Heller Public Firearms Range Act of 2014 - Amends the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act to include the District of Columbia in the apportionment to states and U.S. territories and possessions of revenues from taxes imposed on pistols, revolvers, bows, and arrows.
Revises specified payments authority to: (1) authorize the Secretary of the Interior to cooperate with the Mayor of the District in conducting wildlife restoration projects and hunter safety programs; (2) authorize payments to the District out of funds made available under the Act for such purposes; and (3) limit the amount of such payments to one-half of 1% of the total amount apportioned to states, territories, and possessions for any year.
Requires the Secretary to use amounts in the federal aid to wildlife restoration fund (FAWRF) to make a limited grant in FY2015 to the Mayor for construction and operation of an indoor public target range for firearm users in the District.
Requires the Secretary to construct and operate the target range on suitable federal land within the District using FAWRF funds and such grant amount or from other sources, if the Mayor fails to apply for the grant within 90 days after enactment of this Act or fails to construct a target range with it within one year after the enactment.
[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5756 Introduced in House (IH)]
113th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 5756
To restore a public firearms range to the District of Columbia.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
November 20, 2014
Mr. Stockman introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Natural Resources
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To restore a public firearms range to the District of Columbia.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Heller Public Firearms Range Act of
2014''.
SEC. 2. CONGRESSIONAL FINDINGS.
The Congress finds the following:
(1) The right to keep and bear arms in the District of
Columbia has been severely restricted for many years, resulting
in citizens with firearms skills insufficient for proper
safety.
(2) The ability of the public to safely use firearms for
hunting and self defense is dependent on sufficient
opportunities for safety education and training.
(3) The Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act (16
U.S.C. 669 et seq.) facilitates hunter and firearm safety
education and training for all States.
(4) Richard A. Heller of Washington, DC, has shown untiring
energy and courage in pursuing Second Amendment rights for the
citizens of the District of Columbia, resulting in the landmark
Supreme Court decision in the case District of Columbia v.
Heller (554 U.S. 570, 2008).
SEC. 3. AMENDMENTS TO THE PITTMAN-ROBERTSON WILDLIFE RESTORATION ACT.
(a) Apportionment to District of Columbia.--Section 4(c) of the
Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act (16 U.S.C. 669c(c)) is
amended by inserting ``the District of Columbia,'' after ``Puerto
Rico,''.
(b) Cooperation and Payment of Funds.--Section 8A of such Act (16
U.S.C. 669g-1) is amended to read as follows:
``SEC. 8A. COOPERATION AND PAYMENT OF FUNDS.
``(a) Cooperation and Payment.--
``(1) In general.--The Secretary of the Interior--
``(A) may cooperate with the Secretary of
Agriculture of Puerto Rico, the Mayor of the District
of Columbia, the Governor of Guam, the Governor of
American Samoa, the Governor of the Commonwealth of the
Northern Mariana Islands, and the Governor of the
Virgin Islands, in the conduct of wildlife restoration
projects and hunter safety programs as provided by
section 8(b), upon such terms and conditions as the
Secretary deems fair, just, and equitable; and
``(B) subject to paragraph (2), may apportion to
Puerto Rico, the District of Columbia, Guam, American
Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana
Islands, and the Virgin Islands, out of the money
available for apportionment under this Act, such sums
as the Secretary shall determine, which shall not
exceed, for any year--
``(i) for Puerto Rico and the District of
Columbia, one-half of 1 percent of the total
amount apportioned for the year;
``(ii) for Guam, one-sixth of 1 percent of
such total amount apportioned;
``(iii) for American Samoa, one-sixth of 1
percent of such total amount apportioned;
``(iv) for the Commonwealth of the Northern
Mariana Islands, one-sixth of 1 percent of such
total amount apportioned; and
``(v) for the Virgin Islands, one-sixth of
1 percent of such total amount apportioned.
``(2) Limitation.--The Secretary shall not require any of
such cooperating agencies to pay an amount that exceeds 25
percent of the cost of any project.
``(b) Unexpended and Unobligated Apportionments.--Any unexpended or
unobligated balance of any apportionment made under this section--
``(1) shall be available for expenditure in Puerto Rico,
the District of Columbia, Guam, American Samoa, the
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, or the Virgin
Islands, as applicable, in the succeeding year, on any approved
project; and
``(2) if unexpended or unobligated at the end of such year
may be made available for expenditure by the Secretary in
carrying out the Migratory Bird Conservation Act (16 U.S.C. 715
et seq.).''.
(c) Additional Apportionment to District of Columbia.--If before
the date of the enactment of this Act the Secretary of the Interior
makes an apportionment of funds under any of subsection (b) or (c) of
section 4 or section 10(a) of such Act (16 U.S.C. 669c, 669h-1(a)) for
the fiscal year in which this Act takes effect, the Secretary shall
make an additional apportionment under that subsection or section,
respectively, to the District of Columbia for the fiscal year in an
amount equal to the amount that would have been apportioned to the
District under that subsection or section, as applicable, if this Act
were effective at the time of the preceding apportionment under that
subsection or section.
(d) Grant for Construction and Operation of Indoor Public Target
Range for Firearm Users.--
(1) In general.--The Secretary of the Interior shall use
amounts in the Federal aid to wildlife restoration fund to make
a grant in fiscal year 2015 to the Mayor of the District of
Columbia for the construction and operation of an indoor public
target range for firearms users in the District of Columbia.
(2) Amount.--A grant under this subsection shall not exceed
$750,000.
(3) Range requirements.--The Secretary shall require that
any target range constructed with a grant under this subsection
shall include--
(A) at least 10 firing lanes of at least 25 yards
in length each;
(B) classroom facilities for hunter and firearm
safety education and training;
(C) offices suitable for retail sales of firearms
and ammunition by holders of Federal firearms licenses;
(D) secure storage for firearms stocked by
federally licensed firearm dealers and for purposes
related to the operation of the range; and
(E) such other amenities as are appropriate for a
public firearms range.
(4) Construction and operation by secretary.--If the Mayor
of the District of Columbia fails to apply for such grant by
not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this
Act or fails to construct a target range with such a grant in
accordance with this subsection by not later than one year
after such date of enactment, the Secretary shall construct and
operate an indoor public firearms target range on suitable
Federal land within the District of Columbia using funds in the
Federal aid to wildlife restoration fund, and the amount
available for a grant under this subsection or from other
sources.
(5) Operating costs.--The ongoing costs of operation of
such range constructed and operated by the District under this
Act, or one constructed and operated by the Secretary under
this Act, shall be paid--
(A) through funds annually apportioned to the
District of Columbia from the Federal aid to wildlife
restoration fund,
(B) through amounts apportioned to the District,
pursuant to a grant,
(C) by fees paid by users of the range, that shall
be comparable to fees charged for use of public target
ranges in the commercial market, and
(D) by funds raised from the public.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife, Oceans, and Insular Affairs.
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