I 

111TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 3781 

To amend the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act to facilitate the 

establishment of additional or expanded public target ranges in certain States. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

OCTOBER 8, 2009 

Ms. MARKEY of Colorado (for herself, Mr. COFFMAN of Colorado, and Mr. 

MINNICK) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committee on the 

Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in 

each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

A BILL 

To amend the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act 

to facilitate the establishment of additional or expanded 

public target ranges in certain States. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Target Practice and 

5 Marksmanship Training Support Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS; PURPOSE. 

7 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds that— 


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1 (1) the use of firearms for target practice and 

2 marksmanship training activities on Federal land is 

3 allowed, except to the extent specific portions of that 

4 land have been closed to those activities; 

5 (2) in recent years preceding the date of enact6 ment of this Act, portions of Federal land have been 

7 closed to target practice and marksmanship training 

8 for many reasons; 

9 (3) the availability of public target ranges on 

10 non-Federal land has been declining for a variety of 

11 reasons, including continued population growth and 

12 development near former ranges; 

13 (4) providing opportunities for target practice 

14 and marksmanship training at public target ranges 

15 on Federal and non-Federal land can help— 

16 (A) to promote enjoyment of shooting, rec17 reational, and hunting activities; and 

18 (B) to ensure safe and convenient locations 

19 for those activities; 

20 (5) Federal law in effect on the date of enact21 ment of this Act, including the Pittman-Robertson 

22 Wildlife Restoration Act (16 U.S.C. 669 et seq.), 

23 provides Federal support for construction and ex24 pansion of public target ranges by making available 

25 to States funds that can be used for construction, 


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1 operation, and maintenance of public target ranges; 

2 and 

3 (6) it is in the public interest to provide in4 creased Federal support to facilitate the construction 

5 or expansion of public target ranges. 

6 (b) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this Act is to facili7 tate the construction and expansion of public target 

8 ranges, including ranges on Federal land managed by the 

9 Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management. 

10 SEC. 3. DEFINITION OF PUBLIC TARGET RANGE. 

11 In this Act, the term ‘‘public target range’’ means 

12 a specific location that— 

13 (1) is designated by a land management agency 

14 for recreational shooting; 

15 (2) is open to the public; 

16 (3) may be supervised; and 

17 (4) may accommodate rifle, pistol, or shotgun 

18 shooting. 

19 SEC. 4. AMENDMENTS TO PITTMAN-ROBERTSON WILDLIFE 

20 RESTORATION ACT. 

21 (a) DEFINITIONS.—Section 2 of the Pittman-Robert22 son Wildlife Restoration Act (16 U.S.C. 669a) is amend23 ed— 

24 (1) by redesignating paragraphs (2) through 

25 (8) as paragraphs (3) through (9), respectively; and 


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1 (2) by inserting after paragraph (1) the fol2 lowing: 

3 ‘‘(2) the term ‘public target range’ means a 

4 specific location that— 

5 ‘‘(A) is designated by a land management 

6 agency for recreational shooting; 

7 ‘‘(B) is open to the public; 

8 ‘‘(C) may be supervised; and 

9 ‘‘(D) may accommodate rifle, pistol, or 

10 shotgun shooting;’’. 

11 (b) EXPENDITURES FOR MANAGEMENT OF WILD12 LIFE AREAS AND RESOURCES.—Section 8(b) of the Pitt13 man-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act (16 U.S.C. 

14 669g(b)) is amended— 

15 (1) by striking ‘‘(b) Each State’’ and inserting 

16 the following: 

17 ‘‘(b) EXPENDITURES FOR MANAGEMENT OF WILD18 LIFE AREAS AND RESOURCES.— 

19 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in para20 graph (2), each State’’; 

21 (2) in paragraph (1) (as so designated), by 

22 striking ‘‘construction, operation,’’ and inserting 

23 ‘‘operation’’; 

24 (3) in the second sentence, by striking ‘‘The 

25 non-Federal share’’ and inserting the following: 


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1 ‘‘(3) NON-FEDERAL SHARE.—The non-Federal 

2 share’’; 

3 (4) in the third sentence, by striking ‘‘The Sec4 retary’’ and inserting the following: 

5 ‘‘(4) REGULATIONS.—The Secretary’’; and 

6 (5) by inserting after paragraph (1) (as des7 ignated by paragraph (1) of this subsection) the fol8 lowing: 

9 ‘‘(2) EXCEPTION.—Notwithstanding the limita10 tion described in paragraph (1), a State may pay up 

11 to 90 percent of the cost of acquiring land for, ex12 panding, or constructing a public target range.’’. 

13 (c) FIREARM AND BOW HUNTER EDUCATION AND

14 SAFETY PROGRAM GRANTS.—Section 10 of the Pittman15 Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act (16 U.S.C. 669h–1) 

16 is amended— 

17 (1) in subsection (a), by adding at the end the 

18 following: 

19 ‘‘(3) ALLOCATION OF ADDITIONAL FUNDS.—Of 

20 the amount apportioned to a State for any fiscal 

21 year under section 4(b), the State may elect to allo22 cate not more than 10 percent, to be combined with 

23 the amount apportioned to the State under para24 graph (1) for that fiscal year, for acquiring land for, 

25 expanding, or constructing a public target range.’’; 


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1 (2) by striking subsection (b) and inserting the 

2 following: 

3 ‘‘(b) COST SHARING.— 

4 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided by 

5 paragraph (2), the Federal share of the cost of any 

6 activity carried out using a grant under this section 

7 shall not exceed 75 percent of the total cost of the 

8 activity. 

9 ‘‘(2) PUBLIC TARGET RANGE CONSTRUCTION OR

10 EXPANSION.—The Federal share of the cost of ac11 quiring land for, expanding, or constructing a public 

12 target range in a State on Federal or non-Federal 

13 land pursuant to this section or section 8(c) shall 

14 not exceed 90 percent of the cost of the activity.’’; 

15 and 

16 (3) in subsection (c)(1)— 

17 (A) by striking ‘‘Amounts made’’ and in18 serting the following: 

19 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in 

20 subparagraph (B), amounts made’’; and 

21 (B) by adding at the end the following: 

22 ‘‘(B) EXCEPTION.—Amounts provided for 

23 acquiring land for, constructing, or expanding a 

24 public target range shall remain available for 

25 expenditure and obligation during the 5-fiscalVerDate Nov 24 2008 01:01 Oct 09, 2009 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3781.IH H3781

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1 year period beginning on October 1 of the first 

2 fiscal year for which the amounts are made 

3 available.’’. 

4 SEC. 5. LIMITS ON LIABILITY. 

5 (a) DISCRETIONARY FUNCTION.—For purposes of 

6 chapter 171 of title 28, United States Code (commonly 

7 referred to as the ‘‘Federal Tort Claims Act’’), any action 

8 by an agent or employee of the United States to authorize 

9 the use of Federal land for purposes of target practice 

10 or marksmanship training by a member of the public shall 

11 be considered to be the exercise or performance of a dis12 cretionary function. 

13 (b) CIVIL ACTION OR CLAIMS.—Except to the extent 

14 provided in chapter 171 of title 28, United States Code, 

15 the United States shall not be subject to any civil action 

16 or claim for money damages for injury to or loss of prop17 erty, personal injury, or death caused by an activity occur18 ring at a public target range that is— 

19 (1) funded in whole or in part by the Federal 

20 Government pursuant to the Pittman-Robertson 

21 Wildlife Restoration Act (16 U.S.C. 669 et seq.); or 

22 (2) located on Federal land. 

23 SEC. 6. SENSE OF CONGRESS REGARDING COOPERATION. 

24 It is the sense of Congress that, consistent with appli25 cable laws and regulations, the Chief of the Forest Service 


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1 and the Director of the Bureau of Land Management 

2 should cooperate with State and local authorities and 

3 other entities to carry out waste removal and other activi4 ties on any Federal land used as a public target range 

5 in order to encourage continued use of that land for target 

6 practice or marksmanship training. 

Æ 


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