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New law lowers shooting range insurance from $5M to $1M
Gov. Eloy S. Inos signed into law a bill that reduces the shooting range liability insurance from the original $5 million approved 10 months ago to $1 million.
Rep. Christopher Leon Guerrero (Ind-Saipan), author of the bill, said with the small size of the local insurance market, the maximum liability insurance available for shooting galleries and shooting ranges in the CNMI is only $1 million.
“The current law imposes a requirement that is impossible to meet. The insurance requirement needs to be adjusted in order to require an amount of insurance that is available to the Commonwealth,” Leon Guerrero said.
His House Bill 18-153, Senate Draft 1 is now Public Law 18-61.
Under the law, “shooting range” means a major development, with a minimum aggregate capital investment of $250,000 in the CNMI, where amenities shall include at a minimum, a restaurant, retail shop, office spaces, recreational facilities, target and range facilities for rifle and hand gun competition and other requirements consistent with hosting major international shooting competitions.
The new law also says a patron and guest at a shooting range may use a rifle, shotgun, archery or target range equipment, and any caliber of ammunition approved for competitive use as specifically authorized by regulation by the Department of Public Safety.
The use of any firearm, weapon, ammunition, archery, and target range equipment off the shooting range premises is prohibited, except for purposes that DPS ordered for safety purposes.
No person, corporation, business or entity may operate or engage in the business of shooting gallery or shooting range unless they have received a shooting gallery or shooting range license from the Department of Public Safety, and a general business license from the Department of Finance.
