Firearm and Bow Hunter Safety and Education Program (Section 10 Hunter Education Grant Program)

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The Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Act of 1937,50 Stat. 917 as amended; 16 U.S.C. 669-669b, 669-669k,now known as the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act,was approved by Congress on September 2, 1937, and began functioning July 1, 1938. The purpose of this Act was to provide funding for the selection, restoration, rehabilitation,and improvement of wildlife habitat, wildlife managementresearch, and the distribution of information produced by the projects.The Act was amended on October 23, 1970, to include funding for hunter safety programs and the development or the operationand maintenance of firearm and archery ranges. Congress saw a needfor additional funds to support hunter education and shooting rangedevelopment, if States were to meet the challenges of the 21st century.The Congressional Resource Committee had broad support from sportsmen⿿sorganizations who stated that States were not using their possible allotments to support these programs or there was not a consistentlevel of effort to further the future of hunting. As a result,Congress passed the Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration ProgramsImprovement Act of 2000 and as part of this Act created the Firearmand Bowhunter Education and Safety Program (Section 10) to address these concerns. The passage of Section 10 set aside $7.5 million in2001 and 2002 and $8 million thereafter to ⿿enhance⿝ existing huntereducation or shooting range programs.

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