Ana Ceballos
At a time when the National Rifle Association is at forefront of the Legislature’s mind, House and Senate budget writers Friday morning agreed to put $3 million toward the construction of a shooting range, which is funded in part by the controversial group fighting gun bills.
Ever since the Parkland school shooting took place on Valentine’s Day, the Legislature and Gov. Rick Scott have pushed school safety initiatives that include some gun restrictions opposed by the NRA. Lobbyist Marion Hammer argues proposals that would impose three-day waiting period for all gun purchases and raising the age limit to buy assault-type weapons to 21 years old punish “law-abiding gun owners.”
As they face opposition from the powerful organization, lawmakers are also scrambling for money to help fund the other proposals that would help fund mental health services at schools and school “hardening.”
To find money, Senate Budget Chair Rob Bradley, for example, said this week he will kill his own criminal justice bill to help fund for the proposals. The Legislature also intends to sweep millions of dollars from the state’s affordable housing trust fund.
The $3 million set aside to build the public shooting range sports park in Palm Beach County would go to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, which is helping build the facility in partnership with the county and the NRA.
Phase one of the construction project was completed in June 2017.
The total cost of the project is not yet known, but once completed it is expected to be one of the largest shooting sports facilities in Florida with five Olympic trap fields, five rifle and pistol shooting ranges and nine skeet fields. When the facility opens, it will be supervised by range safety officers and volunteers.
“This center is being created to offer target shooting enthusiasts a place to gain skills and knowledge for safe, responsible firearm handling and target shooting,” the website for the FWC states.
Memos on construction plans note “recreational target shooting is a big business in Florida” and that the “sporting arms ammunition industry supports 14,850 jobs and generates $695 million in wages.”
9 comments
Fed Up
March 2, 2018 at 11:46 am
There are plenty of private ranges available to gun enthusiasts in FL. Why do the taxpayers of the state have to subsidize this when the legislature is raiding the affordable housing trust fund of hundreds of millions of dollars to fill budget gaps caused by the need to “harden” schools as a result of gun violence? Shame on all who voted for this.
Terry L.
March 2, 2018 at 11:58 am
No morals
John
March 2, 2018 at 1:58 pm
I find your site generally reliable, but I spoke with at FWC in Palm Beach claims they aren’t getting money from the NRA, but they are getting some from a 501.C3, Fish and Wildlife Foundation of Florida. When I asked if the NRA was a contributor to that, he got a little cagey sounding, but looking at that group’s website, the NRA isn’t listed as a “partner,” but they might keep it quite. Can you provide some more detail? I want to have my ducks in a row when I call my State Rep.
John
March 2, 2018 at 2:15 pm
So, you are, as usual correct. I actually found on the FWC website a page dedicated to this project, and it clearly lists the two additional funders the guy with FWC told me about, but the third one, the NRA, he insisted was not involved. Funny, he’s now left for the afternoon.
William
March 2, 2018 at 2:47 pm
It should have been totally privately funded. That is coming from an active 3 gun event shooter.
Joe Potosky
March 2, 2018 at 4:28 pm
NRA contributed $25,000.
County range was mostly funded via Federal taxes on Firearms, archery equipment, and ammunition sales (been going on in ALL states for many years). Yes, every time a firearm or ammunition is sold an additional federal tax surcharge is put into a special fund. For the state to receive the funds they have to put in a percentage of the monies. Without looking it up I think the state has to put up 20% of the grant funds.
Bill
March 3, 2018 at 6:56 pm
Seems to me as if this range (and others like it) would be a much better and legal answer to the recently acquired “school violence problem”. We would just need teachers, school staff, and school employees, who would be willing to volunteer to be trained, in them, for marksmanship, safe firearm handling and proficiency. Make this fact widely known and posted at each school entrance. That would be a much more effective deterrent to a criminal than attacking and weakening our own Constitution,
Ellen
March 4, 2018 at 1:42 pm
Oh for gods sake. “Attacking and weakening our constitution”? HOW? You gun nuts are straight out of the nut house.
Bob
March 4, 2018 at 6:38 pm
That is part of what is in the bill that they are working on. I spoke to the SRO at the school that I work at and he said that the school personnel would have to do the same training/certification that they have to do. 135 hours each year to be permitted to carry on school. They aren’t just saying that anybody and everybody can carry, you are fully trained on firearm safety. I know that if it does get approved I’ll be one of the first to raise my hand to say that I’ll go through the training.
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