The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has just released a management plan for Ironwood Forest National Monument that proposes to ban all recreational shooting in the 128,000-acre forest. Ironwood Forest National Monument is currently open to dispersed recreational shooting and is controlled by the Bureau of Land Management.
However, if BLM’s preferred management alternative (Alternative C) is adopted, then ALL recreational shooting will be banned. Make no mistake, this is just the first step to banning 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. They must be stopped now!
BLM has scheduled five (5) public meetings during its 90-day public comment period to introduce these plans and allow the public the opportunity to comment. Your attendance is crucial! Please mark your calendars for the following important meetings:
March 29: Tuscon, AZ – Pima County Parks & Recreation, 3500 West River Road, 6 PM to 8 PM
April 3: Sahuarita, AZ – Sahuarita High School, 350 West Sahuarita Road, 6 PM to 8 PM
April 5: Chandler, AZ – Chandler Public Library, City Council Chambers, 22 S. Delaware St. 6 PM to 8 PM
April 10: Sells, AZ – Legislative Council Chambers, Main Street, 6 PM to 8 PM
April 12: Tucson, AZ – Pima County Parks & Recreation, 3500 West River Road, 2:30 PM to 4:30 PM
To review the management plans, go to www.blm.gov/az/LUP/ironwood/ironwood_plan.htm.
It is critical that gun owners attend these upcoming meetings and make their views known. Comments are due by May 30 and can be submitted by mail to Mark Lambert, BLM Planner, Tucson Field Office, 12661 E. Broadway, Tucson, AZ 85748, or sent via email to [email protected].