Loss Of Outdoor Shooting in Gallatin County, Public Can Weigh In
Today is the day. Today is the deadline to comment to the Montana DNRC on a petition that could close stand land to recreational shooting.
State Representative Jed Hinkle, a Gallatin County Republican lawmaker shared the following info on Facebook heading into the May 19th deadline:
Rep. Jed Hinkle: "Recreational Shooters and Hunters! There is a petition to the DNRC to CLOSE the Public STATE LAND near Logan to recreational shooting and potentially all recreation. After the Forest Service closed off 30,000 acres, sportsmen and women cannot afford to loose more land to sight in rifles, etc.. Please send comments to the DNRC requesting that this public land remain open for shooting or only temporarily closed! Comment deadline is MONDAY MAY 19th. Here is the email to send your comments: dnrcclosurepetition@mt.gov "
Hinkle added, "Labeling recreational shooting as a public safety threat is a slippery slope and if supported could spread across the state to limit recreational shooting on public land."
Gary Marbut, President of the Montana Shooting Sports Association (MSSA), also weighed in with an email to members. He acknowledged the concerns of petitioners regarding safety and cleanliness of the land that has been used for recreational shooting, but added that those concerns don't override gun rights in Montana.
Marbut: "MSSA opposes the DNRC firearm discharge ban proposed by petitioners for thousands of acres of state-owned and managed land in Gallatin County, for a variety of reasons...It is beyond obvious that a ban on firearm discharge impinges on the right to keep or bear arms that the people of Montana have reserved to themselves, specifically from government interference, in Article II, Section 12 of the Montana Constitution. This section mandates that the right "shall not be called in question."
Marbut added, "the notion that the proposed DNRC discharge ban is constitutionally permissible is a non-starter." He also wonders if this petition to the DNRC is also somehow tied into a proposal by Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife, & Parks to to turn this same location into an "established, developed, and managed shooting facility."
Marbut: "It is unlikely that the present petition and the DFWP proposal are not somehow connected. Do petitioners hope to derail DFWP plans to establish a dedicated shooting range in this location by using a DNRC firearm discharge ban? Or, could the petition have been spawned as a ploy by DFWP to demonstrate need for more control and management of shooting in the area, thereby supporting their plan for a DFWP-managed facility and agency mission creep?"
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