Washington, DC - Senator Jim Inhofe (R-OK), Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate’s Environment and Public Works Committee (EPW) and member of the Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus, presented a sportsmen’s group letter during a Committee Hearing today that opposes the listing of the polar bear under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The letter was signed by twenty national hunting organizations, members of the American Wildlife Conservation Partnership (AWCP).

The sportsmen’s letter points out that, through sound conservation and management practices, the estimated polar bear population has rebounded to three times the level of the population in the 1960s and ‘70s. The letter concludes, “An import ban arising from an ESA/MMPA listing will not reduce polar bear mortality in Canada, will harm current successful polar bear conservation and management, and will harm cash-strapped native communities in Canada. For all these reasons, the undersigned sporting and conservation groups oppose a polar bear import ban.”

In his opening statement, Senator Inhofe said, “The fact that we have had two hearings on a single listing decision reinforces my belief that listing the polar bear is not about protecting the bear…….. I worry that we have spent, and will continue to spend, too much time and money examining a healthy species and manufacturing ways to predict its demise, when there are hundreds of species legitimately on the list that need these scarce department resources. ”

James J. Baker, Chairman of the Board of the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation said, “The outdoors community came together today to address this threat to the heritage and traditions of hunting and the future of the polar bear. We applaud the AWCP for their continuing diligence on the future of North America’s largest predator.”

This is not the first time that the sportsmen’s community has asked leaders of the Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus to stand in opposition to animal rights efforts to ban the importation of legally hunted polar bear trophies. Last summer, the House of Representatives voted 242-188 against an amendment that attempted to withhold funds for the issuance of US import permits for sport-hunted polar bears from viable populations in Canada. Again in the fall, Sportsmen’s Caucus leaders saw to it that language that would have limited the importation of polar bear parts was removed from the ‘omnibus’ appropriations bill.

About the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF)
The Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation is the most respected and trusted proponent for hunters and fishermen in the political arena. With support from every major hunting and fishing organization, CSF is the leader in promoting sportsmen’s issues with elected officials. CSF works directly with the bi-partisan, bi-cameral Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus in the U.S. Congress, as well as affiliated state sportsmen’s caucuses in state legislatures around the country. For additional information, visitwww.sportsmenslink.org or call 202-543-6850.

Sportsmen’s grassroots action is needed to ensure that recently-proposed federal conservation funding will not be diverted from habitat-improvement programs.
 
The 2007 Farm Bill, provisions of which will provide funding for important wildlife programs that benefit sportsmen and wildlife, faces an uphill battle in the Senate Agriculture Committee. The U.S House of Representatives approved a version of the bill that will provide $4.5 billion in new conservation monies, but Senate Agriculture Committee members want to divert the funding away from conservation to other priorities.
 
Sportsmen view the House proposal as a strong starting point, and are advocating that the Senate equal the House level on the conservation programs. Sportsmen should contact their U.S. senators and ask that they fully fund and support Farm Bill conservation programs. Encourage them to leave all funding associated with conservation within the Conservation Title so that programs such as Conservation Reserve Program and Wetlands Reserve Program remain viable.
 
The Conservation Reserve Program helps farmers and ranchers protect valuable wildlife habitat and enhance forest and wetland resources. It promotes the conservation of vegetative cover, wildlife plantings, and riparian buffers. Similarly, the Wetlands Reserve Program helps landowners with wetland restoration efforts. It offers opportunities to establish long-term conservation and wildlife practices and protection.
 
The U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance is supporting the efforts of conservation organizations to ensure support for key elements of the Farm Bill that are critical to improving wildlife habitat and hunting opportunities.
 
Take action! Your help is needed to secure vital conservation funding from the federal government. Contact your senators and ask them to fully fund and support Farm Bill conservation programs. Call (202) 224-3121 or use the Legislative Action Center at www.ussportsmen.org.

