KAIT reports that the city of Jonesboro has purchased more than 200 acres of land for $1.276 million for a proposed shooting range:


The shooting range … will include nine trap/skeet fields, a 200-yard rifle range, a 50-yard pistol range, and 3-D and traditional archery ranges. The main building will also hold up to 100 people for training purposes.

“This is a big step toward making our shooting range a reality,” Jonesboro Mayor Harold Perrin said. “Signing those papers was a relief, because we’ve been through a lot of ups and downs, and I’m grateful to the landowners for being patient, and Arkansas Game and Fish for its tremendous work in obtaining the grant.” …

Jonesboro Police Chief Rick Elliott has spoken about the need for a new shooting range for years.

“We will have training classes for shooting sports and archery – things like hunter education, safety, how to shoot trap, etc.,” Jonesboro Chief of Police Rick Elliott said.

The $10 million project will be partly funded by the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, which recently obtained a $2 million grant from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for the project. AGFC is expected to eventually pay for 75 percent of the project’s costs. The city is also hoping to find corporate donors.

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City officials argue that the range will bring in tourism revenues to Jonesboro. “Our police department can share it with the public, and we can host a lot of events that will bring in tourism revenue,” Chief Financial Officer Bill Reznicek told KAIT.

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