
Montana AG Asks Legislature for New Law Enforcement Firing Range
Missoula, MT (KGVO- AM News) - Montana’s Attorney General Austin Knudsen told KGVO’s Talk Back show on Monday about his ‘number-one ask’ at the state legislature currently in session will be for a new state of the art shooting range at the Montana Law Enforcement Academy.
The Montana Law Enforcement Academy Has No Shooting Range
“The Montana Law Enforcement Academy is located here outside of Helena,” began Knudsen. “It's under my purview. Every law enforcement officer in the State of Montana goes to the Montana Law Enforcement Academy and we don't have a shooting range. It's embarrassing. We have to rent one from the city of Helena. It's outdoors. It's small. It's not suited for our needs. If it's icy, if it's snowing, if the wind's blowing, if it's 102 degrees, and it happens to be your week to go shoot; that’s too bad.”
Knudsen further drove the point home for a shooting range fully dedicated to the Law Enforcement Academy.
AG Knudsen Said Law Enforcement Officers are Not Receiving Proper Training
“We are not giving these officers adequate firearms training,” he said. “That is the biggest responsibility that a law enforcement officer has. We give them the authority with that badge the possibility to take someone's life, so it is incumbent upon us to make sure they are properly and fully trained to use that firearm.”
Knudsen detailed what has occurred in the past as students attempted to practice firearms training.
“We've had instances that, due to weather, you maybe only get two or three days of firearms training out of a 16 week class,” he said. “That's not enough. It's not adequate. We have to travel across town to get to that range. Usually, we're fighting with other agencies who've double booked it. It belongs to the city of Helena, and they've jacked up our rental rates on using the range.”
AG Knudsen Called the Shooting Range His 'Number One Ask' at the Legislature
Knudsen said the new shooting range is the only piece missing to properly train law enforcement officers.
“We've got an excellent staff,” he said. “We've got excellent trainers that do a very, very good job, but we are really limited by the actual shooting space that we are forced to use here in Helena. So it's, it's my single biggest ask at the legislature. It's going to be included in the Long Range Planning Bill. So that'll be House Bill five (HB 5), that will be in Section F, which is a subcommittee of the Appropriations Committee, and we hope to see that one moving real soon here.”
Click here to listen to the entire conversation with Attorney General Knudsen.
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