Action taken by the U.S. Senate in late September virtually assures a vote on The Sportsmen’s Heritage Act of 2012—a measure containing several items of particular interest to shooters and gun owners—will take place during the “lame duck” session following the Nov. 6 general election.
Senate Bill 3525 advanced Sept. 22, when the Senate voted 84-7 for the motion to move forward to a November vote. In April, House Resolution 4089, containing most of the same provisions of the Senate bill, passed the house with a bipartisan vote of 276-146. If S.B. 3525 passes muster in November, it will move to conference with H.R. 4089.
Among the measures contained as part of S.B. 3525 is the Target Practice and Marksmanship Training Act, which would amend the Pittman-Robertson Act to allow proceeds of excise tax generated by the sale of firearms, archery equipment and ammunition to fund up to 90 percent of expanding or constructing shooting ranges on both federal and non-federal land. The bill’s primary sponsor is Colorado Senator Mark Udall.
Current law allows Pittman-Robertson to pay for 75 percent of a shooting range, but all funds allocated to a state must be spent in one fiscal year. The measure contained in S.B. 3525 would allow funds to accrue for five years, facilitating the development of a substantial pool to fund shooting range expansion and construction. Continue reading more…. Article source Shooting Illustrated