THE PUBLIC INTEREST
League supports passage of Pittman-Robertson Modernization Act
IN DECEMBER OF 2019, THE PITTMAN-ROBERTSON MODERNIZA-
TION ACT WAS SIGNED INTO LAW. The legislation, an update to the
Pittman-Robertson Act originally passed in 1937, allows state wildlife
agencies to use certain funds allocated through the Wildlife Restoration
Account to build and maintain shooting ranges and bolster marketing
and communications efforts to recruit, retain, and reactivate hunters and
recreational shooters.
Hunters and recreational shooters provide a substantial amount of fund-
ing via excise taxes paid on all firearms, ammunition, bows and arrows,
along with the purchase of licenses. However, the dwindling number of
hunters in the U.S. has threatened the stability of that funding. These
changes aim to strengthen and solidify these resources.
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NEARLY 80%
of excise tax revenue is generated by recreational
shooting sports. Hunting accounts for only about 20%.
