Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Michael Bennet (D-CO), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), John Boozman (R-AR), and Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND) reintroduced a bipartisan bill to increase opportunities for hunters and recreational shooters by allowing states to use more of their federal Pittman-Robertson funds to develop shooting ranges.
“Hunting and target shooting are an important part of Colorado’s Western heritage and outdoor economy,” Bennet said. “This bill will provide states greater flexibility to develop shooting ranges, and provide sportsmen with more opportunities for target practice and marksmanship training.”
“As a West Virginian, I know how important shooting sports are to our economy, and to our proud hunting heritage,” Capito said. “I am glad to join with my colleagues to reintroduce this bipartisan legislation that responsibly encourages improved federal, state and local cooperation to create and maintain shooting ranges, and encourage their continued use.”
“Shooting sports are a huge economic driver in Arkansas and I am pleased to support a common-sense solution that makes it easier for states to encourage these traditions,” Boozman said. “Our bill will improve access to ranges for the thousands of Arkansans who enjoy this type of recreation without increasing federal spending.”
“There are countless opportunities to enjoy the outdoors in North Dakota, but a growing population has put extra pressure on our public shooting ranges. That’s why I’m proud to reintroduce this bipartisan bill to expand outdoor recreation for our sportsmen and women,” Heitkamp said. “Working together at the federal, state, and local levels, we can guarantee that facilities where folks enjoy marksmanship and target practice thrive for generations to come-and this bill would help accomplish that goal.”
Opportunities for Americans to safely engage in recreational and competitive shooting have declined on both public and private lands in recent years. Currently, under the Pittman-Robertson Act, funds can only be used to pay 75 percent of the cost of building or operating a public target range and states only have two years to access allotted funds.
The Target Practice and Marksmanship Training Support Act would allow 90 percent of those funds to be used for public target ranges and give states the authority to retain funding for five years, instead of two. States also have the option to use the funds to pay to acquire land, expand existing facilities, and construct new public facilities.