FWP Shooting Range Task Force Meets in Helena, Seeks Public Input

A five-hour session at Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks headquarters Friday will give Helena residents their most direct opportunity yet to influence where shooting ranges can operate across the state and how they must be built, as noise complaints, lead contamination risks, and buffer-distance disputes reach the legislative level.

The Shooting Range Facilities Task Force holds its fourth meeting April 10 at FWP headquarters from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., with a dedicated public feedback session included on the agenda. A Zoom link is posted in the publicly accessible meeting materials for residents who cannot attend in person.

Senator John Fuller and Representative Kerri Seekins-Crowe co-chair the task force, which draws in staff from the Governor's Office, the Montana Department of Commerce, and the Montana Parks and Outdoor Recreation Board alongside private-sector representatives from Shield Arms and the Montana Outdoor Legacy Foundation.

The April 10 agenda reflects how far the group's research has advanced since its first meetings. Speakers from South Dakota and Colorado will present on range-siting policies, permitting processes, and remediation strategies their states have developed, giving Montana legislators a comparative framework before they draft any recommendations. The task force will also hear updates from a survey subcommittee and a public relations subcommittee, with the agenda listing a specific desired outcome for the latter: "Agreement on approach and understanding of Task Force members' responsibilities."

For Lewis and Clark County, the stakes are practical. Model ordinances or siting standards that emerge from this process could set buffer distances between residential property and active ranges, establish noise thresholds, and mandate lead remediation requirements downrange, affecting both existing facilities and any future range proposals in the county.

Friday's agenda also includes logistical planning for a May field trip, the next scheduled phase of the task force's fact-finding. That visit will likely inform the group's final recommendations to state agencies and potentially to local governments weighing range-related land-use decisions.

Residents who want to weigh in before those recommendations take shape can attend in person at FWP headquarters in Helena or join the session remotely using the Zoom link and passcode posted with the full draft agenda on the FWP website.