Yesterday, the Indiana Court of Appeals issued a ruling that will allow the city of Gary, Indiana’s lawsuit against sixteen firearms manufacturers to proceed. The suit was originally filed in 1999 against Smith & Wesson, Colt, Browning, Sturm, Ruger and Co and Beretta, despite the 2005 Protection of Lawful Commerce in Firearms Act - a federal law that was validated by the same lawsuit the Court of Appeals is allowing to continue.

It wasn’t unexpected by Indiana legal observers, but was both disappointing and infuriating to the firearms industry. Not just because it continues what was always a nuisance lawsuit, but because of the Appeals Court’s complete dismissal of federal law.

“Gary’s frivolous lawsuit is the poster child for the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act,” says Lawrence G. Keane, senior vice president and general counsel of the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF). “Gary’s lawsuit seeks to blame manufacturers for the actions of criminals who misuse firearms. It is like blaming car makers for drunk driving accidents. Congress understood that lawsuits like Gary’s defy logic and common sense. During Congressional debate, the city of Gary’s case was cited as an example of precisely the sort of frivolous lawsuit that the bill was intended to stop.”

Keane added, “Gary’s lawsuit if filed today would be barred by an Indiana state law passed in 2001 after the city of Gary’s case was originally filed in 1999.” Indiana is one of 36 states that have laws barring public nuisance lawsuits against gun makers and served as a catalyst for Congress’ passage in 2005 of the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act.

“We look forward to the Indiana Supreme Court reviewing this case, so it can correct the lower court’s error,” Keane said.

In early 2006, firearm manufacturers had moved to have the city’s lawsuit against them, originally filed in 1999, dismissed based on the federal Act. In 2006, a Lake County, Indiana, Superior Court judge ruled the federal Act does apply to Gary’s lawsuit, but declared it unconstitutional.

Yesterday, the Indiana Court of Appeals reversed the lower court and ruled the statute does not apply and Gary’s case could go forward. The court did not address the constitutional claims.

As if that wasn’t enough headaches for the firearms industry, Arizona animal advocates are now pushing the Arizona Game and Fish Commission to issue a ban on lead ammo. The Center for Biological Diversity, now says with the California law on the books, Arizona becomes “the next step in our campaign.”

Arizona officials haven’t responded, and one source says they don’t plan to. In response, Sandy Bahr, the Sierra Club’s Grand Canyon chapter spokesperson, told the Arizona Republic the Sierra Club will formally petition the commissioner by early November if they don’t get a response. Bahr also says they have not ruled out litigation.

In the meanwhile, Arizona isn’t ignoring lead ammunition. The state issues coupons lead-free ammunition for those hunting in condor territory, and continues an education program to educate hunters of the threat lead poses to condors.

We’ll keep you posted.

Native prairie destruction up 40 percent - Sodsaver needed

The amount of native prairie destroyed in the Prairie Pothole Region has skyrocketed by at least 40 percent in the last year. Ducks Unlimited says this increase validates concerns that duck populations and the viability of ranching operations are threatened.

New statistics from the United States Department of Agriculture show the amount of grassland being converted to cropland in North Dakota and Montana is 6,000 acres higher this year than it was in 2006. Landowners in the two states plowed up 30,000 acres of native prairie in 2007. More than 20,000 of those acres were in the Prairie Pothole Region.

“Loss figures this high for these two states are not a good sign when we haven’t yet seen South Dakota’s data,” said Scott Stephens, DU’s director of conservation planning for the Great Plains Region. In recent years, South Dakota has shown the largest annual losses.

The Prairie Pothole Region includes the eastern Dakotas as well as portions of Montana, Minnesota and Iowa. Abundant with wetlands and grassland, the region is widely known as North America’s “duck factory.” Most ducks nest in grass so a significant loss of grass will mean fewer ducks produced in the spring. Converting grassland to cropland also threatens small wetlands on the land.

“Research shows for every one percent loss of grassland, we can expect 25,000 fewer ducks in the fall flight,” Stephens said. “If we lose just two percent a year, half of the grasslands will be gone in 35 years.”

