Anti-hunting legislation fails to pass Senate committee (10/8/2002)

Legislation that could have jeopardized wildlife programs across the country by federalizing hunting laws received no action during today’s Senate Judiciary Committee hearing.

Senate Bill 1655, the Captive Exotic Animal Protection Act, purports to ban the hunting of exotic animals in enclosures.  An amendment that was planned for the bill contained a backdoor attempt to define “fair chase” in federal law.  The move would have introduced a dangerous precedent that ignores diverse hunting cultures existing in various states.  It would have also opened the door for the federal government to begin regulating hunting and fishing, the jurisdiction of state governments.

The U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance and other organizations rallied sportsmen who flooded their Senators with messages opposing Senate Bill 1655.  The Alliance issued calls to action and news releases urging hunter involvement.  Sportsmen involvement appeared to have stopped the bill, as it saw no action and was not amended during its committee hearing.

Although the bill could still see action, it is unlikely given Congress’ focus on appropriations issues.

“Sportsmen realized the dangers that Senate Bill 1655 presented to the future of hunting,” said U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance President Bud Pidgeon.  “They took immediate action on the issue and sent a clear message to their U.S. Senators. Sportsmen let their Senators know that they did not want this threatening legislation to impact their hunting heritage.”

CopyrightÓ  U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance- www.ussportsmen.org

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