The Swedish government is appointing a special inquiry to strengthen access to civilian shooting ranges. The assignment goes to Pia Clerté, who will analyse the legal and economic obstacles that exist and submit proposals to improve the conditions for shooting range operations in Sweden.
According to a press release from the government, access to civilian shooting ranges is considered important for the shooting and hunting community, the voluntary defence organisations and civil authorities within the total defence structure. The government also points out that the number of civilian shooting ranges has been declining for a long time, particularly in metropolitan areas.
"Total defence needs men and women skilled in marksmanship. For that, shooting ranges are needed, and we need to reverse the long-term trend of declining numbers of shooting ranges. As both civil and military defence see substantial growth, competition for the use of our existing shooting ranges is also increasing. The inquiry we are now appointing will create good conditions for Sweden to gain more shooting ranges, and I am pleased that Pia Clerté has accepted the role of investigator," says Carl-Oskar Bohlin, Minister for Civil Defence, in the press release.
The inquiry will, among other things, review obstacles to establishing and operating civilian shooting ranges, propose measures to improve access (particularly in metropolitan regions), and analyse whether rules in the Planning and Building Act can be simplified. It will also examine whether the state should contribute to financing civilian shooting ranges and whether municipalities should be required to offer alternative sites when a shooting range is closed down. The government states that the inquiry will also ensure that any regulatory simplifications cannot be exploited by criminal networks or organised crime.
In a post on LinkedIn, special investigator Pia Clerté writes that the assignment involves strengthening access to civilian shooting ranges by analysing today's legal, economic and practical obstacles.
"I am deeply honoured to have received the trust of the government and Minister for Civil Defence Carl-Oskar Bohlin to lead the inquiry into strengthening access to shooting ranges. My task will be to examine today's obstacles, legal, economic and practical, and propose ways to improve access to civilian shooting ranges," Pia Clerté writes in the post.
The inquiry is to be presented no later than 31 August 2027.