SCI Petition Voices Opposition to Recreational Shooting Ban in Utah's BENM

Earlier this month, the Biden-Harris administration announced that under a new management plan, it would seek to close more than one million acres of public land in southeastern Utah's Bears Ears National Monument (BENM) to recreational shooting along with seriously curtailing vehicular access as well.

Because of that move and the outcry that has followed, Safari Club International has announced a petition drive that aims to send a loud message to the Biden-Harris administration that such a decision isn’t acceptable.

More on that petition drive in just a moment, but first a little backstory about how the entire storyline and petition effort has unfolded.

The Nuts and Bolts of the Situation

All of this came to a head a few weeks ago in early October when the Bears Ears National Monument Resource Management Plan was announced, along with a protest period. When that announcement came, there was quick opposition and public outcry from conservation organizations and hunting heritage groups like SCI.

Specifically, SCI indicated in its firm opposition to the Biden-Harris administration's Department of Interior and Department of Agriculture proposed move that the government entities were overstepping their regulatory authority. In addition to severely restricting vehicle access, there was the establishment of a total ban on recreational shooting for the BENM, public land totaling some 1.3 million acres.

SCI argued in an Oct. 4, 2024 news release that: "The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) fails to justify why the Biden-Harris administration has elected to close all recreational shooting access in direct contravention of the John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act. The Dingell Act explicitly mandates that public access closures for recreational activities, such as shooting, must be demonstrably in pursuit of a quantifiable objective that affects the smallest possible area for the shortest period necessary. This proposed plan would end open access for recreational shooting in favor of total closure with no explanation, in blatant violation of the Dingell Act’s clear language.”

"Moreover, the Pittman-Robertson Act directs excise taxes from the sale of firearms, ammunition, and related gear to fund critical wildlife conservation efforts. By restricting recreational shooting, the proposed plan discourages purchases of these products, diminishing the tax revenues essential to wildlife management and conservation programs. The result is fewer funds available for the very conservation goals the plan claims to advance."

Subtle Nuance

Like many governmental proposals that bring swift public outcry, supporters of the BENM recreational shooting restriction and limiting of vehicular access might be tempted to point out that hunting isn’t explicitly banned under the proposed management plan.

But SCI also points out that while the plan might technically allow for hunting on BENM, the severe limitation of motorized vehicle access in remote areas will certainly impact older and less mobile hunters.

And because of this, the result will be less usage by hunters and outfitters, something that will likely hurt local economies that depend on revenue from hunters and recreational shooters, as well as outfitters in the region. The move would also continue to chip away at the acreage of public lands open and available to hunters and recreational shooters.

Throughout the month, SCI has strongly opposed the controversial management plan proposal, and its leadership certainly voiced its displeasure from the start.

Emphatic Reiteration

"The Bears Ears plan is a misguided affront to sportsmen and women, the greatest stewards of our public lands,” said Ben Cassidy, SCI Executive Vice President for International Government and Public Affairs, in the group’s news release. “The total ban on recreational shooting is unwarranted, unsupported, and will only drain the very resources that support wildlife conservation projects. This is a case of federal overreach, plain and simple.”

“This policy doesn’t just hurt sportsmen and women—it undermines the entire ecosystem of conservation funding,” added SCI CEO W. Laird Hamberlin. “By shutting down recreational shooting, the plan takes a sledgehammer to a critical funding source for conservation projects and disregards the public’s right to access the lands they help sustain. SCI is proud to oppose this proposed resource management plan as part of our longstanding mission to be First for Hunters.”

Interested in voicing your own opposition to the recent BENM management plan proposal by the Biden-Harris administration? SCI has provided an easy-to-use online platform to do just that thanks to a petition drive recently created by the San Antonio, Texas based conservation and hunting rights organization.

"Federal agencies have banned recreational shooting on more than 1.3 million acres of public lands on the Bears Ears National Monument—an area larger than Rhode Island," stated SCI in an e-mail appeal this week. "The agencies cited no evidence of user conflicts or public safety concerns. They apparently just don’t like people practicing shooting on public lands.

Stand Your Ground and Unite

"SCI and partners are readying legal action to fight this baseless loss of a public recreational opportunity. But we need YOUR support to ensure the Administration and Congress understand that access to public lands matters to the PUBLIC—people like you.

"Fight for access and sign our petition below to make your voice heard!"

To do so, visit the SCI petition website and add your name to those opposing this recent management proposal on federal lands in southeastern Utah.

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