Shooting ranges in the United States

Indoor and outdoor shooting ranges exist throughout the United States. Tourist destinations in gun-friendly U.S. states often have rental ranges catering to domestic and international tourists.

Target shooting is generally allowed on public land administered by the Bureau of Land Management; a great deal of target shooting is done unsupervised, outside purpose-built (or organised) ranges.

Supervised and commercial shooting ranges in the United States are typically overseen by one or more range officers to ensure that gun safety rules are followed.

Classes and licenses
Self-defense classes may be available for a fee at commercial ranges. Some ranges offer a class for concealed-carry licenses, which are available in almost every state. Many tourist-oriented ranges offer rental firearms and safety lessons to foreign nationals.

Locations
Shooting ranges exist in most parts of the US, with the exception of cities in the states of Hawaii, California, Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey and Illinois with strict gun control laws.

Private or restricted-access shooting ranges are owned and used by police departments, private companies, private membership shooting clubs, and the military for qualification or firearms practice and training. These private ranges may have features absent from public ranges, such as being able to accommodate large-caliber rifles and automatic firearms.

Outdoor
A variety of privately-operated outdoor ranges and public-access ranges operated by state and federal agencies on public land exist.

Indoor
An estimated 16,000 to 18,000 indoor firing ranges are in operation.

Informal
Recreational target shooting is generally allowed on public land administered by the Bureau of Land Management; much target shooting is unsupervised, outside the auspices of purpose-built or organised ranges. States may also allow shooting on state-administered public lands. "Dispersed recreational shooting" has resulted in a number of deaths from inappropriate and negligent practices such as attaching targets to trees and shooting without an appropriate backstop. It is usually illegal to shoot at trees on public land.

Concerns have been raised about criminal damage by target shooters to public lands, including the destruction of structures, vegetation and historic artefacts. Littering is also cited as a problem in some areas, including abandoned empty casings and debris from unapproved targets such as old televisions, household appliances and glass bottles.

Unmanaged target shooting can contribute to wildfires, with dispersed recreational shooting linked to 64 Utah wildfires in 2020. Local restrictions are sometimes imposed on BLM-managed and state-owned public lands, particularly during wildfire season. Calls have been made in some areas to construct more public-access ranges in conjunction with tougher restrictions on ad-hoc shooting on public land. US Congressman Blake Moore introduced the Range Access Act in 2022, which would have required each national forest and Bureau of Land Management district to provide at least one public recreational-shooting range.