Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum has issued Secretarial Order 3447 – Expanding Hunting and Fishing Access, Removing Unnecessary Barriers, and Ensuring Consistency Across the Department of Interior Lands and Waters.
This sets a department wide policy that “public and federally managed lands should be open to hunting and fishing unless a specific, documented, and legally supported exception applies.”
This order directs the US Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, Bureau of Reclamation, and Bureau of Indian Affairs to identify and remove unnecessary regulatory barriers and allow access to hunting and fishing wherever practical.
This “open-unless-closed” policy will better align hunting and fishing policies on federally managed lands with adjacent State, Tribal, and Territorial wildlife agencies with the aim to remove access barriers, duplicative permits, and misaligned methods of take. This will provide additional opportunities and greater clarity for hunters and anglers using our federally owned lands.
“For years, hunters and anglers have had to deal with outdated and confusing regulations when choosing to hunt on federal lands,” said John Commerford, Executive Director of NRA-ILA. “This decision will streamline much needed changes to existing policy and demonstrates a true commitment to sportsmen and women by the Trump Administration.”
NRA-ILA applauds the Secretary’s effort to expand opportunities for sportsmen and women and remove policies that arbitrarily prohibit the use a firearm for lawful hunting on federal lands.
NRA-ILA will continue to work with the Department to identify areas to expand opportunities and remove burdensome regulations for hunters and anglers.
About NRA-ILA:
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
Oh I’m sure BLM will jump to accommodate NOT.
BIA only enforces based on race anyway.
Fish and Wildlife don’t even get everyone started on them.
I wouldn’t look for serious changes anytime soon. You have to remove the problem first.