Legislation Aims Directly at Protecting Sportsmen

 

Steve Williams is the former director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and now heads the Fish and Wildlife Association.  He works as an advocate for hunting and fishing conservation.   During a recent interview he made an eye opening comment to me.

"This is the first presidential election where there’s been literally no discussion at all among any of the candidates about hunting and fishing," Williams told me. "I’m hoping that doesn’t mean we’re losing relevance."

Williams is a guy with his hand on the pulse of both Washington politics and the American sportsman.   He was in Charleston to address a gathering of fisheries and wildlife managers from across the Northeastern United States.  His words looking forward were grim.  He has a genuine concern as the numbers of hunters and anglers slide and the percentage of the American public who engage in those activities declines–so will the attention paid to their concerns by elected officials.

This week however, a blow was struck in the other direction.  The U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation aimed at protecting our hunting, fishing, and shooting rights in the United States.   "The Sportsman’s Heritage Act of 2012" passed the House on a vote of 274-146 with strong bi-partisan support. 

The act essentially blocks what have been thinly veiled efforts by the Obama Administration to curtail hunting, fishing, and shooting on public lands. 

The U.S. Sportsman’s Alliance in a press released outlined the main points of the bill:

–Classifies Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and U.S. Forest Service lands as open to hunting, fishing and recreational shooting unless closed or restricted based on scientific evidence

–Confirms that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) cannot ban lead in traditional ammunition or in sport fishing gear

–Protects recreational shooting on BLM National Monument land

–Allows the import of legally hunted polar bear trophies now tangled in federal red-tape.

At least one of those, the attempt to block the use of lead fishing tackle, has been of note here in West Virginia.  Imagine trying to fish the New River without lead jigs.    There are other efforts to ban lead which border on the absurd with regard to ammunition for even deer hunting–out of fears scavengers will ingest the lead in a gut pile.

Sportsmen in the country are used to liberal politicians on a crusade against firearms and the second amendment.   However, those who favor restrictions have learned they normally get crushed in the court of public opinion when the attempt to do this as an "out front" issue.  The failed presidential bid of Al Gore in 2000 is in no small part blamed on his proud anti-gun attitude.   It was a lesson learned.   You rarely see any overt rhetoric against guns anymore. Today’s efforts are far harder to spot. 

Instead of a gun ban, an ammunition tax could be the catalyst for limiting firearms ownership.   Continuing to erode the places where you can legally carry a gun is another backdoor approach to gun control. 

However, quietly and behind the scenes, the campaign has become far more sinister.  It now goes well beyond guns and takes aim directly at hunting, fishing, and sport shooting.    Executive orders and deliberately thick beaurocratic red tape is slowly eroding  hunting and fishing activities on public lands which were originally designated for such activities.

Backers of the new bill hope this is the turning of the tide.

"H.R. 4089 spells out in plain language that hunting, fishing and recreational shooting are legitimate uses of federal public lands and that these lands are open, as a matter of law, to these traditional activities,” said Bud Pidgeon, USSA president and CEO. “And it makes it crystal clear that the U.S. EPA does not have the authority to restrict American’s choices of ammunition and fishing tackle.”

“Preserving our hunting heritage and protecting our gun rights are top priorities for the NRA. H.R. 4089 is a significant step for hunters and recreational shooters in our country,” said Chris W. Cox, executive director for NRA’s Institute for Legislative Action. “This bill prevents the Obama administration from eliminating the right of hunters and shooters to use traditional ammunition. We must expand and enhance hunting and shooting on Federal lands to ensure that hunting is accessible to all – and this bill does just that.”

Congressman Jeff Miller (R-Fla) led the fight for the legislation.

“I think it is important to recognize the contributions that sportsmen make to protect our nation’s most precious resources. Outdoor activities like hunting and fishing are a central part of our heritage and way of life, but they also help fund a good portion of our conservation efforts. We must remain ever diligent to ensure the rights of sportsmen. Thanks to the members of the sportsmen’s community, Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus and the House Committee on Natural Resources, H.R. 4089 will be able to address some of the most pressing concerns the outdoors community faces."

The House however may be the easy part of the legislation.  The U.S. Senate must too vote on the bill and then it will go to President Obama, whose efforts have been largely the bill’s target.   It will take a yeoman’s effort to get there, but the bill has the backing of what would appear to be the entire outdoor world.  For the moment, the backing from hunters and anglers seems to be there.  Hopefully, Steve Williams’ concerns about sportsmen losing relevance will be a dire prediction which does not become reality.