State budget – FWP Range Funding

According to the media the Legislature cut a deal on the state budget and HB 2 yesterday. I haven’t been able to get any fresh information about the level of funding for the Shooting Range Development Program in the FWP budget, so I assume range funding is still at $650,000, instead of the $1.2 million we requested.

It’s time to contact legislators again to ask them to add an appropriation of $550,000 to the FWP budget for shooting range funding. Remind them that this is NOT taxpayer money, but hunter license fee money. Remind them that the $650,000 now in the budget is a 35% cut from what the 2007 Legislature appropriated. Remind them that people in Montana need safe and suitable places to shoot, and that if people in Montana are not shooting they won’t be hunting or buying hunting licenses, putting the long-term income for FWP at risk.

If you are associated with a club that has a shooting range and that uses the range funding to develop its range, that club should rally the troops to contact legislators asking for the full $1.2 million.

This may be our last chance on range funding for this two-year budget period. There are only two days left in the legislative session, Monday and Tuesday.

Gary Marbut, president
Montana Shooting Sports Association
http://www.mtssa.org
author, Gun Laws of Montana
http://www.mtpublish.com