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Open Carry on Public Federal Lands

Logan 5

Regular Member
Joined
Apr 16, 2012
Messages
696
Location
Utah
Bureau of Indian Affairs
Up to the tribe council.

Bureau of Land Management
OC & CC is legal on BLM lands, but not in BLM facilities.

Bureau of Reclamation
BoR has only facilities (that I know of) aside from project sites. In general no OC or CC.

Department of Energy
Up to the site manager. Generally facilities are no OC, CC only with a state CC permit and project sites are upto the project manager.

Fish and Wildlife Services
Up to the facility manager, however facilities are generally no OC and CC only with a state CC permit and lands/refuge sites are upto the refuge manager. In every refuge I have been to OC & CC both long gun and hand gun have not been a problem. In fact every refuge I have been to hunting was permitted, though heavily restricted.

Forest Services?
Facilities are no OC, CC only with a state CC permit, though this is upto the district & regional rangers. Out in the forest, I don't think they really care. Usually. Sometimes you get some really weird people there, but for the most part so long as you ain't shooting at them or at USFS structure/equipment/signs, they don't care.

Department of Defense land not specific to a military base ?
Up to the site manager.
HTH
 

MAC702

Campaign Veteran
Joined
Jul 31, 2011
Messages
6,331
Location
Nevada
...OC & CC is legal on BLM lands, but not in BLM facilities...

I don't know about all the others, but this one has some caveats.

For example, near me is Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, managed by the BLM.

Their rule there is that you can otherwise carry in accordance with state laws, but it can not be loaded. They have approached OC'ers in the past to ask them to unload their sidearms. They have been polite about it, but they have enforced it occasionally.

http://www.blm.gov/nv/st/en/fo/lvfo..._rock_nca/recreation/target_shooting_and.html
 
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cirrusly

Regular Member
Joined
Jun 15, 2013
Messages
291
Location
North Dakota
Did some more digging and National Monuments including: Colorado National Monument, and Montezuma Castle National Monument follow the "Credit CARD Act of 2009" provisions for carry. However, because these monuments are managed by NPS there is still the lingering question: Is carry permissible because of NPS management of the monument, or because National Monuments inherently fall within the category of National Park and Wildlife system?

http://www.nps.gov/colm/parkmgmt/firearms-regulations.htm
http://www.nps.gov/moca/parkmgmt/change-in-firearms-policy.htm


Also, how can BLM blindly ban loaded carry in a certain area? Is it simply because BLM has been given the authority to "regulate the land" and does not fall under the Credit CARD Act of 2009 statutes?

http://www.blm.gov/nv/st/en/fo/lvfo..._rock_nca/recreation/target_shooting_and.html
 

MAC702

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Joined
Jul 31, 2011
Messages
6,331
Location
Nevada
...Also, how can BLM blindly ban loaded carry in a certain area? Is it simply because BLM has been given the authority to "regulate the land" and does not fall under the Credit CARD Act of 2009 statutes?...

The CARD Act only affected lands managed by National Park Service and National Wildlife Refuge System. Fortunately for us in Southern NV and Northern AZ, that included the NPS's Lake Mead National Recreation Area, but it does not include the BLM's Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area west of Las Vegas. A lot of people missed out on lands managed by the US Army Corps of Engineers, too, which is a lot of public land that has no need of being a secure area.
 
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Seriona

Regular Member
Joined
Jun 9, 2014
Messages
151
Location
Snohomish, WA
Here in WA as of 2014, our state controls all firearms at state level, no local can enforce laws stricter than state. So we can OC or CC in state parks and native lands. If my memory serves me correct, Indian lands are technically colonies of the US federal government and are enforces as such but I also believe that they made a clause saying that the states are allowed to use the 10th amendment for laws. Which I assume means you can OC/CC on native lands. I have OC on native lands and no one has said anything to me but I also didn't encounter native police either. So I am not sure but I believe it ultimately follows your local laws.
 

sudden valley gunner

Regular Member
Joined
Dec 13, 2008
Messages
16,674
Location
Whatcom County
Here in WA as of 2014, our state controls all firearms at state level, no local can enforce laws stricter than state. So we can OC or CC in state parks and native lands. If my memory serves me correct, Indian lands are technically colonies of the US federal government and are enforces as such but I also believe that they made a clause saying that the states are allowed to use the 10th amendment for laws. Which I assume means you can OC/CC on native lands. I have OC on native lands and no one has said anything to me but I also didn't encounter native police either. So I am not sure but I believe it ultimately follows your local laws.

Federal lands you are ok on, just not the buildings if I recall.

Tribal lands I also have had no problems. Yet they can trespass you if they feel like and different tribes have different rules.
 

MAC702

Campaign Veteran
Joined
Jul 31, 2011
Messages
6,331
Location
Nevada
Very few states (like NM) have state laws to make it an actual crime for non-tribal members to carry guns on reservations against tribal laws. For most states, it is just a trespassing issue. The Indians can make you leave their land, but they can't arrest you for breaking Indian laws.

Many Indian cops (if not most) are also state-sworn LEO's, though, and can arrest or cite for violations of state laws.
 

since9

Campaign Veteran
Joined
Jan 14, 2010
Messages
6,964
Location
Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA
The laws regarding open carry on National Parks is widely discussed.

All the discussion in the world is likely to net you a few good answers and a boatload of opinions, some of which are wrong. With that in mind...

National Parks: http://home.nps.gov/news/release.htm?id=962

National Forests: http://www.fs.fed.us/recreation/programs/trails/welcome.shtml

Bureau of Land Management: http://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/prog/recreation/hunting.print.html

Bureau of Indian Affairs and the rest... ?
 
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