Reid plans legislation for public shooting range

Diana Sahagun

Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2000 | 10:51 a.m.

Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., said Monday that he plans to introduce legislation next year that would set aside 2,000-plus acres for a regional shooting range.

Reid met with representatives from the Bureau of Land Management, Clark County, Metro Police and local sportsmen near Lake Las Vegas, which for years has been a haven for shooters to practice.

But what was once a vacant desert is now being encroached upon by development, a perfect example of why the county needs a safe, multi-use shooting range, Reid said.

In the coming year, Reid said he hopes to complete legislation addressing Clark County wilderness study areas.

Because there is a large amount of land that has been deemed part of a wilderness study area -- which cannot be developed -- Reid said he will examine which parcels should stay preserved and which should not. Only Congress can set aside federal BLM land for a shooting range.

Clark County Parks and Recreation Director Glenn Trowbridge has taken the reins on the project and has identified six possible sites for a 2,000- to 5,000-acre shooting range. Most are located in wilderness study areas.

Proponents are modeling a range after the Ben Avery Range in Phoenix. Ben Avery covers 1,650 acres, making it the largest publicly operated shooting facility in the country.

Reid hopes a shooting range in Las Vegas will be bigger and better. If all goes according to plan, Reid said he expects to see the first phase ready in two years.

The county will own and operate the facility, but a volunteer executive board appointed by the county will oversee day-to-day operations.

The county will foot some of the bill to build the facility, estimated to cost $10 million to $15 million over 10 years.

"Not only will it be good for the sportsman, it will also be wonderful for Las Vegas because it will be another dimension where we can bring people here for conventions," he said. "Right now, with the growth in the valley, people are spread all over shooting and it is dangerous."

The BLM has pledged its support to help determine the best location for a shooting range. But a remote location outside the areas now proposed for future development is preferred for safety's sake.

"What we don't want is to build a gun range and then find development will surround it and then you have to move it again," BLM spokesman Phillip Guerrero said.