Forest Service forbids exploding targets

Firearms and explosives enthusiasts may be "blown away" to know that they may no longer use exploding targets on national forest lands in the Northern Region.

A press release from the USDA Forest Service announced that the Northern Region has signed a closure order prohibiting unpermitted explosives on national forest lands, specifically to prohibit the use of exploding targets.

Regional Forester Faye Krueger signed the order, citing both public safety concerns and the potential for igniting wildfires.

"National Forest System Lands are ideal for a wide range of recreational activities that include hunting and sport shooting," Krueger said. "We must also ensure that recreational users are safe in their pursuits, and that we eliminate the risk of wildfires from explosive targets."

In the past two years, exploding targets have been identified as the cause of at least 16 wildfires in the western states, costing taxpayers more than $33 million in fire-suppression costs. The closure order includes all 12 national forests and grasslands in the Northern Region, covering northern Idaho, Montana, North Dakota and remaining portions of South Dakota not already under a closure order by the Rocky Mountain region.

"It's primarily a safety issue across the board," said Northern Region media coordinator Phil Sammon. Sammon works out of the regional office in Missoula, and explained that he has seen a growing trend in exploding target use.

"It gives you a visual indication that you've actually hit the target," he said.

Exploding targets can be purchased legally and are intended for use as a target for firearms practice. They generally consist of two or more separate dry chemical components that become an explosive when mixed together. The separate, unmixed components are legal to possess on National Forest System lands in the region. However, once the compounds are mixed, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives classifies them as an explosive.

The targets explode when struck by a bullet, and the resulting fireball can ignite vegetation and surrounding materials. The force of the explosion can also launch debris at high speeds that can seriously injure or kill bystanders. Sammon also noted that the targets can explode from non-firearm impact due to improper mixing or a low-quality product.

The closure is effective immediately across the Northern Region forests and grasslands. Under the order, anyone caught using an exploding target faces a fine of as much as $5,000 and as long as six months imprisonment.