FILE PHOTO: hunters. Photo by Rhett Noonan on Unsplash
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Rep. Blake Moore (R-UT) introduced legislation on Oct. 14 to support recreational shooting activities and local conservation efforts.
“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,” Moore explained.
The bill would require the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to ensure that each qualifying national forest and BLM district has at least one designated public recreation shooting range that does not require a user fee, Moore’s staff adds, thus promoting wildlife conservation efforts and supporting local economies.
Since 1937, the Pittman-Robertson Act — an excise tax levied on the purchase of ammunition, firearms and archery equipment – has funded critically important conservation programs to the tune of $16 billion.
“Recreational shooters provide the bulk of funding to the Pittman-Roberson Act,” said Jeff Crane, president and CEO of the Congressional Sportsman’s Foundation, which is supporting the proposed legislation. “They are the lifeblood of state fish and wildlife agencies for hunting and shooting projects.
“This legislation recognizes the contributions of target shooters by increasing access opportunities for them to enjoy this time-honored tradition.”
By making it easier for shooting enthusiasts to recreate, the Range Access Act will enhance the flow of Pittman-Robertson funding toward state wildlife and fish management agencies.
Here in Utah, nearly a million residents brought guns in 2020; many of them first-time owners. That was a more than 200 percent increase over annual gun purchases from 2015 to 2019.
The Utah statistics were part of a nationwide surge in gun ownership during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic and urban unrest following the death of George Floyd that saw background checks for firearm purchases hit a record high of 21 million through the United States.
An additional 18.5 million background checks were processed in 2021 and background checks are expected to near those record numbers in 2022 as well.
It is imperative that these first-time gun owners have free access to shooting ranges to practice their skills for safer recreational use, according to Moore’s staff in Washington.
The Range Access Act would also incentivize more funding to the Pittman-Robertson excise tax, this funding additional wildlife conservation efforts.
Moore’s proposal 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; the Safari Club International; and, Ducks Unlimited.
“This legislation is an important step in expanding access to recreational shooting practice,” Moore said.
“American from coast to coast love spending time in the outdoors. Expanding our ability to recreate on and enjoy public lands is one of my core focuses in Congress.”