Group urges responsibility in busiest month for recreational shooting

PHOENIX — December is the busiest month of the year for gun sales and visits to public land to shoot, so that has one non-profit group urging people to practice good etiquette.

Tread Lightly, which is a partnership amongst the Arizona Game and Fish Department, the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service is asking people to be respectful when it comes to recreational shooting on public lands this month, its Assistant Director Dianne Olson said.

“It’s great that more and more people are getting outdoors, but with that comes a responsibility,” she said.

Olson said the illegal dumping of trash and litter from makeshift targets and bullet casings pollutes the environment and every year signs and other property have to be replaced due to people shooting at them.

“The amount of money management agencies spend on replacing signs being shot up, you know, hard-earned tax payer dollars are going to replace signs and keep things open and it’s a lot of work,” Olson said. “We really need to engage everyone in ownership of our public lands.”

This year, Tread Lightly is asking shooters on public land to take a pledge to clean up after oneself, be accountable and tread lightly on public lands.

“We’re really trying to raise awareness on what it means to be a responsible shooter and the ethics that comes along with that so we can protect our public lands and our access and opportunities,” she said.