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RECREATIONAL SHOOTING ON FEDERAL LANDS
Many hunters and recreational shooters enjoy shooting on federal lands. Shooting on federal lands takes place in a variety of forms, such as unsupervised sites, unsupervised ranges, and ranges managed under a special use permit. The NRA, 39 other national organizations and three federal agencies are in a partnership to assess use of and access to recreational shooting opportunities on federal land. If you shoot on lands managed by a federal agency, such as the National Forest Service or the Bureau of Land Management, we would like to ask you a few questions about your shooting experiences on these federal lands.
Please answer the following survey questions :
1
How often do you shoot on federal lands?
One or more days a week
One or more days a month
A few days during the year
I have not been out to recreational shoot on federal lands in the past year
2
Which ONE of the following types of shooting activities do you participate in most often on federal lands?
Target shooting / plinking
Competition shooting
Shooting sporting clays
Sighting-in a firearm
Other
3
Which ONE of the following types of firearms do you most prefer to use when shooting on federal lands?
Pistol / handgun
Rifle
Shotgun
4
Which ONE of the following types of shooting venues do you most prefer to use on federal lands?
Shooting area with no facilities and no supervision
Shooting range with no supervision
Shooting range with supervision
5
Do you prefer to shoot alone, with friends, or with family when shooting on federal lands?
Alone
With friends
With family
No preference
6
In general, how satisified or dissatisfied are you with recreational shooting opportunities on public lands?
Very satisfied
Somewhat satisfied
Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied
Somewhat dissatisfied
Very dissatisfied
7
Have any of the following reduced the quality of your shooting experiences on federal lands or prevented you from using a site or informal range on federal land as much as you would like?
Lack of access to places to shoot on federal lands
Not enough places to shoot on federal lands
Not enough time due to family obligations
Not enough time due to work obligations
Too expensive
Too crowded / too many shooters
Excess trash
No facilities (e.g., restrooms, shooting benches)
Unsafe or illegal shooting practices of other shooters
Poor behavior (other than unsafe or illegal behavior) of other shooters
Types of firearms being used
Travel distance/time to the site or range
Age / health
No one to go with
Loss of interest in recreational shooting / other interests or hobbies
No, nothing takes away or prevents me from using a site or informal range on federal land.
Other
8
Have you ever experienced any of the following difficulties with trying to access a place to shoot on federal lands?
Inadequate or confusing signage
Outdated maps
Inaccurate information on a Website
Distance is too far to travel / travel time is too long to reach a shooting area
Do not know where to go
I have not had any difficulties with accessing a place to shoot on federal lands.
Other
9
In your opinion, what role should hunters and shooters have in keeping recreational shooting sites on federal lands clean?
Self-policing (e.g., picking up your own brass, disposing of your own trash, etc.)
Participate in volunteer-clean up days
Hunters and shooters should not have a role in keeping recreational shooting sites clean.
10
Which of the following have you witnessed or experienced while shooting on federal lands?
Environmental damage (such as shooting at trees)
Property damage (such as shooting at signs)
Unsafe shooting practices (such as target shooting with no back stop)
Illegal dumping
Trash being left behind by shooters
Conflicts with other recreationasts in the area
Complaints from home/land owners adjacent to the public land
Rude or rowdy behavior (drinking, fighting, reckless driving)
None of these
11
Which of the following improvements would you like to see in the area or at the range where you shoot most often on federal lands?
Organize clean-up days
Provide bathroom and trash cans
Add backstops, target holders
Supervision either by federal agency staff or shooter-volunteers
I do not think any improvements are needed in the area or at the range where I shoot most often.
Other