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Return to “Allow firearms on ACE turf?”

by Keith B
Tue May 08, 2012 1:24 pm
Forum: Federal
Topic: Allow firearms on ACE turf?
Replies: 13
Views: 3087

Re: Allow firearms on ACE turf?

chasfm11 wrote:
rp_photo wrote:Unarmed rangers + unarmed visitors = great situation for bad guys, not to mention agressive wildlife such as feral hogs. One would think that the Army would understand that.
The Army completely understands that....and doesn't care.

I personally met the Colonel who was the head of the Ft. Worth District COE over a problem with the monopoly marina franchise on Lake Grapevine. That franchisee attempted to prevent any of us from complaining about his company by sending us threatening letters about possible lawsuits against us for "tort interference in a contract." (the public contract that he had with the COE).

The Colonel was quick to point out that his primary mission was flood control and secondarily, he worked with the city governments regarding water supply. Recreational use of the lakes was not his concern and, in so many words, he made it clear that I should be grateful for whatever I got in that regard. He didn't say the words "if you don't like it, move somewhere else." but they were clearly implied in the words that he did use. So I risked legal action against me for absolutely no possibility of any gain. Generally, the COE would be very happy if the recreational public would just go away.

Unless and until we get our Congress critters to pass legislation to make things different, the COE will continue just as they are.
ACOE has always been this way. I grew up 10 miles from a COE lake and it has been the same story for my 52 years. They are only concerned with the flood control and management of the lake to ensure that. I have known many of the head Rangers and ACOE people over the years and almost all of them will tell you they would like nothing better than to shut down all recreational aspects of the lakes, including boating, camping and private residences along the shore as they don't like dealing with this portion of it. Most of them were actual engineers or fish and wildlife majors in school, so they have no interest at all in anything that deals with the general public and can become controversial. The lake I grew up near was really big for fishing, and the Corps would not even try to keep the lake level steady to help out the fish biting, claiming the flood control aspect. Sometimes I think they jockeyed the level just to make the fishing poor hoping it would discourage people from coming to the lake.

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