Minus Saipan Senate passes new shooting resort bill

Excluding Saipan from the list of islands that will divide the $25-million investment for shooting galleries, the Senate on Monday approved legislation that would pave the road for the establishment of such facilities on Tinian and on Rota.

Introduced by Sen. Edward U. Maratita, Senate Bill 12-95 amends the CNMI Weapons control Act to allow investors to develop facilities like target ranges for rifle competition, and skeet shooting in the Northern Marianas, except on Saipan.

In passing SB 12-95 during a session held on Tinian, the Senate maintains that the CNMI holds great potentials to attract major developers interested in building shooting resorts for a variety of activities that are safe, in contrast with public misconception about the dangers these facilities pose.

However, the proposed measure explains that it would be better for the CNMI to limit the location of the shooting resorts to Tinian and Rota since there islands are less populated but where the need to benefit from increased economic investment is greatest.

Once approved by the House of Representatives without amendment, the bill goes to Gov. Pedro P. Tenorio who earlier refused to sign a similar measure that would have paved the way for the construction of the multi-million-dollar shooting resorts on Saipan, Tinian and Rota.

The measure would authorize the licensing of shooting galleries and shooting resorts and to place restrictions on their operation. A shooting gallery licensee shall pay an annual fee of $5,000, and a shooting resort licensee shall pay annual fee of $15,000 per license.

But investors who have earlier signified intentions to establish shooting resorts in the CNMI have expressed reluctance in pouring in all $25 million of their money exclusively to galleries in Rota and Tinian, as they argued that the move is likely to fall flat due to accommodation and transportation problems.

Although the newest legislative measure is slowly gaining support from various sectors on Rota and Tinian, shooting resort investors still eye Saipan as the best area where the galleries should be established.

Earlier, CNMI International Shooting Resort Inc. director Kim Kyong Duk said Senate Bill 12-95 is not the answer to the governor’s decision to veto the original legislation. He said moves are now underway to prod legislators to override Mr. Tenorio’s decision and push through with the original bill.

With $25 million capital for the shooting galleries, investors are wary that gun resorts to be established on the two islands will not be able to generate as much return of investments as it would do on Saipan.