Most of Sonoran Desert National Monument Will Remain Open to Shooters

After years of administrative fighting, the BLM recommended that 53,000 acres be closed to shooting—but 443,000 acres will stay open.

Published Oct 25, 2017

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Though it hasn’t been finalized, the BLM has proposed closing 53,000 acres of Sonoran Desert National Monument to shooting while leaving the remaining 443,000 acres open. The bureau considered everything from complete bans to complete permission, but chose to leave just 11 percent of the land off-limits to shooting.