NRA opposes national forest shooting ban
by Brian DiTullio

A move by the Bureau of Land Management to ban recreational shooting in the Ironwood Forest National Monument is prompting a cry of “foul” from the National Rifle Association.

BLM has released a management plan proposing to eliminate all target shooting in the 128,000‑acre national forest located northwest of Tucson, south of Interstate 8. The area currently is open to dispersed recreational shooting under the control of BLM.

The NRA states that if the ban is approved, it will set a precedent that would prompt the federal government to ban all firearms and their usage on federal property.

“If the federal government can ban shooting on a vast rural area like Ironwood Forest National Monument, it can and it will ban shooting on all federal lands,” states the NRA in a message mailed to its members March 21.

According to Landis Aden, president of the Arizona State Rifle and Pistol Association, the NRA affiliate in this state, the NRA position is a lot closer to reality than a lot of people would like to admit.

“Most land in Arizona either has rooftops over it or it is owned by the government,” Aden told The Desert Advocate. “We want to keep as much land open to the public as possible, yet the philosophy (from BLM) seems to be to keep the public off public land.”

Aden continued by saying the number of shooting ranges is grossly out of proportion to the multitude of people wanting to use them, noting he usually has an hour or two wait to use the Ben Avery Shooting Facility in North Phoenix at I‑17 and Carefree Highway.

“Ironwood is just the tip of the iceberg,” said Aden.

BLM planner Mark Lambert disagrees with Aden’s assessment, stating there are certain aspects of the Ironwood national forest that make it different than other BLM lands and that some people have been abusing the privilege to shoot there.

“The problem is the damage to objects within the monument,” Lambert said, explaining Ironwood trees and Saguaro cactus have become targets for recreational shooters or suffered collateral damage due to target shooting.

Since the area has been declared a national monument, he explained the area needs to be protected to a higher standard than other BLM lands.

“The restriction is for target shooting only, not hunting,” said Lambert.

Ironwood isn’t the only national forest designated a national monument in Arizona. About 40 miles north of Phoenix, lying on both sides of I‑17, is the 71,000‑acre Agua Fria National Monument.

Alan Korwin, author of the “Arizona Gun Owner’s Guide” and host to the Web site gunlaws.com, noted the BLM has been very supportive of target shooting in the past and that the question now is, “Why the change?”

“The Second Amendment states the right to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed,” said Korwin. “If someone at BLM violates the Bill of Rights, can they be brought up on charges? The Second Amendment doesn’t mean much if you can keep and bear arms but you can’t discharge them.”               

According to Lambert, BLM is “very willing” to work with target‑shooting enthusiasts to create more places for pursuing that hobby, but that the Ironwood national forest is not the venue in which to do it.

“Allowing target shooters to use other areas is something we’d definitely like to facilitate,” said Lambert, adding there is “no intention” to ban shooting on all federal lands.

Two public meetings have already been held regarding the proposed ban, one in Tucson and one in Sahuarita, with three more scheduled.

The next meeting is Thursday, April 5, from 6‑8 p.m. in City Council Chambers at the Chandler Public Library, 22 S. Delaware St., followed by meetings April 10 in Sells, Ariz., and April 12 in Tucson.