Upgraded firing line and shooting benches at the Fryeburg Shooting Facility.

Nestled just outside Juneau, the newly revamped Hank Harmon Public Range reopened this summer after a long-anticipated modernization effort. Three thousand miles east, Maine’s Fryeburg Shooting Facility underwent a complete rebuild of its own. Though separated by four time zones, these two facilities share a common purpose of providing free, public access to safe, well-maintained target shooting spaces.

Behind the new shooting benches, enhanced backstops, and improved target berms lies a funding powerhouse that makes it all possible—the Pittman-Robertson Act, a federal excise tax paid by manufacturers of firearms, ammunition, and select archery equipment. These two upgraded facilities join the over 800 shooting ranges that have been designed, constructed, renovated, or opened to the public using these federal excise tax funds.

Hank Harmon Public Range Remodel

Prior to the modernization effort the two ranges at the Hank Harmon Public Range were separated by a 200-foot wooden barrier wall full of holes from ricocheted bullets. Credit: Alaska Department of Fish and Game

Juneau is a community full of avid hunters, backcountry users, and target shooters. The Hank Harmon Public Range, originally opened in 1965, is the only outdoor public target shooting facility in the area. The range is open every day of the year and the facility is regularly reserved for firearms training, organized target shooting competitions, and hunter safety programs.

However, years of use and weather began to take a toll on the facility’s amenities and two ranges: the 100-yard short range and the 450-yard-long range. Prior to the modernization effort the two ranges were separated by a severely rotten 200-foot wooden barrier wall full of holes from ricocheted bullets. The wall was wearing thin and would soon be unable to prevent stray bullets from crossing between ranges, requiring one range to be closed effectively reducing the facility’s capacity by half.

Looking to keep both ranges open and to make needed modernization changes, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game and the City and Borough of Juneau worked together to undertake a nearly $1 million facility upgrade. The upgrade was supported through Alaska’s Hunter Access Program funded with Pittman-Robertson dollars, and match funds from the City and Borough of Juneau.

Increasing the facilities capacity and longevity required replacing the failing wooden range barrier, installing a safety control system with a visual mechanism to notify users when the range is clear, installing new shooting benches, expanding parking capacity, and more.

“Overall, the upgraded facility provides a safer, more user-friendly, and environmentally responsible shooting range for Juneau area hunters, target shooters, and outdoor enthusiasts to hone their skills,” said Katie Sechrist-Gaynos, from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game’s Hunter Access Program. “This updated facility provides a place for hunters and target shooters to practice the firearm handling skills necessary to safely explore the backcountry and hunt Alaska’s public lands.”

Target shooters in range safety gear use the upgraded facilities at the Hank Harmon Public Range. Credit: Alaska Department of Fish and Game

Maine’s Fryeburg Shooting Facility Gets an Upgrade

Far across the continent in Fryeburg, Maine, the story is similar. The state-run target shooting range at the Major Sanborn (Brownfield Bog) Wildlife Management Area recently had a major infrastructure rebuild.

The Fryeburg facility was established as a primitive shooting facility in 1976 in partnership with the Fryeburg Fish and Game Association on an existing gravel pit within the management area. The target shooting facility faithfully served generations of target shooters from the surrounding communities and had undergone several minor upgrades over the years.

Firing line and earth berms at the renovated Fryeburg Shooting Facility in Maine. Credit: Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife

According to the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (MDIFW), over the last several decades there has been an increase in ownership of firearms and growing participation in shooting sports activities in the state.

“Given this increase in demand and increase in the use of state-owned ranges, it was important that the Fryeburg Shooting Facility was updated to ensure the continued safe-use, security, environmental stewardship and educational opportunities our public ranges offer Maine’s residents and visitors,” said Robert Cordes, Deputy Director for MDIFW’s Wildlife Division.

The $3.5 million renovation showcases a dramatically improved range, complete with upgraded safety zones, regraded road access, upgraded 100-yard and 25-yard firing bays designed for more efficient lead recycling, an improved aerial shotgun field, and a new 60-yard archery bay.

The shooting facility also features updated sound mitigation to reduce noise pollution. The sound reduction was not required to modernize the facility, but the effort was added as a good neighborly practice to reduce noise for the surrounding community.

This multiple year project was funded by Pittman-Robertson dollars as well as general tax funds including state license revenue.

“The recently reopened Fryeburg Shooting Facility expands range access in the state for shooters of all experience levels,” adds Cordes. “MDIFW’s programmatic mission for our Shooting Sports and Ranges is to provide safe, family friendly and environmentally responsible access to shooting range facilities across the State of Maine, while also providing increased opportunity for experiential learning, training, and participation in shooting sports.”

Why Public Ranges Matter

You don’t have to be a seasoned target shooter or hunter to see the value in public shooting ranges. Public ranges offer structured, supervised, and welcoming environments designed with safety in mind. And best of all? It’s free to users. These two updated ranges are open most days, and they don’t require reservations or membership. Just bring your firearm or bow, ammunition, ear and eye protection, and a healthy respect for range safety.

Through the Pittman-Robertson Act the federal excise taxes paid by manufacturers, 10% on handguns and 11% on long guns, ammunition, and select archery equipment, are distributed to state fish and wildlife agencies for wildlife conservation, habitat restoration, hunter education, and increasingly a portion of the funds support the development and maintenance of public shooting ranges like the Hank Harmon Public Range and the Fryeburg Shooting Facility.

For the tens of millions of Americans who participate in target shooting or hunt each year, these facility upgrades are much more than cosmetic. Replacing deteriorating wooden safety walls with robust earth berms, upgrading benches and firing bays with ADA-accessible concrete pads, and improving parking and signage are investments in safety and outdoor access for current and future users.

— Cindy Sandoval, USFWS