By SUZANNE DOWNING
May 1, 2026 – A group of House Republicans is urging the US Army to lift long-standing firearm restrictions on millions of acres of federally managed land, arguing the policy unfairly limits Americans’ Second Amendment rights. Alaska Congressman Nick Begich is among those leading the charge.
In a letter sent this week to Secretary of the Army Daniel Driscoll, two dozen GOP lawmakers called for the immediate finalization of a rule proposed by Donald Trump. The change would allow Americans to carry firearms on lands managed by the United States Army Corps of Engineers, in accordance with state laws.
The Corps oversees roughly 11.7 million acres nationwide, including more than 400 lake and river projects across 43 states. These lands, which include dams, reservoirs, trails, and campsites, are widely used for recreation such as fishing, boating, and camping. In the West, they are populated by bears, mountain lions, and other predators.
Lawmakers argue the Corps is out of step with other federal land agencies.
“While most federal agencies respect the lawful exercise of Second Amendment rights on their managed lands, it is a different story for USACE-managed lands,” the letter states. “The Corps is the only major federal land management agency that still maintains a general prohibition on the lawful carry of firearms.”
The issue dates back more than a decade. In 2009, Congress passed legislation allowing lawful firearm possession in areas managed by the National Park Service, aligning those lands with state gun laws. However, similar changes were never applied to US Army Corps of Engineers-managed properties.
As a result, lawmakers say, a patchwork of rules now governs public lands, creating confusion for Americans who may unknowingly cross jurisdictional boundaries.
“Public lands form a complicated patchwork of jurisdictions with invisible boundaries that Americans cross every day,” said Texas Rep. Pat Fallon, who led the letter. “American citizens deserve to exercise their Second Amendment rights without arbitrary federal restrictions.”
For Alaska, where vast remote areas and abundant wildlife make personal protection a practical concern, the issue carries added weight. Begich and his colleagues emphasized that many Corps-managed areas are isolated, with little or no law enforcement presence.
“Individuals fishing or recreating in these areas are often unable to lawfully carry a firearm for self-defense,” the lawmakers wrote. “Threats from wildlife are very real, and an individual should not be forced to disarm simply because they crossed an invisible federal line.”
The lawmakers are asking the Army to finalize the rule change and bring Corps lands in line with other federal agencies, restoring what they describe as “full constitutional protections” for lawful gun owners.
