U.S.A. -(AmmoLand.com)- On April 13, the Trump Administration published a proposed rule to end a ban on the possession of firearms in water resource development projects administered by the Army Corps of Engineers (ACE).
These areas comprise one of the largest networks of outdoor recreation sites in America, encompassing more than 400 lake and river projects in 43 states. Activities that occur on these sites include hiking, boating, fishing, camping, hunting, and geocaching.
Currently, regulations pertaining to these areas authorize the use and possession of firearms only for specified purposes, including hunting or at designated shooting ranges, or with written permission from the District Commander who has jurisdiction over the area in question.
The otherwise lawful possession of firearms, including for self-defense, is effectively banned.
Not only does this policy infringe the Second Amendment rights of visitors to these areas, as has been recognized by at least one federal court, it is at odds with policies governing firearms that apply on other types of federal recreational lands.
The National Park Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the Bureau of Reclamation, and the U.S. Forest Service all recognize a right to possess firearms on lands under their authority, consistent with the laws of the states in which those lands are located.
Meanwhile, federal statutory law continues to prohibit the possession of firearms in “federal facilities” (i.e., buildings where federal employees regularly perform their official duties), a restriction that would not be changed by the pending rulemaking.
As proposed, the rule would allow visitors to possess and transport firearms on ACE water resource development project lands and waters, provided they are not prohibited by law from possessing firearms and the possession or transportation is otherwise in compliance with applicable laws.
This commonsense provision would abolish an existing gun-free zone on 12 million acres of public lands and waters nationwide, including 55,390 miles of shoreline, 7,856 miles of trails, 92,588 campsites, and 3,754 boat ramps.
Comments may be filed in support of the rule at Regulations.gov. Submissions are due by June 12, 2020.
As Americans look forward to re-engaging in their favorite outdoor pastimes at the end of the state lockdowns currently in effect because of the COVID-19 outbreak, the Trump administration is at work to ensure they will do so with their Second Amendment rights fully intact.
The NRA thanks the president for his continued support of our right to keep and bear arms and urges all gun owners to show their enthusiastic support for the proposed rule by submitting their comments.
About:
Established in 1975, the Institute for Legislative Action (ILA) is the “lobbying” arm of the National Rifle Association of America. ILA is responsible for preserving the right of all law-abiding individuals in the legislative, political, and legal arenas, to purchase, possess and use firearms for legitimate purposes as guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Visit: www.nra.org
We all know there are MORONS out there that make things very difficult for us honest gun-toting AMERICAN citizens!
HIGH TIME!!! GUN FREE ZONES ARE THE MOST DANGEROUS PLACES IN AMERICA!!! ALL SUPPORTERS OF THE U.S. CONSTITUTION NEED TO POST A COMMENT TO DO AWAY WITH THESE GUN FREE ZONES!!!
Pending the enactment of this law, when you go pier fishing in Michigan on one of the many Great Lakes piers and jetties erected by the Army Corps of Engineers, you can be armed. Great! Thanks to the Trump administration, the Second Amendment is step by step, inch by inch, being restored.
U know I have not much cared for the right nor the left in my 50 years of voting, and they are both getting worse instead of better. I figure that The Right should be giving USA National Carry, and also free up one of our biggest Gun Free Zones which are almost every Government Building at ever level from City, County, State, and Fed….. I am waiting on The Right to actually do what they say they believe in. Until then and I won’t hold my breath I will simply Carry Always as I have done for over 20… Read more »
98% of Public Mass Shootings occur in “GUN-FREE ZONES”. The other 2% occur in areas that were immediately Adjacent To “GUN-FREE Zones” (such as Parking Lots or Streets just outside the building)
This is a good move. No ACE lands near me, but the pprinciple stands.
Better yet, how’s about divesting Uncle Stupid of ALL lands unconstitutionaly controlled/owned? That would exempt military forts bases and ports, post office, courthouses, the Distcrict of Corruption itself, and that’s about it.
I fish on Lake Lanier north of Atlanta quite frequently. The prohibition of carrying my handgun has been a PITA for years. I hate to leave my EDC under the seat. Most of the ramps are unattended. Some of the ramps have a reputation of vehicles being vandalized. I am missing a handgun now that I think was purloined at one of the unattended ramps.
Kudos to President Trump.
DF
It’s about time that these areas are opened to carry and express our 2nd amendment rights. Thank you Mr. President.
Heh, I had to do a DuckDuckGo search for “geocaching” to find out what that was.
From Geocaching dot com:
“Geocaching is an outdoor recreational activity, in which participants use a Global Positioning System receiver or mobile device and other navigational techniques to hide and seek containers, called “geocaches” or “caches”, at specific locations marked by coordinates all over the world.”
Wikipedia has an entry for geocaching as well.
Imagine that. I didn’t even know “geocaching” was a thing!
I just logged in and left a comment with no problem.