The Arizona Game and Fish Commission created the Shooting Range Development Grant Program in 1996 to encourage the development and improvement of shooting ranges and to support their maintenance and operation. Through the program, the Commission supports the Department’s Hunter Education Program, encourages hunters to become more proficient with firearms, promotes safe hunting and shooting practices, provides Arizona residents with safe shooting (including archery) areas, and supports law enforcement training.

Shooting range program goals: To provide an environment for public enjoyment of the shooting sports that emphasizes safety, hunter education, firearms and public safety training, hunter sight-ins, juniors and new shooter education, and to be responsive, responsible members of ranges’ host communities. Our management priorities are safety, sound administration and operation, sanitation and community relations. “Shooting” includes archery, archery ranges and archery programs which are eligible for commission grants.

Groups such as sportsmen’s clubs and governmental agencies are eligible to participate; if the applicant is not a government agency or the property of the shooting range is not held by a government agency, the organization should demonstrate five years of successful range operation. Grants are for shooting ranges providing public access to recreational shooting. To satisfy the public access requirement for the range grant, the range must post the time and days the facility is open to the public. Privately-owned for profit ranges are not eligible for this program. Applicants must have liability insurance. The preferred applicant will demonstrate at least 10 years of land tenure by deed or lease, and must have appropriate zoning which will cover the life of the project. Applicants who have unfinished prior grant projects or defaulted on a previous grant are not eligible to apply.

Eligible Shooting Range Projects:

* development, redevelopment, relocation

* noise abatement structures

* land preparation

* construction of backstops and safety berms

* sky and noise baffles

* air filtration systems for indoor ranges

* lead recovery systems

* shooting pads, stations and cover

* storm drainage systems

* electrical, water and sewage systems

* training, storage and clubhouse facilities

* dormitories

* sanitary facilities

* access roads and parking lots

* security or safety fencing and gates

* target holder systems

* signage

Grant funds are used to reimburse eligible project expenditures up to 50 percent of the total cost. Grants can be matched with cash, with donated labor and materials, or with land.