Burro Canyon CrisisThe information provided below is for the proper information of the public. It is not an attempt to sway the opinions of any persons or organizations. If you have any objections to this information being posted on this website, please e-mail the address below.
27 APR 2001
As of 25 April we have submitted a new 20 year application for the operation and expansion of the Burro Canyon Shooting Park. Although we had previously submitted an application that was nearly identical, the Forest Service had requested we re-submit because of new environmental regs. While this application is going through the "system", we have also requested a temporary permit to open the range immediately. We should hear the results of that between now and May 3. Also found this article that many of you may find interesting. I have never aspired to views of "the One World Conspiracy"; however, I believe there is a consensus among certain world leaders that the UN is the vehicle for world change:
NewsMax.com Friday, April 27, 2001 The U.N. is after Americans' Second Amendment gun rights – it wants gun ownership banned in the U.S., and it's not going to stop until it gets its way. That’s the warning from the National Rifle Association’s Wayne LaPierre, who reveals that "for the first time in the history of the world, a United Nations conference has set its sights on global disarmament – disarming citizens worldwide – including you and me." At an 11-day meeting beginning July 9 at U.N. headquarters in New York, every extremist anti-gun group in the world will show up at a summit on "small arms," where the delegates will attempt to create a global standard of gun control, banning civilian fire arms ownership worldwide. Their aim, LaPierre warns, is "to bring the nightmare of England, Australia and Canada into our country and our homes." Those nations, along with South Africa and others, have caved in to international pressure and severely restricted civilian gun ownership. Canada has gone so far as to make handgun ownership a felony. As a result, crime rates in England and Australia have skyrocketed since the gun limits went into effect, once again proving the truth of the old saying that if guns are outlawed only outlaws will have guns. While the U.N. has no power to force the U.S. to ban gun ownership, it can, with the enthusiastic help of the foreign and domestic anti-self-defense media, create a powerful international movement to shame the U.S. into junking the Second Amendment rights of private gun ownership. "You and I won’t go one day without hearing that the rest of the world is banning guns and it’s time for the U.S. to get in line and do the same," LaPierre wrote. As a prelude to this frightening gathering of anti-self-defense fanatics, a number of proposals have already been advanced at various U.N. forums. Among them:
"The bottom line is that international gun banners want every gun – every single gun worldwide – to be under U.N. and government control," warns LaPierre. "And that includes your rifle, your shotgun, your handgun, and even family heirlooms that have been handed down from generation to generation." LaPierre urges Americans to`contact Sen. Jesse Helms, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and express their outrage at this latest U.N. power grab. Helms, he notes, is already on record as deploring the U.N.’s anti-gun project. He wrote a letter to the U.S. Agency for International Development in 1999 in which he described the U.N. gun ban project: nothing less that a brazen international expansion of the [Clinton-Gore] domestic gun control agenda."
13 MAR 2001
It has been a while since I broadcast an update on the situation at Burro Canyon. Over the last three weeks we have been in the process of moving from one house to another, and that has taken much of our time. In addition, without the range, I have to look in other areas to make a living...so my apologies for not getting back to all of you sooner. During this period, Sam Paredes, the Director of Gun Owner's of California, has been tirelessly pursuing our reopening. Former State Senator H.L. "Bill" Richardson, who is the founder of GOC, has been vigorously prodding selected U.S. represenatives to contact Ann Veneman, who is now Sec'y of Agriculture, requesting her to move on the Burro Canyon issue. Now is the time to contact Ms Veneman and start exerting pressure at that end of the "power train". Her address is as follows:
The Honorable Ann M. Veneman Secretary U. S. Dept. of Agriculture 14th and Independence Avenue, S.W. Washington, D.C. 20250
agsec@usda.gov Some of you may have heard about the furore over the closure of the Mule Pack Station at Chantry Flats in Angeles Forest This operation has been in existence since 1934 and the Forest Service shut it down in late February. The reasons the Forest Service gave have a familiar ring to most of us; however, the public outcry over THIS closure was so great that Jody Cook backed off and allowed it to reopen. The lesson here is twofold: 1) The more success the Forest Service has in shutting businesses down the more emboldened they become. 2) If the "mule people" can reopen their place, the shooters can reopen Burro Canyon! Lastly, (but NOT least) all of you who are not familiar with Gun Owners of California (GOC) should visit their website at www.gunownersca.com. I, like most of you, am a member of the NRA; however, no organization within this state fights more vigorously for your rights than GOC. They do much more with a lot less! Please give serious consideration in financially supporting this fine group. There is NO organization within the gun rights arena that spends its member's money more efficiently and effectively than GOC. On to Victory!
