[b]Bill permitting shooting range passes[/b]
[url=http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2002/Nov-21-Thu-2002/news/20113207.html]ReviewJournal.com[/url]
STEPHENS WASHINGTON BUREAU
WASHINGTON -- The Senate approved legislation early Wednesday that permits Clark County to build a public shooting range on federal land just north of Las Vegas.
The bill, authored by Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., has the backing of county recreation officials, gun enthusiasts and law enforcement officers.
The bill conveys 2,880 acres of federal land managed by the Bureau of Land Management to Clark County, which is drafting plans to build a public range for recreational shooting and police training.
"There are a lot of people in the valley with firearms, everything from pistols to shooting rifles to high-powered rifles and everything in between, so the shooting park will be a series of ranges," said Jeff Harris of the county Parks and Community Services department.
The county's goal is to provide area residents with a safe place to shoot, he said.
"We have a lot of weekend warriors that go out and shoot in the desert. It's illegal," Harris said. "They will shoot bullets and it's a real public safety issue. In the past there have been people shot."
The multi-purpose facility is projected to cost between $20 million and $30 million, and county officials are looking for creative funding, including housing gun manufacturers on the site or levying bonds, Harris said.
The House approved the bill in April, and Reid said President Bush will sign it.