January 13, 2026

NSSF Praises Interior Secretary’s Initiative for Opening Public Lands to Hunting

WASHINGTON, D.C. — NSSF^®, The Firearm Industry Trade Association, praises the announcement by U.S. Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum to open lands managed by the Interior Department for hunting and fishing unless otherwise restricted by law, public safety or “resource protection.” The initiative was a result of NSSF working closely with the Department of the Interior to produce a policy that benefits those who directly invest in wildlife conservation.

The “open until closed” initiative, conveyed through Secretarial Order 3447, will benefit sportsmen and women across the nation. The much-needed update prioritizes public access and conservation goals over anti-hunting and preservationist special interests. In short, the new initiative focuses on empowering conservationists who are most invested in perpetuation of wildlife and public access to public lands.

“Secretary Burgum is delivering for hunters and conservationists through this announcement,” said Lawrence G. Keane, NSSF Senior Vice President for Government & Public Affairs. “NSSF has long advocated for public lands to be accessible to the American public, especially for hunting. Wildlife conservation decisions must be anchored in sound science that benefits healthy animal populations and the ability for Americans to enjoy the public lands for which they pay. We are grateful to Secretary Burgum for his commitment to remove barriers of entry to the outdoors and incentivize proven wildlife conservation strategies.”

The Secretary’s initiative includes opening all public lands managed by the Interior Department, including National Wildlife Refuges (NWRs), to hunters and anglers unless a specific reason is cited requiring that they must remain closed. This approach will reflect state hunting and fishing regulations instead of incrementally opening new opportunities. Specifically, this new initiative outlines that these refuges were acquired by, created for and are maintained and improved by investments by hunters through the Pittman-Robertson federal firearm and ammunition excise taxes, along with fees collected from the purchase of Federal Duck Stamps.

To date, the firearm industry has invested over $29 billion, when adjusted for inflation, since 1937 toward wildlife conservation. These excise taxes, paid by the manufacturers, are dedicated solely for the conservation of wildlife, the habitats in which they thrive, hunter education programs and construction of new, or expansion of existing, recreational target shooting ranges to promote safe and responsible firearm skills, handling and ownership. These 10 to 11 percent excise tax dollars collected for the Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Act are specifically designated to be used by state wildlife agencies for conservation and related purposes. Collectively, the firearm industry, purchasers of firearms and ammunition and hunters are the greatest source of wildlife conservation funding.

Critical to this initiative, too, is the elimination of alternative ammunition requirements to be used on NWRs, which was forced by the Biden administration without sound scientific evidence to justify the burdensome rule. Instead, The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) will only require alternative ammunition in areas where a detrimental impact to wildlife populations has been proven by field data. The USFWS will continue to support incentive programs that allow hunters to choose the ammunition that best meets their needs.

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About NSSF
NSSF is the trade association for the firearm industry. Its mission is to promote, protect and preserve hunting and the shooting sports. Formed in 1961, NSSF has a membership of thousands of manufacturers, distributors, firearms retailers, shooting ranges, sportsmen’s organizations and publishers nationwide. For more information, visit nssf.org.

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Media contact:
Mark Oliva
202-220-1340