge you to protect the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding Americans and vote against the rule.

Sincerely,

****************************

National Shooting Sports Foundation

NEWTOWN, Conn.—-(AmmoLand.com)- The National Shooting Sports Foundation strongly encourages the National Park Service to reconsider its policy banning the use of traditional ammunition made with lead components on park lands and points out that neither humans, wildlife populations nor the environment are harmed by the use of such ammunition.

“The National Park Service’s decision is arbitrary, over-reactive and not based on science,” said Steve Sanetti, president of the National Shooting Sports Foundation, trade association for the firearms and ammunition industry. “Studies show that traditional ammunition does not pose a health risk to humans, or wildlife populations as a whole.”

The park service appears to have made its decision without requesting input from wildlife management and conservation groups, or ammunition manufacturers. “There is no evidence of traditional ammunition harming humans or wildlife populations that would warrant this kind of drastic policy change,” said Lawrence G. Keane, NSSF senior vice president and general counsel.

Hunting is allowed in some national parks in order to reduce herd populations or remove wounded or sick animals, and NSSF maintains that traditional ammunition is best suited for these tasks. Traditional ammunition costs less, and hunters are more familiar with its performance. Hunters also are agreeable to taking voluntary measures, such as burying entrails after field dressing game, to prevent scavengers from ingesting lead fragments.

Maintaining healthy wildlife populations has always been a priority for hunters, who have contributed approximately $5.6 billion to protect wildlife and habit over the past 70 years through excise taxes paid on firearms and ammunition.

The park service’s news release does not cite scientific evidence that wildlife populations are being negatively impacted by the use of traditional ammunition, and there is no indication that park visitors’ health was affected in any way by hunters and wildlife managers using traditional ammunition.

Ammunition containing lead components has been the choice of hunters for well over 100 years, during which time wildlife populations in America have surged. While lead ingestion appears to occur in a small number of individual animals, overall populations are unaffected. Also, there has never been a documented case of lead poisoning among humans who have eaten game taken with traditional ammunition, and a recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study on North Dakota hunters who consumed game confirmed that there was no reason for concern over eating game taken with traditional ammunition.

Unfortunately, the park service’s decision to ban traditional ammunition adds to the misinformation being circulated by anti-hunting groups to promote fear among wildlife managers and hunters about traditional ammunition. The park service’s news release makes erroneous comparisons between organic lead found in gasoline and the metallic lead used in ammunition. Banning lead in gasoline and paint was related to public health concerns because of the widespread nature of these substances and ingestion of paint chips by young children. These issues are not associated with lead in ammunition.

NSSF and its member companies who possess significant knowledge about lead and its use in ammunition hope to be part of any regulatory process to encourage the park service to reconsider this hastily concluded policy before it goes into effect by the end of 2010.

U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance

Washington, DC – -(AmmoLand.com)- Ask your congressman and two U.S. senators to urge the Obama Administration to stop the National Park Service from its plan to stop the use lead ammunition and fishing tackle on its lands.

The park service, which administers many lands that permit hunting and fishing, including National Preserves, National Recreation Areas and National Rivers, announced March 10 that it would ban lead ammunition and sinkers from its lands.

Acting NPS Director Dan Wenk stated that the NPS goal is to eliminate all lead in ammunition and tackle by the end of 2010.

Over 20 million acres of NPS land is open to hunting and would be adversely impacted by this decision.

This decision is seen as a blatant anti-hunting move. It is clearly designed to limit hunting by imposing high priced alternative products like tungsten, copper, and steel.

It will reduce available conservation dollars as sportsmen reduce purchases of hunting and angling gear.

Take Action! Sportsmen are urged to contact their congressperson and their senators and tell them to ask the Obama Administration to oppose this measure. Tell them banning lead will destroy both part of America’s heritage and reduce conservation dollars.

To find your Representative’s phone number use the Legislative Action Center.

For more information regarding the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alert Network, call 614-888-4868, or email Greg R. Lawson, director of communications at glawson@ussportsmen.org or Sharon Hayden, assistant director of communications data at shayden@ussportsmen.org.

About:
The U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance is a national association of sportsmen and sportsmen’s organizations that protects and advances America’s heritage of hunting, fishing and trapping. It does so in the courts, state legislatures, at the ballot, in Congress and through public education programs. For more information about the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance and its work, call (614) 888-4868 or visit its website, www.ussportsmen.org.