In its latest move targeting hunters, shooters and general outdoorsmen, the Biden-Harris administration has put forward a plan to close 1.3 million acres of Bears Ears National Monument (BENM) to recreational shooting. The move has drawn criticism from across the hunting and conservation world—to include the National Rifle Association—as a massive overreach of regulatory authority.
Unfortunately, this move is not unprecedented for the incumbent administration. Earlier this year, nearly 99 percent of the Sonoran Desert National Monument’s 485,791 acres were closed off to recreational shooting. Even more insidiously, the administration attempted to use its Department of Education to cut funding to schools with archery and hunter education programs. Luckily, Congress passed legislation to resume funding, which Biden was forced to sign last October.
Referring to the latest move targeting the BENM, Randy Kozuch, NRA-ILA Executive Director said “This is another example of the Biden-Harris administration circumventing the law to punish recreational shooters and cut off access to federal lands. This radical decision underscores the importance of the upcoming November elections to ensure that those in power respect the Second Amendment and our ability to exercise those freedoms.”
Fortunately, there may be some legal grounds to challenge the proposal. A 2019 law was specifically written to head off such overbearing action by the federal government. That law, known as the John D. Dingell Jr. Conservation, Management and Recreation Act, declared it national policy that the Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service consider hunting, fishing and recreational shooting (HFRS) opportunities as part of federal land, resource and travel management plans. It also declared it national policy that these agencies conserve and enhance the management of wild game species and their habitat, including through hunting and fishing, in concert with state fish and game laws. All these HFRS provisions were, of course, initiated by and/or developed by the NRA in concert with several other non-government organizations (NGOs).
For more on the story, check out the reporting over on NRA's Hunter's Leadership Forum, and of course check back with us here at American Hunter for future updates.
