Saturday, June 23, 2012

Where There's Smoke, There's Gun Fire: Target Shooters Start Fire , Causing Evacuation of Thousands, Threatens Power Grid


Progunners want to make it legal to go hunting and target shooting in our state and national parks. 

Our parks are rich resources that belong to all of us, both the flora and fauna.  Both would be put at risk, along with diminishing the enjoyment of many park users if we allow this kind of shooting in our parks.

Some of the pro-gunners insiste we should trust them, trust their judgement, trust them to be law abiding.  That is not credible with Ted Nugent, who has a bad track record for being law abiding, especially on state and federal land, serving on the board of the NRA.  Having him serve on the board proves how little regard for law of state and federal lands the gun zombies have.

Here is just one good reason hunting and target shooting in our parks should not happen.  Note, this is the 20th Target Shooting fire THIS YEAR IN JUST UTAH, marking 19 other good reasons.
 
From the STrib and the AP: (Emphasis added is mine-DG)

Winds fan flames of Utah fire sparked by target shooting as residents evacuate homes
  • Article by: LYNN DeBRUIN , Associated Press
  • Updated: June 23, 2012 - 5:42 AM
SARATOGA SPRINGS, Utah - Thousands of residents whose homes were in danger of being threatened by a Utah wildfire have had to find shelter elsewhere as strong winds fueled a blaze that officials believe was started by target shooters.
Residents of at least 2,300 homes in northern Utah were evacuated Friday, a day after the more than 6-square-mile fire started near the Saratoga Springs landfill, about 40 miles south of Salt Lake City. High winds then helped fan the flames onto tinder-dry grasslands.
Authorities were initially worried as flames moved toward property owned by an explosives company, but the focus turned to saving homes as winds kicked up and the fire moved toward Saratoga Springs.
Forecasters expect strong winds to persist through the weekend.
On Friday, fire officials were calling in additional aircraft and extra ground crews.
Utah County Sheriff Jim Tracy said he feared the fire could take down the area's power grid, shutting off electricity to up to 7,000 homes.
"Several power poles and transformers ... up and down the fire lines have burned," Tracy said Friday evening. "If the fire gets a couple more critical poles and drops that grid, wires down on the ground, it will black out this entire area."
Bureau of Land Management spokeswoman Teresa Rigby said the 2,300 houses evacuated include residents who voluntarily left, along with those ordered to leave.
BLM officials say they believe the blaze was caused when a bullet hit a rock and sparked the fire. This is the 20th target-shooting related fire this year in Utah, they said.

1 comment:

  1. I figgered I'd best come over here and tell ya that the gunzloonzforenzikz specializtz would be here soon to tell you that BULLETS CAN'T MAKE SPARKS, 'cuz they's lead, you dummies!

    So, I found this thread:

    http://www.defensivecarry.com/forum/general-firearm-discussion/30556-simple-q-do-bullets-make-sparks-when-they-hit-x-y-z.html

    at a notorious anti-gun si--, oh, wait, no it's not.

    Anyways, I thought that this comment was priceless.


    "Funny but true story.

    On my cousins farm is an old broken down hippy bus from the 60's.

    I was shooting at the side of the bus with my M4 and M855 ammo (steel core)

    I didn't know there were old cans of paint and WD-40 in the bus and it all blew up in a fire ball catching the hippy bus on fire.

    My cousins BF and I ran in to put the flames out and I inhaled a huige plume of black smoke.

    I tripped out of the bus doors and fell to the ground and passed out.
    The paramedics arrived with o2 and I was good to go.

    (Please dont confuse this with the time I shot my own vehicle's gas tank) I'll have the sotry with pics of that up soon."

    I thought it was partifularly interesting that he had an old hippie bus to shoot up instead of his own truck--which is prolly in similar condition.

    ReplyDelete