A sweeping bipartisan outdoor recreation package headed to the White House includes legislation that would increase the number of public shooting ranges in the country.

The Expanding Public Lands Outdoor Recreation Experiences, or EXPLORE, Act, was introduced to Congress last November as H.R.6492 and was shepherded through the House Committee on Natural Resources by committee chair U.S. Rep. Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.). With bipartisan support – the bill had 27 Dems and 24 Republican co-sponsors – it cleared the House on a voice vote in April and the Senate by unanimous consent last week, sending it to President Biden for likely signature.

Filled with lots of initiatives to improve public land and access to it, the legislation was supported by a broad swath of outdoor-oriented organizations, including advocates for hiking, horseback riding, mountain biking, recreational boating, camping, rock climbing, and others.

One of the Explore Act’s sections includes language from the Range Access Act, which requires the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service to construct recreational shooting ranges in each BLM district and National Forest in areas where opportunities don’t already exist. The bill was supported by the NRA and the National Shooting Sports Foundation. The organizations stress it will allow more access to public shooting ranges for target practice without competing against private ranges.

The legislation is now headed to President Joe Biden for signature.

“We are incredibly grateful that Congress recognized the public safety and recreational benefits of this legislation,” said Lawrence G. Keane, NSSF Senior Vice President and General Counsel. “This is a tremendous win for America’s gun owners and recreational target shooters and demonstrates what can be achieved when Congress works together for commonsense legislation that will improve access to safe firing ranges available to the public.”

The latest National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation, compiled every five years since 1955 by the Department of Interior, suggests more than 46.2 million Americans engage in target shooting – a 44-percent increase over the past half decade. Y