Public shooting ranges almost never die in dramatic fashion. There are no midnight votes. No tear gas. No headlines screaming about the death of a cherished community asset. Instead, they fade away quietly, choked out by a slow drip of regulations, funding cuts, and bureaucratic red tape that strangles operations until the lights flicker off for good. HB 2763 in Arizona is the latest exhibit in this grim gallery—a bill dressed up as environmental protection that mandates expensive lead abatement protocols at public ranges, effectively pricing many out of existence. Proponents claim it’s about public health, but dig into the text, and you’ll find it echoes the playbook from states like California and Massachusetts, where similar safety measures shuttered ranges without firing a shot in debate.
What’s clever—and insidious—about HB 2763 is how it weaponizes good intentions against the very infrastructure that sustains Second Amendment rights. Public ranges aren’t just concrete slabs with backstops; they’re the lifeblood for new shooters, training instructors, and rural folks without private land to practice on. Arizona’s HB 2763, pushed through committees with minimal fanfare, requires ranges to monitor soil lead levels annually and remediate at thresholds that could demand six-figure cleanups. We’ve seen this before: In Colorado, ranges like Cherry Creek closed after similar regs turned hobbies into hazmat zones. The implications for the 2A community are stark—fewer ranges mean fewer skilled shooters, which feeds the anti-gun narrative that nobody needs to practice that much. It’s not confiscation; it’s attrition, quietly eroding the ecosystem where rights are exercised.
Gun owners can’t afford to let this slide into the sunset. Arizona’s ranges, from Phoenix’s Ben Avery to Tucson facilities, host thousands annually, fostering responsibility and marksmanship that counters every wild west stereotype. The 2A response? Flood legislators with data from the NRA and NSSF showing ranges’ negligible environmental impact compared to natural sources like wildfires, and rally for preemptive range protection bills like those in Texas. If HB 2763 passes, expect a domino effect—neighboring states eyeing the precedent. This isn’t just about lead; it’s a stealth attack on access. Time to draw a line in the sand, before the ranges vanish for good.
