Texas won't transfer Big Bend area mountains to park service, land boss says

Ramit Plushnick-Masti from the AP reports:

HOUSTON (AP) – The Christmas Mountains in Big Bend, an isolated group of wilderness peaks, will not be transferred to the National Park Service and instead may be sold to a private bidder or even leased for bow hunting, the state's land boss said Thursday.

Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson said he believes the National Park Service would not be the best manager of the land. Patterson, an ardent gun rights supporter who packs a .22 Magnum in his boot, has frequently insisted that guns and hunting be allowed on the property. Both had been banned in national parks.