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BLM dumps plan for expanded rifle ban

John Miller Associated Press

BOISE – The Bureau of Land Management has dumped its plan to expand a rifle-and-pistol ban at a multipurpose Snake River bird preserve after pressure from Idaho lawmakers, putting an end to a proposal originally aimed at protecting the state’s National Guard soldiers who train at the site.

The BLM, which oversees the 490,000-acre Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area south of Boise, said it had been working with National Guard leaders for four years on the proposed shooting closure. It came after reports that sport shooters who come out to blast ground squirrels on the raptor preserve were also taking potshots at soldiers and tanks that have trained on part of the site since the 1950s.

After an April report by the Associated Press, however, lawmakers led by U.S. Rep. Bill Sali, a Republican gun-rights advocate, intervened and met with National Guard leaders, including Maj. Gen. Lawrence F. LaFrenz. Those discussions concluded that expanding the ban by 41,000 acres – existing restrictions cover 68,000 acres – could actually exacerbate conflicts by concentrating shooters closer to other sites near the National Guard’s Orchard Training Area.

Instead of the BLM broadening the shooting ban, LaFrenz has agreed that National Guard members on maneuvers will warn recreational shooters they encounter that war games may be taking place.

“During training exercises, when Guardsmen become aware of shooters in our area of operation, we attempt to inform them of the situation,” said Lt. Col. Stephanie Dowling, a spokeswoman for the Idaho National Guard. “We neither ‘sweep’ nor ‘clear’ an area prior to conducting training. The Guard acknowledges that as more shooters use the area, risks associated with public safety are likely to increase.”

The BLM said it would continue to monitor the situation.

“As the population continues to grow out there, and the number of recreationalists continues to grow, the concern about safety is going to continue to grow, too,” M.J. Byrne, a BLM spokeswoman in Boise, said Thursday.