Immediate Action Needed by Sportsmen!
Legislation that could federalize hunting laws and jeopardize game programs across the country will be heard on Thursday, November 14 in the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee. Senate Bill 1655 would put a �one size fits all� policy on wildlife management activities that ignores America�s diverse hunting culture. Sportsmen across the nation must contact their U.S. Senators in opposition to this bill.
Senate Bill 1655 purports to ban the hunting of exotic animals in enclosures. Titled the Captive Exotic Animal Protection Act, it also allows the federal government to define �fair chase,� ignoring the hunting culture, as it exists in different states. It opens the door for the federal government to begin regulating hunting and fishing. Until now, it only intervened on wildlife issues that concerned endangered or migratory species.
For example, congressmen from California and Massachusetts would have a voice in the management of wildlife in South Dakota or Tennessee. This is not the duty of Congress - it is the responsibility of state wildlife agencies, which exist to manage wildlife in their own states.
Senate Bill 1655 was originally written to ban all hunting in enclosures, but the bill�s sponsors could not muster support for legislation that would ban hunting on some of the largest ranches in the country. It was scaled back, and now applies only to exotic mammals, such as lions.
The anti�s are relying on sportsmen to concentrate on the notion that the bill will simply ban hunting of exotic animals within enclosures. They hope that hunters will overlook the dangers Senate Bill 1655 presents to the future of hunting. Senate Bill 1655 must be defeated in the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Call your two U.S. Senators today! Contact them by calling (202) 224-3121 and asking to be connected to their offices or by going to the Legislative Action Center at www.ussportsmen.org. Ask each of your senators to vote against Senate Bill 1655 because it undermines wildlife conservation across the country. Also, if you are a resident of any of the states below, contact your member of the Senate Judiciary Committee and ask him or her to vote against Senate Bill 1655 because it is vague and would adversely affect sportsmen.
The members are:
Patrick Leahy (D-VT) 202-224-4242
Chairman
Joseph Biden (D-DE) 202-224-5042
Sam Brownback (R-KS) 202-224-6521
Maria Cantwell (D-WA) 202-224-3441
Mike DeWine (R-OH) 202-224-2315
Richard Durbin (D-IL) 202-224-2152
John Edwards (D-NC) 202-224-3154
Russell Feingold (D-WI) 202-224-5323
Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) 202-224-3841
Charles Grassley (R-IA) 202-224-3744
Orrin Hatch (R-UT) 202-224-5251
Edward Kennedy (D-MA) 202-224-4543
Herb Kohl (D-WI) 202-224-5653
Jon Kyl (R-AZ) 202-224-4521
Mitch McConnell (R-KY) 202-224-2541
Charles Schumer (D-NY) 202-224-6542
Jeff Sessions (R-AL) 202-224-4124
Arlen Specter (R-PA) 202-224-4254
Strom Thurmond (R-SC) 202-224-5972