Building state-run public shooting ranges is easier now than ever thanks to changes in the law for how states can apply wildlife conservation funds generated by firearm and ammunition manufacturers through excise taxes.
NSSF was the major driving force behind an industry-priority bill, titled the Target Practice and Marksmanship Training Support Act. The “Range Bill” had been a sustained-effort priority for NSSF and is a crucial step forward in promoting, protecting and preserving hunting and the shooting sports. In the course of more than a decade, versions of the bipartisan legislation were introduced as 29 different numbered bills and 15 separate legislative packages, starting with the 110th Congress. In 2019, it and was passed by Congress and signed into law by President Donald Trump.
The law changed the formula involving matching federal funds that are available for states to use towards building new, or improving existing, public shooting ranges. Instead of the previous formula that required a state to raise 25 percent of the funds for a range construction project in order to access a matching 75 percent paid through the Wildlife Restoration Trust Fund, the updated formula now only requires a 10 percent investment from states to build new recreational shooting ranges to receive a 90 percent match. Additionally, the Range Bill extends the timeframe from just two years for a state to utilize its federal match dollars on a project to five years, giving a recipient state more flexibility and time on a project. The fund that awards the states their matching dollars is paid through the Pittman-Robertson excise taxes contributed by firearm and ammunition manufacturers on the products they produce and is supported by the customers that support their contracts.
By Mark Oliva