According to DU Executive Vice President Don Young, this significant loss in nesting habitat is further evidence of the need for a strong Sodsaver provision in the 2007 Farm Bill. The Sodsaver provision will remove federal farm payments from converted native prairie where there is no previous cropping history.

“It’s clear native prairie loss is continuing. This is bad news for duck production,” Young said. “Some current farm programs, like crop insurance, only encourage more cultivation on land not well-suited for crops. Sodsaver will fix this problem and focus government incentives on our best farmland to help keep farming and ranching viable. It will help us fulfill the idea of ‘Farm the best, conserve the rest’.”

Young says this new information is timely as the U.S. Senate is currently deliberating its version of the farm bill.

“The latest proof of an increase in the destruction of native prairie provides Congress with further evidence of an ongoing problem,” Young said. “The House has already included a provision to slow grassland conversion. We expect the Senate will build upon these efforts and include a stronger Sodsaver provision in its farm bill.”

Young encourages people who enjoy seeing or hunting ducks to contact their Senators about the importance of conservation provisions like Sodsaver in the farm bill. For information on contacting your Senator go to: www.ducks.org/TakeAction/FarmBill

With more than a million supporters, Ducks Unlimited is the world’s largest and most effective wetland and waterfowl conservation organization with almost 12 million acres conserved. The United States alone has lost more than half of its original wetlands - nature’s most productive ecosystem - and continues to lose more than 80,000 wetland acres each year.

Media Contact:
Becky Jones Mahlum, Ducks Unlimited (701) 426-5171 bjonesmahlum@ducks.org

This Thursday, the U.S. House Judiciary Committee is scheduled to take up consideration of four pro-firearms industry bills . Anti-gun groups have targeted these bills for defeat. Please learn more about each bill and contact your congressman immediately, urging them to support these bills.
HR 5092: This legislation represents a major advance in protecting the rights of dealers, bringing consistency to ATF enforcement actions and providing ATF will additional compliance tools short of license revocation. Support HR 5092.
HR 5005: The initiatives in this legislation will serve to protect the integrity of law enforcement investigations and the lives of undercover agents and witnesses from the ill-considered misuse of ATF’s trace data, such as New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s “sting” operation that interfered with numerous ongoing criminal investigations. Support HR 5005.
HR 1384: This legislation would remove several antiquated restrictions on firearms business. These restrictions are rooted in the Gun Control Act of 1968, which sought to regulate firearm sales and only permit licensed dealers to sell rifles and shotguns to residents of another state only after a lengthy set of conditions have been met. Support HR 1384.
HR 1415: This bill will update and improve NICS, helping to ensure safe and expeditious transfers of firearms. Support HR 1415.

The 2006 “Firearms Law and The Second Amendment Symposium,” an event hosted by the Law Students for the Second Amendment at George Mason University, the NRA Foundation and the NRA Civil Rights Defense Fund, will be held on Saturday, Oct. 7, at the GMU School of Law in Arlington, Va.
Among the featured speakers at the event will be Lawrence G. Keane, NSSF senior vice president and general counsel. Panelists will discuss and debate a myriad of Second Amendment issues.
The NRA-ILA will begin accepting on-line reservations next week. In the meanwhile, individuals wishing to register should contact the NRA-ILA Grassroots Division at 392-8683.

