Later today, the U.S. House of Representatives is set to vote on H.R. 1222, the Target Practice and Marksmanship Training Support Act, which was introduced in a bipartisan fashion by Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus (CSC) Members Congressmen Rob Bishop (UT), Duncan Hunter (CA), and Ron Kind (WI).
H.R. 1222 would amend the Pittman-Robertson Act to increase public access to public target shooting ranges. One of the purposes of the Pittman-Robertson Act is to increase public access opportunities for sportsmen and women through funds that are generated by excise taxes on sporting equipment. Current law requires a 25% non-federal match for the construction, operation, and maintenance of public target shooting ranges. This bill would reduce the non-federal match requirement to 10%. Existing law also requires states to use apportioned Pittman-Robertson dollars within a 2-year window, often making it difficult to complete projects that span multiple budget cycles. H.R. 1222 will address this issue by extending the cap to five years. Together, these proposed changes will generate additional revenue for conservation by providing additional venues for marksmanship training in a controlled environment.
To date, hunters and recreational shooters have contributed over $12 billion to the Pittman-Robertson Fund. A significant portion of this money is directly attributable to recreational shooters.
ACTION: Please contact your U.S. representative and urge them to vote in favor of H.R. 1222.
Studies conducted at both the state and federal level have found that the number of hunters and trappers have been on a generally declining trend over the past several decades. To increase recruitment, retention, and reactivation (R3) of hunters and trappers, which initiative do you think would have the greatest impact?
