S 593 : Target Practice and Marksmanship Training Support Act
Position: Oppose Status: Died in a previous Congress
This bill amends the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act to facilitate the construction and expansion of public target ranges by: (1) authorizing a state to pay up to 90% of the costs of acquiring land for, expanding, or constructing a public target range; (2) authorizing a state to elect to allocate 10% of a specified amount apportioned to it from the federal aid to wildlife restoration fund for those costs; (3) limiting the federal share of those costs under such Act to 90%; and (4) requiring amounts provided for those costs under such Act to remain available for expenditure and obligation for five fiscal years.
Update
This bill has been placed on the Senate calendar and picked up three additional cosponsors this week. Call Oregon's Senators to tell them taxpayers should not be paying for target ranges. The money is set aside for wildlife restoration, not to bolster the sagging sport shooting industry. We need funds for gun violence prevention research and to restore wildlife habitats, not to prop up the gun industry. Senator Ron Wyden: 503-326-7525 Senator Jeff Merkley: 503-326-3386 Introduced by Sen. Shelley Moore Capito [R-WV] 03/09/2017 17 cosponsors (R 10, D 6, I 1)
This bill has been placed on the Senate calendar and picked up three additional cosponsors the second week of September 2018.
Call Oregon’s Senators to tell them taxpayers should not be paying for target ranges. The money is set aside for wildlife restoration, not to bolster the sagging sport shooting industry. We need funds for gun violence prevention research and to restore wildlife habitats, not to prop up the gun industry.
Senator Ron Wyden: 503-326-7525
Senator Jeff Merkley: 503-326-3386
Part of the bill shields the US government from lawsuits if someone is shot in connection to the target ranges located on land from this Act. From the bill:
The United States shall be shielded from any civil action or claim for money damages for injury to or loss of property, personal injury, or death caused by an activity occurring at a public target range that is funded by the federal government pursuant to such Act or located on federal land, except to the extent provided under the Federal Tort Claims Act with respect to the exercise or performance of a discretionary function.
The bill urges the Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management to cooperate with state and local authorities and other entities to carry out waste removal and other activities on any federal land used as a public target range to encourage its continued use for target practice or marksmanship training.
Related Bills:
H.R.788: Target Practice and Marksmanship Training Support Act (Identical bill)
H.R.3668: SHARE Act, Hearing scheduled for October 3, 2017 was cancelled because of the Las Vegas shooting on October 1, 2017.
H.R.4489: Authorizing Critical Conservation and Enabling Sportsmen and Sportswomen Act (Related bill)
H.R.5515: John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019 (Related bill) CRS 08/13/2018 Became Public Law No: 115-232.
S.1514: HELP for Wildlife Act (Related bill)