As more Americans purchase firearms, opportunities to access shooting ranges on public lands should be expanded.
A newly-introduced House of Representatives bill aims to bolster public range access for new and returning recreational shooters.
Congressman Blake Moore (R-UT) introduced the timely Range Access Act to “require the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to ensure that each qualifying National Forest and BLM district” designate—at a minimum—one public recreational shooting range without charging a user fee.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture, which manages the USFS, states some ranges located on National Forest lands impose usage fees.
“This legislation is an important step in expanding access to recreational shooting practice. Americans from coast to coast love spending time in the outdoors, and expanding our ability to recreate on and enjoy our public lands is one of my core focuses in Congress,” said Congressman Blake Moore in a press release. “The Range Access Act would establish free shooting ranges for sportsmen to safely participate in target practice while supporting our wildlife conservation and local economies.”
The legislation also received praise from the nation’s preeminent shooting sports and conservation organizations.
“The National Shooting Sports Foundation commends Congressman Blake Moore for introducing this vitally important legislation to increase access for the public to practice marksmanship at safe recreational shooting ranges,” said Lawrence G. Keane, National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) Senior Vice President and General Counsel. “This legislation, which would require the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management to have at least one qualifying recreational shooting range in each National Forest and BLM district, is crucial to ensuring safe public recreational shooting. Congressman Moore’s bill would also benefit conservation by reducing pollution at non-dedicated ranges on federal public lands while also generating additional Pittman-Robertson revenue.”
“The Range Access Act will build on years of coordination among Federal agencies and sportsmen conservationists to promote safe opportunities for hunters to learn and practice shooting skills,” added Boone and Crockett Club CEO Tony Schoonen. “We thank Congressman Blake Moore for advancing this work, which will also aid the recruitment, reactivation, and retention of hunters and recreational shooters."
"CSF extends our appreciation to Rep. Blake Moore for leading the Range Access Act. As recreational shooting continues to grow in popularity, the Range Access Act is an important bill to bolster opportunities for sportsmen and women to safely practice and exercise our firearms heritage," remarked Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation President Jeff Crane. "Recreational shooters provide the bulk of funding to the Pittman-Robertson Act, the lifeblood of state fish and wildlife agencies for hunting and shooting projects, and this legislation recognizes the contributions of target shooters by increasing access opportunities for them to enjoy this time-honored tradition."
As of this writing, the bill enjoys support from the National Shooting Sports Foundation, the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, the Boone and Crockett Club, Delta Waterfowl, the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation, the Mule Deer Foundation, the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, the Wild Sheep Foundation, Safari Club International, the Sportsmen's Alliance, Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, and Ducks Unlimited.
The Range Access Act would be an excellent complement to the Target Practice and Marksmanship Training Support Act—which former President Donald Trump signed into law in 2019.
The bill, now law, amends “the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act to facilitate the establishment of additional or expanded public target ranges in states.” It also increased the amount of P-R dollars states can contribute to improve or construct a public shooting range from 75 percent to 90 percent and requires agencies like USFS and BLM to work with localities to ensure ranges are well-equipped and routinely updated.
If Rep. Moore’s bill passes, the Pittman-Robertson Act of 1937 would be bolstered. Since the law’s inception, over $15 billion has been generated for wildlife conservation, hunter education, habitat restoration, and public shooting ranges. Last year, there was a historic $1.5 billion haul gathered and then distributed back to state wildlife agencies.
A handful of House Republicans, however, have proposed gutting Pittman-Robertson through the RETURN Act under the misleading claim it infringes on our Second Amendment rights.
I debunked this here at Townhall during the summer, writing, “The RETURN Act has no likelihood of passing and it won’t bolster our Second Amendment rights…This distracts us from fighting actual gun control. Worse, you risk alienating sportsmen and women who strongly identify with the Right.”
If Republicans desire to expand range access and uphold Second Amendment rights, they should replicate legislation like Utah Congressman Blake Moore’s Range Access Act.
Remember: Expanding gun rights and supporting conservation aren’t mutually exclusive.