by Karen Mehall Phillips - Friday, January 31, 2025
Good news from the Trump administration keeps on coming for American hunters and shooters as last night the U.S. Senate confirmed N.D. Gov. Doug Burgum as Secretary of the Interior (SOI). Known for his staunch support of the hunter-backed conservation community, Burgum secured confirmation quickly with a bipartisan vote of 79-18, signaling a new beginning in promoting and securing America’s cherished outdoor traditions.
The NRA Institute for Legislation (NRA-ILA) stood in strong support of Gov. Burgum’s nomination, sending a letter of endorsement earlier this week to Senate majority leader Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) and Senate minority leader Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) on behalf of its millions of members supporting Gov. Burgum’s SOI nomination and urging a “yes” vote on his confirmation to head the Department of the Interior (DOI). Penned by NRA-ILA Executive Director John Commerford, it underscored how one of the NRA’s core missions is to promote hunter safety and to promote and defend hunting as a shooting sport. Because this includes recognizing hunting as a vital and necessary method of fostering the propagation, growth, conservation and wise use of our renewable wildlife resources, the federal lands managed by the DOI are crucial to this mission.
“Throughout his career in public service, Gov. Burgum has demonstrated respect for hunting as primary use of public lands and his commitment to protecting and expanding access for hunters and recreational shooters,” the letter stated. “Gov. Burgum possesses a unique understanding of the management issues that fall under the purview of the DOI.” Of particular interest to NRA members, hunters and shooters, he signed several NRA-sponsored pieces of legislation into law during his two terms as N.D. governor (2016-2024), including providing protections for defensive firearm use and expanding constitutional carry.
Based on Gov. Burgum’s proven leadership, the NRA letter strongly endorsed his confirmation as SOI, stating, “...we have every confidence Doug Burgum will work diligently to preserve and protect America’s hunting heritage and effectively manage our public lands.” Due to the importance of this issue to NRA members and America’s tens of millions of hunters and gun owners, it shared that “votes on his confirmation will be considered in future candidate evaluations and we will notify our members accordingly.”
Readers of this NRA website will recall that Gov. Burgum stood with the NRA as recently as November, championing hunters’ efforts to share their surplus venison with those less fortunate by proclaiming November N.D. Wild Game Meat Donation Month. The move was in step with the NRA’s annual celebration of National Wild Game Meat Donation Month supporting hunters’ efforts to fight hunger in their own communities.
It was no surprise that earlier this month, the NRA and 40 other hunter-backed groups signed onto a letter supporting Gov. Burgum. Addressed to Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah), Chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, and Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Ranking Member, it highlighted the governor’s leadership, public service, business experience and passion for conservation.
Considering that the DOI oversees nearly 500 million acres of public lands and 1.7 billion acres of offshore waters, we hunters, shooters and gun owners can take comfort in knowing that Gov. Burgum is at the helm. As we look to protecting our cherished freedoms for future generations, the fact he is also grounded in issues pertaining to national security and the economy is just one more bonus.