Rehberg opposes restrictive shooting

U.S. Rep. Denny Rehberg (R-Mont) has sent a letter to Interior Secretary Ken Salazar and Bureau of Land Management Secretary Bob Abbey asking them to revise a draft policy that empowers federal land managers to prohibit “recreational shooting” on public lands. 

On Thursday, Rehberg voiced his concerns with this policy at a meeting with Jamie Connell, Montana State Director for the Bureau of Land Management in his Washington, D.C., Office.

“It’s been very clear from the onset that this Administration is uncomfortable with gun rights, and eager to restrict the Second Amendment at every opportunity,” said Rehberg, a member of the Second Amendment Task Force.

“In a state like Montana, where the federal government is by far the largest land holder, preserving Second Amendment rights on public land isn’t just a question of good policy.  It’s a question of protecting our way of life from big-city meddlers.”

According to the draft policy, an authorized officer could close shooting access on lands for a wide variety of reasons including concerns about creating public disturbance, or risk to other persons on public lands.  There are no standards for what constitutes a disturbance.