Opinion

Before this legislative session started, I was approached by the National Shooting Sports Association (NSSF) with an idea for a bill for Montana. They suggested a bill to create a state shooting sports complex somewhere in Montana.

I told them that this would not be a good idea in Montana. I may have used the words “dumb idea.”

What Montana needs, I told NSSF, are safe and suitable places for people to shoot throughout Montana that are a 20-minute drive from where people live, not a fancy central facility hours away from 90% of Montana’s population.

We are already working on distributed ranges. I told NSSF, with our Shooting Range Development Program (SRDP), that the Montana Shooting Sports Association got started in 1989 and uses hunter license money to make matching grants to local clubs to develop local ranges. The SRDP, I told NSSF, has been a highly successful program, is already established in Montana law, and is ongoing.

The NSSF idea of a central shooting sports complex is unnecessary and would compete with the SRDP for money before the Legislature.

The NSSF is the “industry association” representing gun manufacturers and sellers. Since its headquarters is in Connecticut, one might imagine how they might think it a good idea to have a single-state shooting sports complex. They just don’t understand Montana’s size and population density.

Imagine, for example, an expensive and large new DMV headquarters located in Deer Lodge. People could go to a shiny new building to register vehicles. The place would be well staffed with friendly people and served by the fastest computers. People from Sidney, Libby, Ekalaka, and Dillon could go there to register their vehicles.

But would they? Who would drive hours to register a car when they could do that at their local DMV office? It’s the same with a central state shooting complex.

This (still dumb) idea has been introduced as HB 899 in the Legislature. The NSSF didn’t take my advice. HB 899 is scheduled for a public hearing before the House Business and Labor Committee on Thursday morning, April 3rd.

Montana Shooting Sports Association will oppose the bill.

HB 899 would set up a task force to determine where to locate this complex. One flaw in the bill is that it doesn’t allow the task force to examine if this is a good idea or a good fit for Montana – no market analysis.

The NSSF will likely show to support this bill, as may the NRA (we’ll see).

If HB 899 were to pass, I predict that funding for MSSA’s longstanding and successful SRDP would dry up.

I highly recommend that you get messages to members of the House Business and Labor Committee opposing HB 899. It’s just not a good fit for Montana. You can message all members of this Committee with one sent via the Legislature’s website.

participate.legmt.gov

Thanks for your help.

Best wishes,

Gary Marbut, President
Montana Shooting Sports Association
www.mtssa.org
Author, Gun Laws of Montana
www.mtpublish.com

About Gary Marbut

Longtime Montana political observer and participant Gary Marbut is president of the Montana Shooting Sports Association, the primary political advocate for Montana gun owners.