02 FEB 2001
Your calls, Faxes, and e-mails seem to be having an effect on the Forest Service. Jody Cook has just issued a letter that has been posted on the Angeles Forest website. Please see the following link: Click on the Burro Canyon link and you will be able to read the letter in PDF format. This is an example of your public servants at their worst. You will notice a reference in her letter to the live fire shooting house and that we played "dangerous games of hide and seek with live ammunition". Of course, all of you know that this is a police training structure and that her depiction of the proposed activities there are a complete fabrication. Paragraph 8 of her letter indicates the REAL reason why Burro Canyon has been shut down. The Forest Service is being sued by the Southwest Center for Biological Diversity over species like the Red-Legged frog and the Santa Ana Sucker which she mentions in this letter. This letter is a deliberate smear to focus attention away from the Forest Service's real intent. As most of you know, many of the items the Forest Service is talking about in this letter were indeed addressed by us. Some were not due to a variety of reasons. The one thing that must be understood is that none of these items that they talk about needed to be tied to the reissuance of our permit. The Supervisor's letter is an attempt to deflect the decision making on Burro Canyon away from the Forest Service and on to us. We have provided a valuable service to the Forest Service over the last 8 years by taking pressure away from them on the shooting issue, and assisting their law enforcement people by eliminating illegal shooting in our part of the Forest. This is the thanks that we get! Members of some of California's gun rights organizations will be meeting with Congressman David Dreier in Washington D.C. early next week Sometime early the following week we will have an idea on our next move in that arena; meanwhile some of our supporters have made contacts in Anne Venneman's office in D.C. and we are preparing a brief for her. Anne Venneman is the new Secretary of Agriculture and it appears she is a friend of ours. This latest effort by the Forest Service to attack me personally is, no doubt, an attempt to divide gun owners on this issue. Please keep up the pressure! God Bless All of You and On to Victory! JMC
16 JAN 2001
The local USFS person here at Angeles Forest, Jody Cook, seems steadfast in her opposition to the range. Mark Harmsen of Congressman Dreier's office spoke to her earlier this week and said he got absolutely no where with her. I asked him if he felt she might have an agenda beyond what she is saying publicly, and he said that the Forest Service is extremely afraid of the lawsuits against them by the Southwest Center for Biological Diversity (SWCBD). Needless to say SWCBD would not approve of shooting ranges. One of the things we are pursuing now is an administrative appeal to Mr. Brad Powell (Jody's Boss). It is important that we do this before any official lawsuit is mounted against the USFS. The police departments (some of them anyway) are beginning their phone calls and letter writing campaigns also. It is imperative that the pressure be kept up. Brad Powell's office is a good place toward which to start shifting the emphasis. For those of you that have not contacted him his number is (707) 562-9000. He is the Regional Forestor of the Pacific Southwest Region. Last week I attended a meeting ofd the Westside NRA Member's Council and they pledged unconditional support to our cause. This week we are attending a meeting of the "ATF". This is a group of pro-second amendment attorneys and folks in that circle. Thanks again for all of your support. No matter how this turns out you all have our deepest appreciation. On to Victory!
09 JAN 2001
Additionally, Representatives, Mike Simpson of Idaho, Steve Horn , Gary Miller, and "Buck" McKeon all of California are being asked to participate. I spoke also to the NRA rep to Sacramento, Mr. Ed Worley, who has been to the range and he is getting the NRA to become directly involved with Congressman Dreier's Chief of Staff in Washington to map out strategy. Everyone of you is making a difference in this battle so please keep the pressure on...Attack, Attack, Attack! There is no such thing as a defense, there is only offense! Because of YOUR actions, I am proud to be a gunowner! On to Victory! Joe
09 JAN 2001
I'm not sure what to make of this - She seemed to be anti-range, and have a clear desire to stonewall the process with lots of imaginary problems and red tape, but that call was just plain confusing. I guess this is government speak for ya."
06 JAN 2001
On to Victory!
The Closure of Burro Canyon Target Shooting Area The permit for Burro Canyon Target Shooting Park has expired. As the permit has been allowed to lapse by the permittee, an extension cannot be granted. To obtain a new permit, application must be made to Forest Service. This action requires an environmental analysis, plus an assessment of the applicants technical and financial capabilities to operate a shooting area on national forest lands. The Forest Service will begin efforts to complete an environmental review to determine the feasibility of continuing target shooting in this area. Since the prior permit was last issued, a recently listed endangered species has been identified immediately downstream of the site. Setting a definitive timeframe for the completion of the environmental analysis is not possible at this time. The Forest Service is fully aware that the closure of Burro Canyon will impact the target shooting public. Law enforcement officers will be patrolling the San Gabriel Canyon to deter illegal shooting. The public can assist in this process by reporting any sounds of gunfire or persons observed with weapons. The public may engage in target shooting at the locations listed below: (The release goes on to list the shooting areas still open in So.Cal.)
05 JAN 2001
A new application for a 20 year permit was filed in 1998, of which they have yet to act upon. If the Forest Service publicly admits that they unilaterally allowed the permit to expire they would be violating one of their own regulations that requires them to sit down with the permittee and discuss the threatened closure in a face to face meeting...They do not want to do that. I am also in contact with Congressman Dreier's office and I now believe we have their attention. I am preparing a package detailing the whole scenario that will go to Washington on Monday. Make No MISTAKE! The Forest Service is using subterfuge and I am very saddened that they as public servants would resort to such tactics (I didn't say I was surprised, however) The owner of A Place to Shoot will be talking to Congressman Buck McKeon, who is on our side, next week You all are doing a great service...a special hats off to the 23.org folks! As many of you have said, we MUST stand up...we've been whipped too long! On to Victory!
05 JAN 2001
Congressman David Dreier 626-339-9078 You may get a variety of responses from these individuals, among them being that Burro Canyon did not make an application for permit renewal. Please tell them that you know this is not true and that you demand the range be reopened immediately. Please note to whom you talked, what their position is, and what did they say. Thanks to all of you for your continued support! Joe and Deb
03 JAN 2001
I send you this e-mail with great sadness in that it marks the passing of brief era in the shooting sports of Southern California. As of 2 January 2001 Burro Canyon will close indefinitely. After repeate skirmishes with the U. S. Forest Service, they have decided not to renew our permit to operate. We believe this action to be wrong and not in the interests of the Forest constituency; however, we do not see that it would be realistic to open the range again even if we win our lawsuit. I want to thank all of you for your support in the past and it's my hope that we can maintain contact with each other over the years. The best to all of you! Regards, Joe Cavanaugh
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