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| THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA |
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| HOUSE BILL |
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| INTRODUCED BY CUTLER, BOYD, CLYMER, CREIGHTON, GIBBONS, GINGRICH, PYLE, ROHRER, SCAVELLO AND VULAKOVICH, MAY 5, 2009 |
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| REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON GAME AND FISHERIES, MAY 5, 2009 |
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| AN ACT |
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1 | Amending Title 34 (Game) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated |
2 | Statutes, establishing the Shooting Range Community Safety |
3 | Grant Program; and making an appropriation. |
4 | The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania |
5 | hereby enacts as follows: |
6 | Section 1. Title 34 of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes |
7 | is amended by adding a chapter to read: |
8 | CHAPTER 30 |
9 | SHOOTING RANGE COMMUNITY SAFETY GRANT PROGRAM |
10 | Subchapter |
11 | A. Preliminary Provisions |
12 | B. General Provisions |
13 | SUBCHAPTER A |
14 | PRELIMINARY PROVISIONS |
15 | Sec. |
16 | 3001. Scope of chapter. |
17 | 3002. Policy. |
18 | 3003. Definitions. |
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1 | § 3001. Scope of chapter. |
2 | This chapter provides for the creation of the Shooting Range |
3 | Community Safety Grant Program to be administered by the |
4 | commission. |
5 | § 3002. Policy. |
6 | The General Assembly finds and declares that: |
7 | (1) The second amendment to the Constitution of the |
8 | United States and section 21 of Article I of the Constitution |
9 | of Pennsylvania recognize a fundamental right to keep and |
10 | bear arms. |
11 | (2) Citizens are entitled to properly use such arms, in |
12 | addition to other shooting implements, at Commonwealth |
13 | shooting ranges in accordance with relevant Commonwealth law. |
14 | (3) Commonwealth shooting ranges are entitled to |
15 | lawfully operate, providing the use of their facilities to |
16 | participants who are lawfully entitled to bear arms. |
17 | (4) While shooting ranges generally institute safety |
18 | measures of the highest level, Commonwealth communities and |
19 | citizens residing in the vicinity of shooting ranges have the |
20 | fundamental right to be safe from any harm that could be |
21 | caused as a result of normal shooting range activities. |
22 | (5) Due to factors such as increased development, |
23 | changes in physical characteristics of surrounding areas and |
24 | other relative factors, shooting ranges must at times make |
25 | changes or improvements to their facilities in order to |
26 | properly protect the safety of the public. |
27 | (6) It is, therefore, in the best interest of this |
28 | Commonwealth to establish the Shooting Range Community Safety |
29 | Grant Program to provide financial assistance to shooting |
30 | ranges for the purpose of making physical changes or |
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1 | improvements to their facilities in order to properly ensure |
2 | the safety of the surrounding communities and citizens |
3 | residing in the surrounding area. |
4 | § 3003. Definitions. |
5 | The following words and phrases when used in this chapter |
6 | shall have the meanings given to them in this section unless the |
7 | context clearly indicates otherwise: |
8 | "Shooting range." Any hunting club, rifle club, rifle range, |
9 | pistol range or shooting range operated by a nonprofit |
10 | corporation or similar entity. The term shall not include any |
11 | shooting range owned or operated by: |
12 | (1) The Commonwealth. |
13 | (2) A political subdivision. |
14 | (3) An agency of the Commonwealth or a political |
15 | subdivision. |
16 | (4) A business entity organized and operating on a for- |
17 | profit basis. |
18 | SUBCHAPTER B |
19 | GENERAL PROVISIONS |
20 | Sec. |
21 | 3011. Powers and duties of commission. |
22 | 3012. Shooting Range Community Safety Grant Program Fund. |
23 | § 3011. Powers and duties of commission. |
24 | The commission shall have the following powers and duties: |
25 | (1) Establish the Shooting Range Community Safety Grant |
26 | Program to provide moneys from the Shooting Range Community |
27 | Safety Grant Program Fund established in section 3012 |
28 | (relating to Shooting Range Community Safety Grant Program |
29 | Fund) to owners of shooting ranges that have been in |
30 | operation for at least one year and that must alter, improve |
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1 | or modify the physical characteristics of the shooting range |
2 | as a result of changed conditions in or around the locality |
3 | of the shooting range in order to properly protect and ensure |
4 | the safety of the surrounding communities or residents of the |
5 | surrounding area. |
6 | (2) Impose limits on grant moneys so that no shooting |
7 | range obtains in excess of 10% of the funds distributed under |
8 | this chapter in any fiscal year and that the aggregate |
9 | distribution to shooting ranges in one county is not in |
10 | excess of 20% of the funds distributed under this chapter in |
11 | any fiscal year. |
12 | (3) Promulgate rules and regulations as needed to carry |
13 | out the provisions of this chapter. |
14 | § 3012. Shooting Range Community Safety Grant Program Fund. |
15 | The Shooting Range Community Safety Grant Program Fund is |
16 | hereby established in the State Treasury as a restricted |
17 | account. The fund shall consist of funds appropriated by the |
18 | General Assembly. All moneys in the fund and the interest |
19 | accruing thereon are hereby appropriated to the commission on a |
20 | continuing basis to carry out the provisions of this chapter. |
21 | Section 2. The sum of $500,000 is hereby appropriated from |
22 | the General Fund to the Shooting Range Community Safety Grant |
23 | Program Fund for the fiscal year July 1, 2009, to June 30, 2010, |
24 | to carry out the provisions of 34 Pa.C.S. Ch. 30. |
25 | Section 3. This act shall take effect in 60 days. |
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