Major Victory for Industry
Legislation before the California Assembly that would have required microstamping of firearms and bullet serialization of all ammunition was defeated last night by a vote of 38-34. As a testament to the collaborative efforts of the National Shooting Sports Foundation , National Rifle Association, California Association of Firearms Retailers and the California Rifle and Pistol Association, the Assembly refused a request by bill sponsor Assemblyman Paul Koretz for reconsideration of the legislation.
AB 352 would have mandated the use of unreliable, patented, sole-sourced technology to microstamp firearms. Perhaps even more troubling, the Attorney General would have been given the power to require bullet serialization of all ammunition, a mandate that would have resulted in a ban on ammunition sales throughout the state, hurting sportsmen, hunters and firearms enthusiasts.
“We could not be more pleased with the outcome of this vote,” said Lawrence G. Keane, senior vice president and general counsel for the NSSF. “This legislation would not only have forced an unproven and costly technology upon both firearms consumers and taxpayers, but it would have allowed for the banning of all ammunition in California.”
A recent independent, peer-reviewed study published in the professional scholarly journal for forensic firearms examiners proved that the technology of microstamping is unreliable and does not function as the patent holder claims. Furthermore, it can be easily defeated in mere seconds using common household tools, and criminals would be able to simply switch the engraved — “microstamped” — firing pin for readily available, unmarked spare parts.
Opposition to the microstamping and ammunition banning legislation was not limited to the firearms industry; major law enforcement groups and those concerned with higher taxes also voiced concerns. AB 352 would have led to significant price increases for firearms consumers, estimated at as much as $150 per firearm, and all California taxpayers would have been forced to foot the bill for microstamped law enforcement guns.
“We have always said that further research into microstamping, like the study currently being conducted at the University of California, Davis, would be necessary before the legislature considers mandating this very dubious technology,” added Keane. “By defeating AB 352, the California Assembly passed a measure of common sense.”

Wisconsin remains one of two states that do not allow carrying a concealed firearm for self-protection. That fact isn’t preventing a University of Wisconsin-Madison student group from educating their fellow students about responsible firearms ownership and urging state lawmakers to pass a concealed carry bill, reports the university’s Daily Cardinal.
The Student Alliance for Firearm Education and Responsibility , in addition to holding shoots for students, has also been active in supporting concealed-carry legislation. The legislation has been passed by the state Legislature twice, but has been vetoed by Gov. Jim Doyle both times.

A bill being considered by Connecticut lawmakers would make it a crime to fail to report the loss or theft of a firearm within 72 hours. The bill - HB 5818 - could be voted on by the state Public Safety and Security Committee as early as Tuesday. A similar bill failed last year.
This year’s version, reports the NRA-ILA, “includes language that would subject gun owners to criminal investigation and jeopardy of prosecution even if they report the theft because a court will now be given the ability to decide whether the firearm was stored in such a manner that provided “substantial and unjustifiable risk” that it would be stolen.
Even worse, if the police recover the firearm before the gun owner has discovered it missing and made the report, it will be considered automatic evidence of guilt of violation of this proposed law, as well as guilt of an illegal transfer.”

A Nebraska concealed carry bill moved one step closer to law on Friday, reports the Omaha World-Herald. In a second-round vote, lawmakers approved the bill 31-9. The bill now moves toward a final vote. Gov. Dave Heineman is expected to sign the bill.
“If it gets to his desk, he will sign it,” a spokesman for the governor said. In Kansas, similar legislation was approved by a House committee on Wednesday, reports the Wichita Eagle. That bill now heads for debate before the full House.
Nebraska and Kansas are two of four states that ban carrying concealed handguns.

Senate Bill 605, presented by the Connecticut General Assembly’s Environment Committee, allows the state’s Department of Environmental Protection to designate areas that would be open to Sunday hunting on private property. The bill only applies to bowhunters, and the legislation, scheduled to be heard on Friday, would need an amendment to include firearms hunters.
NSSF urges Connecticut sportsmen and sportswomen to contact the co-chairmen of the committee, Sen. Bill Finch, 800-842-1420, e-mail Finch@senatedems.ct.gov, and Rep. Richard Roy, 800-842-8267, e-mail Richard.Roy@cga.ct.gov, to gain the inclusion of firearms in the Sunday hunting bill.

Gov. Mike Rounds signed into law last Friday House Bill 1199, legislation that will prohibit the release of information concerning applicants and current concealed carry permit holders to any person, except for a law enforcement agency or the secretary of state.
The law also prohibits any government official or entity from keeping any lists or records of privately owned firearms, firearm owners or holders of concealed carry permits.

