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December 19, 2024
NSSF Applauds Congress for Passing EXPLORE Act
WASHINGTON, D.C. — NSSF®, The Firearm Industry Trade Association, applauds Congress for bipartisan passage of H.R. 6492, the Expanding Public Lands Outdoor Recreation Experiences (EXPLORE) Act. The legislation includes the NSSF-priority Range Access Act, which requires the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the U.S. Forest Service (USFS), after consultation with local stakeholders, to build recreational shooting ranges in each BLM district and National Forest in areas where opportunities don’t already exist. These opportunities would allow for more access to public shooting ranges for target practice, a place to sight in rifles before hunting season and venues for in-person hunter safety courses, all without competing against private ranges that offer the same opportunities.
The legislation is now headed to President Joe Biden for signature.
“We are incredibly grateful that Congress recognized the public safety and recreational benefits of this legislation,” said Lawrence G. Keane, NSSF Senior Vice President and General Counsel. “This is a tremendous win for America’s gun owners and recreational target shooters and demonstrates what can be achieved when Congress works together for commonsense legislation that will improve access to safe firing ranges available to the public.”
The immediate benefit of this legislation is providing increased 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, 16.4 million in 2022 and 15.8 million in 2023. 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 excise 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 $27.38 billion in inflation-adjusted dollars for conservation and the construction and improvement of public recreational shooting ranges.
NSSF is especially thankful to U.S. Sens. Joe Manchin (D-W.V.), John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Speaker of the House of Representatives Mike Johnson (R-La.) and U.S. Reps. Steve Scalise (R-La.), Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) and Blake Moore (R-Utah) for their leadership in guiding this vitally important legislation to passage.
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About NSSF
NSSF is the trade association for the firearm industry. Its mission is to promote, protect and preserve hunting and the shooting sports. Formed in 1961, NSSF has a membership of thousands of manufacturers, distributors, firearms retailers, shooting ranges, sportsmen’s organizations and publishers nationwide. For more information, visit nssf.org.
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