State Representative Quang Nguyen (R-AZ) is working to ensure state-owned shooting ranges can't be closed without public scrutiny and approval from elected officials.
Nguyen, who chairs the House Judiciary Committee, has filed House Bill 2763 in response to concerns that administrative decisions could shut down facilities that serve tens of thousands of Arizonans annually.
The proposal would add a critical layer of oversight, such as legislative approval through a joint resolution, before any state-owned shooting range in or near major cities could be closed.
Currently, these facilities can be shut down through the Arizona Game and Fish Commission process, which includes public hearings and gubernatorial action but no direct legislative vote.
“Public shooting ranges that belong to the people of Arizona should not be shut down by administrative fiat or behind closed doors,” Nguyen explained. “If a statewide asset is going to be closed, that decision should be made in public, with full legislative approval.”
Significant Shooting Facility
The bill has particular significance for the Ben Avery Shooting Facility in north Phoenix, recognized as the nation's largest publicly operated shooting complex.
Phoenix has designated it as one of the city's official Points of Pride, and it draws massive crowds year-round for firearm safety courses, programs, events, and training with certification.
The facility predates much of the surrounding residential and commercial development and has been managed by the Arizona Game and Fish Department for decades.
Nguyen emphasized that closing such a facility wouldn't eliminate shooting activity; it would simply relocate it to less appropriate locations.
"Ben Avery was built to promote safety,” he said. “If this range were ever closed, shooting wouldn’t stop. It would be pushed into unregulated desert areas, creating serious public safety risks and environmental damage. That outcome helps no one.”
By requiring legislative action, HB 2763 would force any closure proposal into the public arena where constituents and their representatives could evaluate whether eliminating access to supervised, regulated facilities truly serves Arizona's interests.
