I’m generally of the opinion that “contempt of Congress” shouldn’t be a crime but a civil duty. Sure, there are members of Congress who don’t suck completely, but it’s generally best to assume they all are terrible until the show us otherwise.
How can they do that?
Only through their actions. Passing the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, for example, was a prime example of how so many of them suck. The latest move by Congress, though? Not so much.
A bill expanding public access to shooting ranges now sits on President Joe Biden’s desk.
The Expanding Public Lands Outdoor Recreation Experiences (Explore) Act was one of the last pieces of legislation to make it through Congress before the end of 2024. It passed by voice vote in the House and unanimous consent in the Senate late last week. The bill seeks to ensure there is at least one shooting range in every National Forest and Bureau of Land Management district in the country.
The White House did not answer whether President Biden would sign the bill. However, he has not publicly expressed opposition to the bipartisan legislation.
The bill’s passage is tangible evidence of broad bipartisan support for expanding recreational shooting and hunting opportunities. Of the 51 co-sponsors in the House, 27 were Democrats, and 24 were Republicans.
In addition to the range provisions, the Explore Act included a host of other outdoor recreation expansion efforts as well as new resources for young people and the disabled to access public lands. That helped it gain support from both gun-rights and conservation groups.
“This is a rare bipartisan victory during a very divided time in our country. Congress found common ground to improve outdoor accessibility for communities everywhere,” Jackie Ostfeld, director of Sierra Club’s Outdoors for All campaign, said in a statement. “For neighborhoods without a park in walking distance, for people with mobility issues, for kids who have yet to experience our country’s natural wonders, the EXPLORE Act will improve the lives of families everywhere.
“Overall, the EXPLORE Act promises to significantly contribute to America’s rich heritage of outdoor recreation on federal lands and waters,” the National Rifle Association’s Institute for Legislative Action said in a post on its website.
I’ve always been a little annoyed by anti-gunners who claim, on one hand, that the average citizen just isn’t well-trained enough to carry a gun and argue for things like marksmanship requirements for carry permits, only to also oppose efforts to expand gun ranges so people can get the required level of marksmanship.
I’d say it baffled me, but if you assume that the goal is to make it so as few people can meet the requirements as possible, it’s not that baffling.
At a time when private ranges are having to battle entire communities, it’s at least nice to see the Congress take a step to expand gun ranges for the American people.
Of course, that only matters if it gets signed. The president has 10 days to sign it, and that means it won’t be waiting on Trump when he takes office. As noted above, Biden hasn’t said anything about this bill one way or another. Considering all the other things in this bill, I’m not convinced he will veto anything.
Finally, some good news for gun folks out of the Biden administration. Considering everything else, though, it’s far from enough.
Read the full article here
