THE COAST GUARD HAS CANCELLED ITS PLANS FOR MACHINE GUN RANGES ON THE GREAT LAKES. FOR NOW. MichiBlogger noted the plans last month, including the proposed ranges for Lake Michigan.

Though the plan is cancelled, it seems clear that the issue is not gone despite many leaders and politicians in both the US and Canada who opposed the firing ranges:

U.S. Rep. Pete Hoekstra, R-Holland, had also expressed reservations about how the Coast Guard went about its proposal.

"I earlier stated my reservations about the Coast Guard failing to effectively communicate to the public its initial plans," Hoekstra said in a statement. "The Coast Guard's decision to cancel ... such exercises reflects an understanding that a thorough vetting process is essential to ensure a minimal environmental, recreational and commercial impact on the region."

Like Hoekstra, the Coast Guard itself seems to be focusing more on the way the plan was put into motion and the specifics rather than the general idea of machine gun training ranges:

"The Coast Guard appreciates the thoughtful comments we received and we will work with the public to ensure the Coast Guard can meet any threat to public safety or security. We are committed to addressing the concerns that training be safe, preserve the diverse uses of the Lakes, and protect the environment," said Rear Adm. John E. Crowley, Jr., commander of the Ninth Coast Guard District.

"As a native son of the region I take the Coast Guard's role as guardians of the Great Lakes very seriously. The Great Lakes are one of the nation's most precious resources. The current NPRM is unsatisfactory and I will take the time to get this right. We will not conduct live-fire training on the Great Lakes to satisfy non-emergency training requirements unless we publish a rule, and I intend to reconsider the number, frequency of use, and location of water training areas as well as other concerns raised by the public. I am also committed to pursuing environmentally-friendly alternatives to the lead ammunition we currently use."

Sounds like a new proposal won't be long in coming. As long as they go about it the right way and maybe consider fewer and/or smaller designated ranges, I see no reason why they shouldn't be allowed to train with their weapons on the Lakes. If they ever need them, we want them to be proficient with them.