H.R. 1614, the Range Access Act, was reintroduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by Rep. Blake Moore (R-Utah). This legislation seeks to increase and improve outdoor recreation opportunities across the nation while improving infrastructure and driving economic growth in rural communities.

The immediate benefit of this legislation is providing public access to safe recreational shooting ranges, especially in rural areas. Background checks for firearm sales saw a record of 21 million in 2020 and another 18.5 million in 2021 and 16.4 million in 2022. Those gun owners, many of whom are first-timers, are in need of safe and modern ranges to practice marksmanship skills.

This legislation has the added benefit of supporting wildlife conservation and improving recreational shooting access. Recreational shooting is tied to approximately 85 percent of the Pittman-Robertson excises taxes currently being paid by firearm and ammunition manufacturers, making it a major driving contributor to wildlife conservation. Since the Pittman-Robertson excise tax was enacted in 1937, firearm and ammunition makers have paid $25.38 billion in inflation-adjusted dollars for conservation and construction and improvement of public recreational shooting ranges.