Liberty University has confirmed that it plans to build a massive shooting range in campus. If it pushes through, the range will be open by next fall.
NY Daily News reported that the "top notch" shooting range will have facilities for archery, pistol, rifle and shotgun. This will allow students to practice their skills.
The shooting range is expected to take up 13,000 square foot of space. It will be placed on the school's Lynchburg, VA campus according to the university's Executive Director of External Communications Len Stevens.
The project, which is estimated to cost about $1 million, is backed by the National Rifle Association. It is expected to be one of the most expensive facilities on college campuses in the U.S.
"We have a campus that is fairly conservative," Stevens said. "There was a lot of interest in the concealed weapon program when it was introduced."
The range can also be used by student clubs and athletic teams who engage in Olympic training. Stevens added that students expressed their desire for the gun range and that safety is their priority.
According to The Washington Post, the shooting range is set to be the latest high-tech addition to Liberty University's campus. The school already has a year-round snowless ski and snowboard center, an indoor ice-skating rink as well as an equestrian facility.
"This is one of the examples of how Liberty is unique and different," university president Jerry Falwell Jr. told the publication. "We really had the perfect setting for our own competitive shooting range."
It was noted that the university has become the "epicenter of Christian higher education." It is also one of the largest universities in the country by enrollment.
Under Falwell's leadership, the school has increased its focus on public safety. Students, faculty and staff are allowed to carry concealed handguns on campus. Falwell also added that they have a pro-Second Amendment student community.
