South Dakota
Gun-industry companies and groups give $2 million to help build state-owned shooting range
10% of money to build the range comes from gun-industry companies and organizations
A list of donors to a state-owned shooting range under construction north of Rapid City includes $2 million from gun-industry companies or organizations.
The $20 million, 400-acre complex will be one of the largest public shooting ranges in the nation when it opens this fall, according to the South Dakota Department of Game, Fish & Parks. The complex will host recreational shooters, safety programs, marksmanship competitions and law enforcement training. It will include rifle, pistol, shotgun and archery ranges.
About $6 million of the project’s funding has been given or pledged by donors. The rest is from the state’s Future Fund for economic development.
The department announced last month in a news release that the range will be named the Pete Lien & Sons Shooting Sports Complex, but the release did not disclose the amount of the company’s donation, or include a full list of donations.
“We are extremely pleased with all of the support and excitement for the shooting sports complex and our Second Amendment rights in South Dakota,” Department Secretary Kevin Robling said in the press release.
Concerns over donations to SD gun range
South Dakota Searchlight requested a list of donors with names and amounts. The department’s initial response said only that donors gave more than $6 million, including $2 million for naming rights from Pete Lien & Sons, a mining, concrete and construction aggregate company based in Rapid City.
When Searchlight asked again for a full list of donors, a spokesman for the department directed the request to the state’s online records request portal. Searchlight submitted a letter including a legal argument that the donation list is a public record. A lawyer for the department provided the list 15 days later.
Three donors on the list who gave or pledged a combined $6,100 are referenced only as “private donation”; Searchlight asked for those names or a justification for withholding them. The department’s lawyer replied that the names are covered by exceptions in the state open records law to protect personal privacy and to prevent the “unreasonable release of personal information.”
The project has been controversial with state legislators, who refused to fund it. Some were angered last year when they learned that then-Gov. Kristi Noem gave the project $13.5 million from the governor-controlled Future Fund for economic development.
The donations from the gun industry are another concern for Rep. Erik Muckey, D-Sioux Falls. He said that as a gun owner and hunter himself, he wants to ensure South Dakota’s sporting and hunting traditions continue. But he is uneasy about the Legislature being successfully lobbied for fewer restrictions on firearms while some of the entities connected to those lobbyists — including the National Rifle Association — are helping to fund a state-owned shooting range.
“Private funding for state-owned facilities is not a new concept; in fact, several examples of public-private partnerships make this state better each day, like the combination of public and private funds to support the Build Dakota scholarship,” Muckey said, referencing a full-tuition program for technical college students. “But this case should give South Dakotans pause.”
The Republican-dominated Legislature routinely considers and passes pro-gun legislation. Last winter, lawmakers and Republican Gov. Larry Rhoden lifted concealed-handgun bans on college campuses and in bars.
The shooting-range donor list includes $6.3 million from 43 sources, with nearly half of the money in hand and the rest pledged. Donations from the gun industry account for nearly one-third of the total:
- Smith & Wesson, a Tennessee-based gun manufacturer, donated $150,000 and pledged $600,000, for a total of $750,000.
- Glock, an Austrian gun manufacturer, donated $150,000 and pledged $600,000, for a total of $750,000.
- Aimpoint, a Swedish gun optics manufacturer that bills itself as the inventor of the red dot sight, donated $50,000 and pledged $200,000, for a total of $250,000.
- Luth-AR, a Minnesota company that sells custom stocks and other components for AR-15 rifles, donated $25,000 and pledged $100,000, for a total of $125,000.
- The National Rifle Association donated $50,000.
- Federal Ammunition, a Minnesota ammo manufacturer, donated $25,000.
- H-S Precision, a Rapid City weapons parts manufacturer, donated $5,000 and pledged $20,000, for a total of $25,000.
- Mack Bros, a Sturgis company that manufactures suppressors (silencers) and other gun components, donated $3,000.
- First Stop Gun Shop in Rapid City donated $3,000.
- Lane Silencers, a Rapid City manufacturer, donated $3,000.
- Sturgis Guns, a seller of firearms and accessories, donated $3,000.
Some other donations came from companies that sell shooting-related accessories, but not guns or gun parts. Donations also came from various other individuals, businesses and hunting and conservation groups.
Some legislators on both sides of the political aisle remain upset about Noem’s unilateral decision to provide state funding for the project.
“Unfortunately, her actions have severely damaged trust in otherwise effective institutions, which may cost much-needed projects funding and support in the future,” said Muckey.
In response, the Legislature passed and new Gov. Larry Rhoden signed into law a bill from Senate President Pro Tempore Chris Karr, R-Sioux Falls, that says Game, Fish and Parks projects over $2.5 million must receive legislative approval.
“The shooting complex is the reason I brought that bill,” Karr said. “The appropriations process was circumvented.”
