The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation joined several other hunter-based conservation groups in support of the Range Access Act, a bill to promote and expand access to safe recreational target shooting practice.
This bill would require the Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management to ensure that each qualifying national forest and BLM district has at least one designated public recreational shooting range that does not require a user fee, thus promoting wildlife conservation efforts and supporting local economies.
By making it easier to recreate, this bill will enhance Pittman-Robertson funding that flows toward state wildlife and fish management agencies. Under the Pittman-Robertson Act, an excise tax is levied on the purchase of ammunition, firearms, and archery equipment that funds critically important conservation programs. Since its enactment in 1937, states received more than $15 billion.
(Photo source: Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation)