I 
110TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 6767 
To facilitate the establishment of additional or expanded public target ranges 
in certain States. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 31, 2008 
Mr. UDALL of Colorado 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 facilitate the establishment of additional or expanded 
public target ranges in certain States. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE, FINDINGS, AND PURPOSE. 
(a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 
‘‘Target Practice and Marksmanship Training Support 
Act’’. 
(b) FINDINGS.—The Congress finds the following: 
(1) Use of firearms for target practice and 
marksmanship training on Federal lands is allowed 
VerDate Aug 31 2005 
06:31 Aug 07, 2008
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00001
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H6767.IH
H6767
jbell on PROD1PC69 with BILLS
except to the extent specific portions of such lands 
have been closed to such activities. 
(2) In recent years, considerations of public 
safety have made it necessary to close additional 
portions of Federal lands to target practice and 
marksmanship training, especially in States that 
have experienced significant population growth. 
(3) Use of public target ranges on Federal 
lands is often more consistent with public safety and 
convenience than use of undeveloped Federal lands 
for target practice and marksmanship training. 
(4) It is in the public interest for the Federal 
Government to provide support for construction or 
expansion of public target ranges, especially in 
States where population growth and patterns of set-
tlement in recent years have made it necessary to 
prohibit such activities on Federal lands where tar-
get practice and marksmanship training were for-
merly allowed. 
(5) Current law, including the Pittman-Robert-
son Wildlife Restoration Act, provides Federal sup-
port for construction or expansion of public target 
ranges by making available to States funds that can 
be used for construction, operation, and maintenance 
of public target ranges. 
VerDate Aug 31 2005 
06:31 Aug 07, 2008
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00002
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H6767.IH
H6767
jbell on PROD1PC69 with BILLS
(6) It is in the public interest to provide greater 
Federal support to facilitate construction or expan-
sion of public target ranges in States that have ex-
perienced population growth and a reduction in the 
number of such target ranges on Federal lands. 
(c) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this Act is to facili-
tate the construction and expansion of public target 
ranges, including ranges on Federal lands managed by the 
Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management, in 
States that have experienced population growth and a re-
duction in the extent to which target practice and marks-
manship training are permitted on Federal lands in such 
States. 
SEC. 2. FUNDING. 
(a) COST SHARING AND AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS.— 
Section 10 of the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration 
Act (16 U.S.C. 669h–1) is amended as follows: 
(1) By amending subsection (b) to read as fol-
lows: 
‘‘(b) COST SHARING.— 
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—Except as provided by 
paragraph (2), the Federal share of the cost of any 
activity carried out with a grant under this section 
shall not exceed 75 percent of the total cost of the 
activity. 
VerDate Aug 31 2005 
06:31 Aug 07, 2008
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00003
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H6767.IH
H6767
jbell on PROD1PC69 with BILLS
‘‘(2) PUBLIC TARGET RANGE CONSTRUCTION OR 
EXPANSION.— 
‘‘(A) The Federal share of the cost of ac-
quiring land for, or construction or expansion 
of, a public target range in an eligible State 
shall not exceed 90 percent of such cost. 
‘‘(B) For purposes of this paragraph, the 
term ‘eligible State’ means a State that, since 
the most recent decennial census, has experi-
enced— 
‘‘(i) at least a 2 percent growth in 
population, as demonstrated by the State 
to the satisfaction of the Secretary; and 
‘‘(ii) a reduction in the acreage of 
Federal lands in such State where target 
practice and marksmanship training are 
permitted, as determined by the Sec-
retary.’’. 
(2) In subsection (c)(1), by striking the final 
period and inserting the following: ‘‘except that 
amounts provided for acquiring land for, or con-
struction or expansion of, public target ranges shall 
remain available until expended in the case of a 
State that, since the most recent decennial census, 
has experienced— 
VerDate Aug 31 2005 
06:31 Aug 07, 2008
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00004
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H6767.IH
H6767
jbell on PROD1PC69 with BILLS
‘‘(A) at least a 2 percent growth in popu-
lation, as demonstrated by the State to the sat-
isfaction of the Secretary; and 
‘‘(B) a reduction in the acreage of Federal 
lands in such State where target practice and 
marksmanship training are permitted, as deter-
mined by the Secretary.’’. 
(b) USE OF WILDLIFE CONSERVATION FUNDS.— 
Section 4 of the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration 
Act (16 U.S.C. 669c) is amended— 
(1) by redesignating subsection (c) (relating to 
apportionment of Wildlife Conservation and Restora-
tion Account) as subsection (d) and subsection (d) 
(relating to Wildlife Conservation and Restoration 
Programs) as subsection (e); 
(2) in subsection (e)(3), as redesignated by 
paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘subsection (c)’’ and in-
serting ‘‘subsection (d)’’; and 
(3) in subsection (e)(4)(B), as redesignated by 
paragraph (1), by— 
(A) inserting ‘‘(i)’’ after ‘‘(B)’’; and 
(B) adding at the end the following new 
clauses: 
‘‘(ii) During the first fiscal year be-
ginning after the date of enactment of the 
VerDate Aug 31 2005 
06:31 Aug 07, 2008
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00005
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H6767.IH
H6767
jbell on PROD1PC69 with BILLS
Target Practice and Marksmanship Train-
ing Support Act and each of the 9 subse-
quent fiscal years, not more than 10 per-
cent of the amounts apportioned to an eli-
gible State under this section for such 
State’s wildlife conservation and restora-
tion program may be used for acquiring 
land for, or construction or expansion of, 
public target ranges or for assisting a Fed-
eral land-management agency with envi-
ronmental remediation or other steps need-
ed to allow for public target ranges on 
Federal lands. 
‘‘(iii) As used in clause (ii), the term 
‘eligible State’ means a State that, since 
the most recent decennial census, has expe-
rienced— 
‘‘(I) at least a 2 percent growth 
in population, as demonstrated by the 
State to the satisfaction of the Sec-
retary; and 
‘‘(II) a reduction in the acreage 
of Federal lands in such State where 
target practice and marksmanship 
VerDate Aug 31 2005 
06:31 Aug 07, 2008
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00006
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H6767.IH
H6767
jbell on PROD1PC69 with BILLS
training are permitted, as determined 
by the Secretary.’’. 
SEC. 3. LIMITS ON LIABILITY. 
(a) DISCRETIONARY FUNCTION.—For purposes of 
the Federal Tort Claims Act (28 U.S.C. 1346(b), 2671– 
2680), any action by an agent or employee of the United 
States to authorize use of Federal land for purposes of 
target practice or marksmanship training by members of 
the public shall be considered to constitute the exercise 
or performance of a discretionary function. 
(b) CIVIL ACTION OR CLAIMS.—Except to the extent 
provided in the Federal Tort Claims Act (28 U.S.C. 
1346(b), 2671–2680), the United States shall not be sub-
ject to any civil action or claim for money damages for 
injury or loss of property, or personal injury or death 
caused by any activity occurring at a public target range 
that is wholly or partially funded by the United States 
pursuant to this Act or located on Federal land. 
SEC. 4. COOPERATION. 
It is the sense of Congress that, consistent with appli-
cable laws and regulations, the Forest Service and the Bu-
reau of Land Management should cooperate with State 
and local authorities and other entities to carry out envi-
ronmental remediation or other activities on Federal lands 
VerDate Aug 31 2005 
06:31 Aug 07, 2008
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00007
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H6767.IH
H6767
jbell on PROD1PC69 with BILLS
used as public target ranges in order to avoid closing such 
lands to use for target practice or marksmanship training. 
Æ 
VerDate Aug 31 2005 
06:31 Aug 07, 2008
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00008
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6301
E:\BILLS\H6767.IH
H6767
jbell on PROD1PC69 with BILLS