U.S. Sen. Mark Udall (D-Colo.) announced in a press release last week that he is pleased the U.S. House of Representatives passed The Target Practice and Marksmanship Training Support Act and urged his colleagues in the Senate to do the same. Udall is the sponsor of the Senate version of the bill (S. 1249), which would help states develop and maintain high-quality, public shooting ranges.
“Hunting and recreational shooting are an important part of our national heritage,” Udall said. “The Target Practice and Marksmanship Training Support Act is a bipartisan, common-sense proposal that improves shooting-range access for sport shooters and hunters. Now that the House has acted, it is time for the Senate to follow suit.”
The Target Practice and Marksmanship Training Support Act is designed to encourage the development of high-quality shooting ranges, which are open to the public, by amending certain parts of the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act. That act provides federal support for certain wildlife restoration and hunter education programs. Udall’s bill would give the states greater flexibility over federal dollars they already receive from Pittman-Robertson funds, freeing up more money to build shooting ranges.
The House bill that included Udall’s proposal passed on June 19.
The bill would give the states the power and flexibility to allocate a greater proportion of their allotted federal Pittman-Robertson funds to help construct and maintain safe public shooting ranges.
Udall’s bill is awaiting action before the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works.
S. 1249 had been rolled into a Farm Bill amendment known as the Sportsmen’s Act of 2012, but that amendment was not included in the final Farm Bill that passed the Senate last week.
