The 60-year-old shooting club outside of Stockholm with over 2,000 members is now at risk of closing since the landowner, Fortifikationsverket, canceled the lease agreement. Photo: Lars-Henrik Andersson
A decades-long lease for the Rosersberg shooting range, located just north of Stockholm, is in jeopardy after Fortifikationsverket announced it would not renew the agreement. The decision impacts a shooting club with over 2,000 members and raises questions about access to training facilities for both civilian shooters and law enforcement.
The cancellation, effective October 31, 2029, was described by the club as a procedural move to avoid automatic renewal. However, the organization has yet to receive a specific explanation for the decision.
The Rosersberg shooting club, which encompasses several disciplines including rifle, shotgun, and pistol shooting, is strongly contesting the move and has begun efforts to have the decision reconsidered. The club emphasizes its commitment to maintaining operations.
The range serves a diverse community, hosting not only club members but also individuals participating in competitions like the elk marksmanship challenge. This highlights the facility’s broader role within the shooting sports community.
The range is also utilized by the Swedish Police, Customs authorities, and the Armed Forces.
The club argues that its activities contribute to both recreational opportunities and national defense capabilities. This argument is central to their strategy for appealing the decision.
In line with recent parliamentary decisions regarding Sweden’s total defense strategy for 2025–2030, the club contends that the shooting range is a vital component of both civilian and military infrastructure, with established connections to various government agencies and training programs.
As an initial step, the club plans to request a meeting with Fortifikationsverket to gain clarity on the reasoning behind the lease termination. Simultaneously, they are developing a communication strategy to rally support and disseminate information.
Despite the announcement, the club stated that all scheduled shooting activities will continue as planned. The timeframe until 2029 provides an opportunity to influence the process, they added.
The future of the Rosersberg shooting range, extends beyond a simple lease agreement – it concerns a facility the club believes is strategically crucial for national security and beyond its immediate membership.
The issue was raised during question time in the Swedish Parliament on Thursday, March 20, 2026. Ludvig Aspling (SD) argued that Fortifikationsverket’s decision to terminate the agreement was challenging to understand, given the club’s support for total defense, including the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency and the Police Authority, which leverage the range for training.
– This type of association is, according to the total defense proposition, a necessary part of the civilian and military infrastructure. There aren’t a huge number of shooting ranges like this in the Stockholm area. I therefore ask the Minister for Defence if he can consider taking action to ensure that shooting ranges of this type are not closed unless there are strong reasons to do so, which does not appear to be the case here.
Defense Minister Pål Jonson (M) responded:
– Formally, Fortifikationsverket falls under the responsibility of Financial Markets Minister Niklas Wykman, and really comment on individual shooting ranges. With that said, the shooting movement is important from a total defense perspective, as stated in the total defense proposition. This includes increasing access to shooting ranges.
He continued:
– The other dimension concerns the voluntary defense organizations. We now maintain a very close dialogue with several of these organizations. We are seeing increased pressure on our shooting ranges, not least due to the expansion of the entire military defense.