Lawmakers in Wisconsin, one of only four states that bans concealed weapons, will vote as early as this week on whether to override Gov. Jim Doyle’s veto of a concealed carry bill.
The state’s Senate passed the bill with a 28-5 vote, but Doyle-as he said he would-vetoed the bill on Friday. Sen. Dave Zien, R-Eau Claire, says Republicans have the votes to override. The bill would allow those who pass a firearms training course and obtain a permit to carry concealed guns, as well as knives, electric shock defense mechanisms and clubs.
The governor vetoed a similar bill in 2003, and has said he is confident his veto will not be overridden.

A provision included in the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives 2006 appropriations act could scuttle New York City’s lawsuit against firearms industry companies, the Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday.
The provision prevents ATF’s gun-trace database from being used in lawsuits. U.S. Rep. Todd Tiarht said by keeping the database out of the public’s hands it would prevent gun traffickers from doing their own searches and tipping off illegal straw purchasers.

An Ohio bill that will create an apprentice hunting license was passed by the Senate Agriculture Committee 9-0 last week and is now headed for a vote on the Senate floor. HB 296 will allow parents and other qualified, adult hunters to introduce others to hunting before they complete a hunter education course.
The bill is part of the Families Afield initiative of NSSF, the National Wild Turkey Federation and U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance, which aims to provide parents with more opportunities to hunt with their sons and daughters.

A package of anti-gun bills that would negatively impact law-abiding firearms retailers and shooters and hunters statewide will soon be taken up by the New York Senate.
Bill A 9280 would impose many new unnecessary restrictions and regulations on law-abiding retailers, while other bills include a ban on the sale and possession of .50-caliber firearms, outlawing certain types of ammunition, an expansion to the state’s ban on so-called “assault weapons” and making new crimes for “negligent storage” of firearms.
The bills have already been passed by the state Assembly. New Yorkers are encouraged to contact your state Senators and urge them to oppose these anti-gun measures.

The New York State Assembly passed a package of anti-gun bills last week that would not only negatively impact law-abiding firearms retailers, but also shooters and hunters statewide. The package, which includes bills A 9280, A 2466A, A 2837, A 4471A, A 2302 and A 673A, will next head to the State Senate.
A 9280 would impose many new unnecessary restrictions and regulations on law-abiding retailers, while the other bills would create new restrictions not only affecting retailers, but all of the state’s law-abiding gun owners. These measures include a ban on the sale and possession of .50-caliber firearms, outlawing certain types of ammunition, an expansion to the state’s ban on so-called “assault weapons” and making new crimes for “negligent storage” of firearms.
New Yorkers should not waste any time in contacting their state senators, urging them to oppose these anti-gun measures. In addition to contacting their legislators, New York’s firearms retailers are encouraged to join the newly formed New York State Association of Firearms Retailers by contacting Greg Costa at 518-584-5098 or Bettyjane Swann at 203-426-1320.
Federal firearms licensees in New York and New Jersey are encouraged to join NYSAFR and NJSAFR.

A bill that would create more opportunities for parents to hunt with their sons and daughters moved one step closer to becoming law last week in Wisconsin. AB 586, which would create an apprentice hunting license program, was approved by the Wisconsin Senate Natural Resources and Transportation Committee by a 4-1 margin.
The new law would allow youths to be mentored afield at age 8 within an arm’s length of an adult. Current law requires hunters to be 12 years of age. The measure is part of the Families Afield initiative introduced by NSSF, the National Wild Turkey Federation and U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance.

The burdensome Illinois Firearm Owner Identification Card requirement for state gun owners had gotten bogged down in a 50-day backlog, causing some gun owners to involuntarily be in violation of state law.
The Illinois State Rifle Association called for an investigation into the delays, and Gov. Rod Blagojevich, following widespread complaints, announced last week the state would immediately hire part-time workers in an attempt to eliminate the backlog.

The anarchy that was predicted by anti-gun interests in 1996 when the Texas Concealed Gun Law took effect has been disproved in practice, and the facts presented in an “Opinion” article by State Sen. Jerry Patterson demonstrate quite clearly why Texans are safer now than they were before the law was enacted.