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No Shooting In Some Arizona National Forests


Cholla

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Discharging an AIR RIFLE is gonna create a fire hazard?

 

Huh?

 

..."likely caused by recreational shooting..." WHAT? Really? How? Prove it!

 

Can you say BS?

 

Dry conditions, sure. How about any number of other causes being at fault? Fireworks, credible. Campfire out of control, yup. Cigarette carelessly thrown, yes. Etc...

 

:angry:

 

On edit: This sounds like anti-2A gov't  overreach to me. Blame guns and shooters first.

 

I remember a fire in Colorado several years back this that was horrible. Was started by a FS worker for bizarre reasons. Fires can and do start many different ways but let's blame gun owners first.

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This, of course, is pure, unrefined bull$#|£.  There is significantly more hazard or danger of fire from simple camping than from the use of firearms.  Everyone knows this to be true.

 

Cat Brules

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I have a friend who lives in Arizona, and he tells me that there are places where the state is very much a tinderbox waiting to go off.   That's why fireworks are banned in the state, he says.

I could sorta understand the shooting ban, until I saw two things.  First, how is an air rifle in any way a fire hazard?  Second, how is shooting while hunting any less prone to causing a fire than shooting at a tin can or a paper target?   

All for extra care and caution when it is needed, but something about this doesn't add up to me.  Sure, it tried very hard to sound "reasonable" but as soon as you give it any thought, it falls apart.

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Fireworks are no longer banned in the state.  Changed about 10 years ago.

40 minutes ago, H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619 said:

I have a friend who lives in Arizona, and he tells me that there are places where the state is very much a tinderbox waiting to go off.   That's why fireworks are banned in the state, he says.....

 

 

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In 2017 a off duty border patrol officer caused the sawmill fire that burned more than 47000 acres and cost an estimated 8 million dollars to fight not to mention damages. He shot his firearm at a gender revile target, in the dry conditions it went up faster than they could put it out. This was a trained professional, how many untrained weekend warriors do you think go out and shoot firearms at stuff. I've seen propane tanks full of holes out in the desert. Now I'm not saying a law will stop people from being idiots but you never know.

Rafe

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Think about this for a minute

 

I know of no one that uses steel core ammo for hunting but cheap target ammo often is steel core. Steel core ammo can cause sparks when fired into rocks or metallic targets.

 

Hunters don't typically shoot glass bottles, tannerite or other stupid targets. Stupid people with firearms do. Broken bottles can focus the sun and start a fire. Tannerite can start fires as can other improvised targets.

 

A hunter will fire few if any rounds. One target shooter will likely fire more rounds in an hour than all the hunters will in a week. 

 

Law enforcement can easily tell the difference between gun fire from a lone hunter and target shooters. Really hard for one or two LEOs to check up on every target shooter to ensure they are acting responsibly when there could be several groups of target shooters spread across a few hundred square miles.

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FYI

 

Only the Arizona Game and Fist Commission can close an area to hunting and  the Commission decides (by Rule) lawful method of take -- including by firearm.

Commission Hires the Game and Fish Director and has the Rule making authority Under Arizona  Revised Statutes, Title 17. The Forest Service generally respects that as a State's Right since the State lays claim to all the wildlife in the state (ya, I'm aware of the Federal Endangered Species Act, et al)

 

And, yes. as previously stated, target shooting has started fires (even though I don't like to admit it). Some characters have even gone out in the dry brush and shot tracer ammo. There is no cure for stupid and you can not stop stupid..

 

The big scare to the Forest Service is that there is much tinder and there may be fires and much  of  the fire fighting force may be sick, or staying home so they don't get sick. 

And, how do you camp 300 firefighters together with "social distancing" How do you load up a crew truck and drive them to the fire?

 

I think it really sucks, but is probably  the right call.  Even though I own a home in the Tonto National Forest and like to target shoot, :( 

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1 hour ago, Joe LaFives #5481 said:

Fireworks are no longer banned in the state.  Changed about 10 years ago.

 

Fireworks have been banned in the National Forest since June 2019.

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2 hours ago, H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619 said:


I could sorta understand the shooting ban, until I saw two things.  First, how is an air rifle in any way a fire hazard? 
 

The ONLY thing I can think of is that BBs are steel and could cause a spark, but that is a long stretch. It does seem like overreach. And the ban is ending in mid summer, when everything will be at its driest.

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5 minutes ago, Palo Verde, SASS # 56522 said:

"ban ends July 31, or until rescinded"

we're usually into monsoon season by then -- maybe not at your house:)

Yes, right when all the lightning started fires begin.

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27 minutes ago, Cholla said:

Fireworks have been banned in the National Forest since June 2019.

Yes but that's not the state which is what was said

 

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For those of you in the Prescott area, our home range for the Whiskey Row Gunslingers is open for members with range privileges to practice, we are on private property, surrounded by Prescott national forest. We hope to be back to our normal SASS match schedule in June.

TB

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18 hours ago, Turquoise Bill, SASS #39118 said:

For those of you in the Prescott area, our home range for the Whiskey Row Gunslingers is open for members with range privileges to practice, we are on private property, surrounded by Prescott national forest. We hope to be back to our normal SASS match schedule in June.

 

I am so ready to shoot a match with my WRG pards. I have done some practice shooting and I am anxious to shoot my new Stoeger SxS and my new Taylor Trapper '73 in a match. I will still be slow but happy to get back to shooting matches again. I have new holsters including a cross draw that is the correct angle and brand new grips on my Vaqueros. Thanks for the update TB, looking forward to our next match....REALLY!!!!

AG

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21 hours ago, Turquoise Bill, SASS #39118 said:

For those of you in the Prescott area, our home range for the Whiskey Row Gunslingers is open for members with range privileges to practice, we are on private property, surrounded by Prescott national forest. We hope to be back to our normal SASS match schedule in June.

TB

Good to know but I wonder how I'll feel. I have had two kidney procedures in the past three weeks and one more to go on May 26th. Just wearing a regular belt can be painful.

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