*Utah May Restrict Gun Use & Target Shooting to Prevent Fires*


The_Outlaw

~The Dude Abides~
There’s an interesting story brewing in Utah surrounding public safety and personal freedom. Republican Gov. Gary Herbert is taking some steps that some Second Amendment champions will find unappealing. On Monday, he announced that the state forester has the power and the right to ban target shooting in unincorporated areas of the state (areas outside cities and towns).
While the decision will surely create some angst, it is being made following public safety concerns. Since target shooting, among other activities like using fireworks, is considered to be a potential fire-starter, Herbert is attempting to minimize dangers. At least one recent fire was allegedly started by target shooting, which adds fuel to the proposal to ban the practice in specified areas.

Utah Governor Announces State Can Ban Target Shooting to Prevent Fires | TheBlaze.com
 

I was about to post this. Wtf?

Anyway, one of those fires did get started by shooting done at a party. I'm fine with them banning shooting at the state level at certain times of year. For the greater good.
 
I was about to post this. Wtf?

Anyway, one of those fires did get started by shooting done at a party. I'm fine with them banning shooting at the state level at certain times of year. For the greater good.

Art & Belle (Fart & Smell) please do me & everyone else on this forum a huge favor and just Go Away.
 
I wanna see this proven. LOL

I'm not positive what you are saying, but if you are asking if gunfire started the fire, in one if the fires currently burning in Utah, it did start in the area where their targets were. If that isn't what you were asking please clarify.

Sent from my PG86100 using Tapatalk 2
 
The only way I can imagine that gunfire has the ability to start a fire is if the shooter is using Tracers, API rounds or using exploding targets. I can understand with the dry conditions and severity of the fires that the concern has to be addressed. Last time I checked FMJ plinking ammo does not start fires when shot. I hope that they settle this without totally banning target shooting, it could be an inadvertent way for the gun grabbers to set a precedent in the interest of public safety.
 
I was about to post this. Wtf?

Anyway, one of those fires did get started by shooting done at a party. I'm fine with them banning shooting at the state level at certain times of year. For the greater good.

On another note, why would you be for banning shooting at any time of the year and publicly state this on a "GUN FORUM". 2nd issue I take with your post..."Greater good" are you a communist/socialist of some sort? If so please move to China for a year and let me know how well that works out for you. Last time I checked America is the land of the Free, there is always a way to come up with a solution that doesn't involve infringing on everyone else's rights, or punish the rest of the citizenry for one persons poor decisions. Thirdly, you stated in a previous thread that you would change your screen name if someone told you how. I believe the general consensus was you had to create a new one and abandon your original. So why are you Trolling The_Outlaw, the real one, on every thread with your obviously antagonizing name? just curious.
 
As someone who lives in Utah I can attest to the fact that the fires are a really big problem this year. Far bigger than they've been the previous ten summers that I have lived here, and it still really early in the season. I know a few people that have had family evacuated from their homes in a couple of different parts of the state.

I can't speak for any of the fires being caused by shooting, but I have heard it might have been the cause of one of them. If they do anything I'm sure it would just be temporary restrictions in certain areas because Utah is such a pro-gun state.

One of the fires was at the mouth of the canyon where I go to shoot, so I'll probably just be hitting the indoor range for a while. If there's a chance that target shooting could cause some of these fires I'm not going to put other people's homes at risk for something I consider to be a pleasure activity. I'm sure most of the people here are courteous enough to feel the same. So any temporary restrictions would just serve to keep a few jerks in check, which might be enough of a reason for them not to do it.

Send lots of good thoughts to the people who have been evacuated and the brave men and women who are fighting the fires!
 
Looks like we might get some rain today and Saturday. Hopefully it's enough that this will become a non-issue! :laugh:
 
i doubt the fire was started from gunfire. perhaps just another media seed sent out to give guns a bad rep imo
here in florida we get wild fires too mostly caused by lightening but who knows perhaps it was deliberately set out west for all we know .......
 
Last I heard they were going to conduct some tests to see which types of ammo are more likely to cause fire. But if it all it takes is a spark, I don't think it's reasonable to dismiss the possibility of gun fire being a possible cause of one of over 20 fires. All it would take is a bullet hitting a rock surrounded by really dry grass. And there are plenty of those. It could also have been someone who was shooting carelessly discarding a cigarette. I don't tend to assume anything is done with malicious intent unless there is something to back it up. Especially when stupidity is known to be the biggest cause of wildfires out here.

It's not going to kill anyone to play it safe for a little while so that the state doesn't decide to take action. But it is going to be wet on Saturday, so at least I'll get to shoot outdoors this weekend.
 
Here are the links.

[video]http://content.usatoday.com/communities/ondeadline/post/2012/07/gunfire-blamed-for-some-wildfires-states-consider-limits/1[/video]

[video]http://www.realclearpolitics.com/news/ap/politics/2012/Jul/02/utah_to_restrict_gun_use_for_fire_season.html[/video]

National guard admits blame
[video]http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/39265584/ns/us_news-life/t/utahs-national-guard-chief-takes-blame-fire/[/video]
 
I agree that "specialty rounds and targets" (ie tracer, explosive targets, etc) have set more fires than fmj, but fmj can start fires if the environment is right. Especially if the fmj are being fired rapidly or fully automatic (local "SWAT" team has started a few fires with fmj ammunition and smoke grenades)

I have gone on many a calls for small grass fires started by fmj ammunition. Even a single tree has caught on fire due to a fmj that the investigator dug out from the fire origin. Luckily none of the fires spread to anything substantial.

Should it be banned ? No. Mufflers on cars start wild fires too, we aren't banning driving.

If the forest service or department of forestry say the day is high risk, shoot some place where there is no dry fuel around.

Common sense is dead...hence why they get away with passing these ridiculous laws. Hopefully they don't pass this one, and just educate the public on the proper locations to shoot during high risk environment.
 

New Threads

Members online

Forum statistics

Threads
49,542
Messages
611,255
Members
74,961
Latest member
Shodan
Back
Top