BLM proposal to build 4 new shooting sites

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Two sites, near Buckeye & Maricopa
https://eplanning.blm.gov/epl-front-office/projects/nepa/122638/173437/210686/Vicinity_Map_South.pdf
If you use google earth and recon the Box Canyon location, there are a bunch of private airstrips & ranges out there. Including the Dillon Precision range where DillonAero does their gun runs.

Hwy 74 - west of L Pleasant.
https://eplanning.blm.gov/epl-front-office/projects/nepa/122638/173436/210685/Vicinity_Map_North.pdf
 
This has all the current plans with pictures of the proposals.

https://eplanning.blm.gov/epl-front-office/eplanning/planAndProjectSite.do?methodName=dispatchToPatternPage&currentPageId=185712
 
My naturally suspicious nature can't help but imagine the REAL reason why they would do such a thing.

Yes,...this is a positive, ultimately. But my first thought is that with such places, they would have legal cover to run shooters out of anywhere and everywhere else. I expect that soon, unless a hunting season is ongoing, there would be an officially unofficial policy of messing with anyone shooting or even having weapons outside of these designated areas. And once everyone is conveniently consolidated into easy to patrol/surviel locations,...how long before the gun police are the most regular visitors?

Yeah, I know. Call me paranoid now,...but check back in 10 or 20 years and see if I didn't nail it.
 
Maybe BLM is hoping this can be the beginning to opening up more areas to shoot and curtailing some of the garbage left behind by dirt shooters
 
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Suck My Glock said:
My naturally suspicious nature can't help but imagine the REAL reason why they would do such a thing.

Yes,...this is a positive, ultimately. But my first thought is that with such places, they would have legal cover to run shooters out of anywhere and everywhere else. I expect that soon, unless a hunting season is ongoing, there would be an officially unofficial policy of messing with anyone shooting or even having weapons outside of these designated areas. And once everyone is conveniently consolidated into easy to patrol/surviel locations,...how long before the gun police are the most regular visitors?

Yeah, I know. Call me paranoid now,...but check back in 10 or 20 years and see if I didn't nail it.

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Nah, I don't think you are paranoid,... in the least, you are more like, realistic, to me, considering the current political atmosphere!

I'll just add a few points, to your's, if you don't mind?

Consolidation of gun owners, is a CONTROL MOVE!
Consolidation of shooters,... makes IDENTIFICATION so much more easy, another control factor.
Consolidating shooters to controlled areas,... puts the control of said areas in the authorities corner and thereby putting control of shooters in their corner, to do with as they see fit, when they see fit.

Naaah,... I'll pass.
 
This if going into effect will set a precedent in how shooting is going to be controlled on the desert areas.
its a ruse to have public discussion, they have already decided how, and what, and it will morph into what they think a controlled area should be, never mind what folks comments will be. Just the way the blm works, dealt with them on leases for years, oh yeah, remember the rancher in nevada, yeah right, its here and its real,
Rj
 
knockonit said:
This if going into effect will set a precedent in how shooting is going to be controlled on the desert areas.
its a ruse to have public discussion, they have already decided how, and what, and it will morph into what they think a controlled area should be, never mind what folks comments will be. Just the way the blm works, dealt with them on leases for years, oh yeah, remember the rancher in nevada, yeah right, its here and its real,
Rj



Agree. BLM by necessity has public hearings when use of their land is going to change. APS put in a main power line along the west valley up and over to Lake Pleasant a few years ago. Prior to the purchase of BLM land by APS there was a number of public meetings to discuss the impact to people along the route as well as other concerns. There was no real chance that public input would change anything. But one section of the power line got proposed to be installed right at the edge of my property as well as that of numerous other neighbors. Long story short, 60 property owners had to join an existing law suit to fight APS in court. Public hearings didn't do squat. But the law suit did get them to agree to move the power line about 3/4 mile north of me. Money talks. Public hearings walk.
 
This isn't at all unusual. BLM routinely grants property for shooting ranges. The Joe Foss range in buckeye is an example. It was granted (given) to Maricopa County exclusively to be used as a shooting range;no other use. So, not atypical.
 
If they "gave" this land to the county to run, I would agree that this could be good. BA was good when the county ran it. But BLM will retain control of these sites and they are using the help of AZGF to set this up. A recipe for a BA style of desert shooting.

Think about what will happen.
  • You're shooting you 50bmg and a guy pulls up next to you and lets his 5 rug-rats out of the van with no ear protection
  • A group shows up with 3 old computers and a microwave for targets
  • A group shows up to pull their 9s and 45s out of no-holster appendix carry to practice
  • The kid shows up with his Glock auto-sear from Amazon and starts flinging lead
  • Mr. Silencer shows up with his flags BBQ etc to let customers play and cordons off a large area.
  • People are fumbling with firearms after someone calls a cold range but they have a WTF are you attitude
  • "Rifle" lanes are full so somebody starts shooting their rifle in the "pistol" lanes
  • And there is always the guy with 5# of Tannerite.

These are all things that have already happened. How can BLM respond? They have to assign full time, on site supervision, post open/close, times, or just shut it down.

Then the questions:

  • Will you be allowed to bring your own steel?
  • Can you use zombie or person targets?
  • Will certain ammunition be restricted, who will check?
  • Will certain firearms be restricted, who will check?
  • Will fire closure still close the "Improved" sites?

I just don't see it ending well.
 
All I see is another door opening for infringement,... don't need no government entity control on when, where, how, or, what I can shoot.

jmo
 
shooter444 said:
All I see is another door opening for infringement,... don't need no government entity control on when, where, how, or, what I can shoot.
jmo

Same here, and the countdown to closure begins.

Maybe it will take long enough that I will be dust and won't give a damn.
 
On the bright side, despite having had designated shooting areas on BLM land for decades in CA the rest of the BLM lands are still pretty much open for shooting still.
 
Screw it. Let's just have the BLM completely close their areas to shooting, off road vehicles, etc. like they did on the Morman trail. That should make everyone happy. Geezzzz
 
Screw it. Let's just have the BLM completely get the fukkk out of our areas of shooting, our off road vehicle areas and all our recreational lands, etc.,... like our forefathers did to the English when, enough was enough, from England's acts of excessive authority. Maybe that should make everyone feel happy they found their spine, when dealing with our employees.

:whistle:
 
I am in favor of this project. I have questions about operation/control of these facilities and so forth. The public, generally, accepts gun ownership and shooting as long as we do it in a safe manner. These facilities, by their design, provide a degree of safety above any dispersed shooting area. I note that each have restrooms. That alone promotes a more "family" friendly environment.

The Narramore site shows great promise as well as being reasonably close enough that I'll use it.

Let's be cautious.........the devil is always in the deteils.

Watch yer 6!
Mongo
 
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