US Won't Restrict Shooting on Federal Land

Score one for gun owners: The Interior Department is backtracking on a plan to restrict target shooting on federal land, reports MSNBC. Interior chief Ken Salazar today ordered that the draft proposal be shelved. It would have curbed the practice in areas deemed to have too many people living nearby. US News & World Report has Salazar's memo here.

The proposal had drawn heavy criticism from hunting groups, particularly in the West where target shooting on public land is more popular, notes AP. Rep. Denny Rehberg, R-Mont., who helped lead opposition to the plan, said he's happy with the reversal, "but it would be a lot better for everyone if they stopped doing things to restrict gun rights that require them to back off in the first place." It probably didn't hurt that Salazar is a hunter himself. (More Ken Salazar stories.)