Liberty University is planning to open a state-of-the-art shooting range on campus next fall as part of the conservative Christian school’s commitment to promoting gun ownership and firearm sports.

University president Jerry Falwell Jr. said that the complex will feature pistol, rifle, and shotgun facilities as well as an archery range built into the mountainside of the 7,000-acre campus near Lynchburg, Va.

The blueprints call for at least $1 million in construction and landscape improvements that will provide new opportunities for student clubs and athletic teams.

‘‘This is one of the examples of how Liberty is unique and different,’’ Falwell said. ‘‘We really had the perfect setting for our own competitive shooting range.’’

It will be the latest high-tech addition to a campus that already features a year-round snowless ski and snowboard center, an indoor ice-skating rink, and an equestrian facility.

Founded in 1971 by Falwell’s father, an evangelical pastor who nurtured the Moral Majority political movement, Liberty has increased its focus on public safety, and it has allowed students, faculty and staff to carry concealed handguns on campus.

Washington Post