Funder: Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management
Due Dates (Anticipated): October 2027 (Permit application deadline)
Funding Amounts: No grant funding; free public range permit, valid for five range seasons subject to minor-age limits
Summary: A public shooting facility offering supervised target practice and hunter safety education, rather than a research grant program.
Key Information: A permit and mandatory Range Safety Orientation are required before handling or shooting firearms, except during division-sanctioned events.
Description
The Great Swamp Shooting Range is a free public facility operated by the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management’s Division of Fish & Wildlife, not a grant program. Located in the Great Swamp Management Area in West Kingston, it offers seasonal, supervised shooting for adults and youth, including Rhode Island residents and out-of-state visitors. Facilities include covered 50- and 100-yard firearm ranges, a clay target range, and an archery range.
The range supports DEM’s Hunter Safety Education Program through safe firearm storage, transport, handling, and shooting education. It provides a structured setting for target practice, sighting in firearms, and adjusting scopes, with improved accuracy supporting ethical and humane hunting. Trained Range Safety Officers supervise operations, and the main firearm range is paved and wheelchair accessible.
