CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — The National Park Service says people can no longer stop by a historic South Carolina fort for free, unregulated visits.

The Post and Courier reports rangers have now limited access to Fort Sumter in Charleston, blocking people and boaters from using a nearby sandbar beach to pop in for an unregulated visit.

Park Superintendent J. Tracy Stakely announced the closure in a letter that says “security in the era of the active shooter requires a change from previous times.” He says the beach attracts partiers instead of people hoping for a historical visit.

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The park service says it needs to increase security and the management of erosion and artifact looting. The nearly 200-year-old fort was the target of the bombardment that launched the Civil War.

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Information from: The Post and Courier, http://www.postandcourier.com