House Assistant Majority Leader Marty Overweg, R-New Holland, said lawmakers feel their will was ignored.
“Now, the government has to be the one that ensures this shooting range continues to run,” he said. “We voted no, but now we have to run it. Without any choice.”
Robling, the head of GF&P, said in November that the complex will require three full-time employees who will be reallocated internally, as well as seasonal staff and volunteers. Robling said the range will not be profitable and will require help from federal firearm tax revenue allocated to the department.
Department spokesperson Nick Harrington told South Dakota Searchlight recently that the shooting range will cost an estimated $355,000 annually to operate and maintain, including the three full-time employees.
Seth is editor-in-chief of South Dakota Searchlight. South Dakota Searchlight is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.
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The South Dakota State baseball team is fighting for its season today against Arizona State in the Lincoln Regional. The game is set for 2 p.m.
The No. 4 Jackrabbits (24-32) lost 4-1 to No. 1 Nebraska in the opening game. No. 3 Arizona State lost a 706 heartbreaker to No. 2 Ole Miss in the opening round in 14 innings. The game took nearly 5.5 hours and ended around 1:20 a.m.
Here’s how to watch South Dakota State’s win-or-go-home game.
Watch South Dakota State baseball vs … on ESPN+
South Dakota State vs. Arizona State baseball stream, radio
Stream: ESPN+
Radio: KJJQ 910 AM
South Dakota State vs. Arizona State time today
- Date: Saturday, May 30
- Time: 2 p.m. CT
- Location: Haymarket Park in Lincoln, Nebraska
South Dakota State vs. Arizona State prediction
Paul Cifonelli, Argus Leader: This was always a tough draw for South Dakota State, as I thought this was the toughest regional in the country. At worst it’s the third toughest, with Chapel Hill and College Station in contention.
The Jackrabbits do have an advantage since Arizona State and Ole Miss went at it until after 1 a.m. Both teams stressed their pitching staffs, and every at bat required intense focus. The problem is South Dakota State doesn’t have the same top-end pitching these other teams do.
If Drew McDowell pitches, the Jacks might have a shot here. Otherwise they’ll have to win a slugfest, and I just don’t like those odds.
Prediction: Arizona State 8, South Dakota State 3
MISSION, S.D. (Dakota News Now) – In rural South Dakota, miles often separate expectant mothers from healthcare.
“A lot of women out here are left without any maternity care options,” said Rachel Kocak.
In Mission, moms mark their due dates and calculate miles to the nearest delivery location. Rachel Kocak, expecting her third child, said one option just closed.
“We used to have a birthing unit, I think up until a couple of months ago, and they lost their OB. So, Winner is no longer delivering babies,” Rachel said.
Some mothers remember when they could reach the hospital within a five-minute drive.
“IHS, for tribal members, they don’t deliver babies out here or provide prenatal care,” Rachel explained.
Families hope to reach the hospital before the baby arrives.
“So women either have to drive to Valentine, which is about 30 to 35 minutes from Mission, they can go to Wanblee, which is on the Pine Ridge Reservation, or they have to go to Pierre, Rapid City, or Sioux Falls,” Rachel said.
And if the roads are bad.
“I think there are a lot of babies who are unintentionally born at home. So it’s a tough place, I think, for mothers,” Rachel said.
The March of Dimes breaks down government data, showing a large portion of rural South Dakota as a maternity care desert, requiring travel of 38 or more minutes to reach an appointment or delivery room. The infant mortality rate is higher among native American babies born, compared to other races.
Health Department maps show counties in medium blue have 56 infant deaths per 100,000 births. Dark blue counties have three times as many. Grants aim to increase the number of healthcare workers, and funding supports a doula workforce program.
Kocak would like to see doulas and midwives available.
“Great opportunity for anyone who wants to become a home-birth midwife out here. The birth rate is still, I’m not sure what it is, but it’s high. There’s still a growing young population, and just not enough people to help deliver the babies,” Rachel said.
If care were closer, the outcomes could be brighter.
“You know, having the support network can make a huge change in the lives of these young, you know, these babies and young mothers who are building new families,” Rachel said.
The South Dakota Department of Health released a statement to Dakota News Now, which can be read in full below.
The South Dakota Maternal and Infant Health Task Force was created in 2025 to bring partners together to help improve the health and wellbeing of mothers and infants across the state. Their 5-year strategic plan was recently released, which has three priority areas: postpartum care to improve maternal health; safe sleep education and prevention strategies to protect infant health; and systems of care work that improves access, coordination, and quality of care statewide. One of the strategic plan activities that is supported by Rural Health Transformation is the creation of Regional Maternal and Infant Health Hubs, which will create a hub-and-spoke network connecting hospitals, clinics, tribal health services, and community organizations. These hubs will improve care coordination, strengthen referral pathways, and expand access to services for families in rural and tribal communities.
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