The Swedish government is appointing a special inquiry to strengthen access to civilian shooting ranges. The task goes to Pia Clerté, who will analyse the legal and financial 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 civilian authorities within the total defence system. At the same time, the government 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 who are skilled shooters. For that, shooting ranges are needed, and we need to reverse the long term trend of a declining number of shooting ranges. As both civilian and military defence experience strong 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 the financing of civilian shooting ranges and whether municipalities should be required to offer alternative locations 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, the special investigator Pia Clerté writes that the assignment is about strengthening access to civilian shooting ranges by analysing today's legal, financial and practical obstacles.
"I am deeply honoured to have received the trust of the government and the 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, financial 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.