LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Several law enforcement agencies are coming together for a new firing range.
On Thursday, officials from the Nevada Army National Guard, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, Nevada Department of Public Safety and Department of Corrections and the Clark County Commission broke ground on the new facility.
For those agencies, a firing range closer to home was needed.
“For our Nevada Army National Guard Soldiers, the need for this marksmanship range is now to save valuable training dollars and time,” said Maj. Gen. Ondra Berry, Nevada adjutant general. “This collaborative partnership simultaneously benefits state, county and city agencies. It saves taxpayer dollars and maximizes training time for our men and women in uniform.”
According to the Nevada National Guard, in order to meet Army standards, more than 1,000 soldiers have been sent to neighboring states over the past five years to meet marksmanship qualification. Units spent up to four training days to qualify at out-of-state ranges, which equated to more than 15 percent of each unit’s allocated training and significantly impacted the ability to train on other tasks, the Nevada Army National Guard G3 office said.
The rifle and pistol range will be built to Army standards and, in coordination with LVMPD, utilize space at the already existing range complex, which is located at 7600 E. Carey Avenue.
When the facility is not being used by the Nevada National Guard, other southern Nevada law enforcement agencies will be allowed to use it to meet their respective agencies' marksmanship standards.
The new range is scheduled to be completed in the next two years.
Nevada Army National Guard officials said they are also pursuing a federally-funded range at the Hawthorne Army Weapons Depot in the northern part of the state, which they are anticipating could open by 2027.
