Idaho County Shooting Range Land Conveyance Act

Floor Speech

Mr. LABRADOR. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I am the author of H.R. 5040, which directs the Secretary of the Interior to convey a 31-acre parcel of land to Idaho County, Idaho, to use for public recreation.

Idahoans deeply value their Second Amendment rights, and many use firearms for hunting and shooting sports. The safe and proper use of firearms is often a tradition passed down from generation to generation. People need a safe designated area where they may sight in their rifles and teach safe firearms practices.

Nearly 6 years ago, a county in my district, Idaho County, began the process of searching for a suitable location to install a shooting range to serve the needs of the county residents interested in exercising their Second Amendment rights.

Idaho County, which is 83 percent controlled by the Federal Government, began working with the local BLM office in Cottonwood, Idaho, to identify land that the BLM could transfer to the county for use as a shooting range.

The BLM identified a buried landfill in the county as a suitable location because the site is already used casually by recreational hunters and the general public as a shooting range. The land also provides the proper safety barriers because it is situated on an elevated bench, approximately 240 feet above a nearby road and surrounded by hills. The county and the local BLM officials agreed the site was perfect for a shooting range.

The county began the process of seeking an administrative transfer from the BLM, but soon ran into procedural roadblocks. The site of the proposed shooting range is within a portion of the Lower Salmon River, which was identified by the BLM for potential inclusion in the National Wild and Scenic River System. Because of existing BLM regulations, the parcel cannot be transferred to the county administratively.

As my staff and I met with the Idaho County commissioners to come up with a solution, we determined the only path forward was to introduce legislation in Congress to convey the land from the BLM to the county. My bill, the Idaho County Shooting Range Land Conveyance Act, would convey the 31-acre parcel to Idaho County for use as a shooting range.

The BLM has spent a great deal of time and resources studying the proposed site and has determined the land would be perfect for a shooting range. The local BLM office in Cottonwood has been instrumental in gathering necessary environmental data to support the land conveyance, and I am grateful for their ongoing efforts to work with my staff and finally resolve this issue.

My office has also worked closely with the Idaho County commissioners and Idaho County sheriff to develop a plan to manage the land for public use as a shooting range. Part of the plan includes allowing Idaho County law enforcement to use the range to conduct firearms training and qualifications.

Idaho County has waited nearly 6 years for this process to be completed. Idaho County residents want a safe, remote location to exercise their Second Amendment rights, and my bill will provide a solution that is long overdue.

I urge support for the bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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