Sportsmen's Act

[melody]

Sportsmen’s Act Will Soon Face A Vote

November 8, 2012

Call the U.S. Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121

As the 112th Congress begins its post-election session, NSSF encourages all firearms owners, hunters and sportsmen to call or email their U.S. senators and urge them to vote YES on the Sportsmen’s Act (S. 3525), the most important package of measures for the benefit of sportsmen in a generation. An early vote has been cleared procedurally, so act now.

This historic legislation includes the firearms industry’s top legislative priority, the Hunting, Fishing and Recreational Shooting Protection Act (S. 838) that would clarify that ammunition is excluded from regulation by the Environmental Protection Agency under the Toxic Substances Control Act.

Anti-hunting groups led by the Center for Biological Diversity are suing the EPA to force a ban on traditional ammunition made with lead components that would devastate hunting and shooting sports participation, drive up ammunition prices by almost 200 percent on average and dry up conservation funding.

No less than 46 of the nation’s leading sportsmen and conservation groups including the NRA, Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation, Ducks Unlimited, U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance and the Boone and Crockett Club are championing S. 3525. This bipartisan legislation is strongly supported by the National Shooting Sports Foundation.

The Sportsmen’s Act is a package of 19 separate bills — the majority of sportsmen’s legislative priorities on Capitol Hill. (See below for an overview of the components of the bill.) A similar package of bills–the Sportsmen’s Heritage Act of 2012 (H.R. 4089)–was passed by the House in the spring by a bipartisan vote of 276 to 146. Passage of this pro-sportsmen’s legislation will promote, protect and preserve our nation’s hunting, shooting and conservation heritage for generations to come.

Our voices must be heard! As you read this, anti-hunting forces are working to defeat S. 3525. So act now, call your U.S. Senators at 202-224-3121 and urge them to vote YES for the bipartisan Sportsmen’s Act of 2012.

Sportsmen’s Priorities in the Sportsmen’s Act of 2012

The Hunting, Fishing and Recreational Shooting Protection Act: Specifically excludes ammunition and fishing tackle from the Toxic Substances Control Act, preventing unnecessary regulations that could devastate hunting, shooting, conservation funding and the firearm and ammunition industries.

Making Public Lands Public: Requires that the 1.5 percent of annual Land and Water Conservation Fund funding is made available to secure public access to federal public land for hunting, fishing and other recreational purposes.

Target Practice and Marksmanship Training Support Act: Makes Pittman-Robertson funds available to states for a longer period of time for the creation and maintenance of shooting ranges. The bill encourages federal land agencies to cooperate with state and local authorities to maintain shooting ranges and limits liability for these agencies.

Call the U.S. Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121 to urge your senators to SUPPORT the Sportsmen’s Act of 2012.

[Deleted]

Done and done.

By the way, you can do this online as well:

capwiz.com/nssf/issues/alert/?alertid=61457656

[GlennD]

The above link is the easiest way to do it. Much quicker than the phone.

[dcheckman]

Done... Done... Done... including the White House to sign this legislation and the Farm Bill legislation "as written and passed the House"...

[dcheckman]

I use either the NSSF, NRA, or SCI links to contact US Congress or the President of USA.

[melody]

THIS IS IT! Take Action Now!

The Sportsmen's Act of 2012

FINAL VOTE EXPECTED MONDAY

Call your U.S. Senators 202-224-3121

The U.S. Senate is scheduled to vote the afternoon of MONDAY, Nov. 26, on the Sportsmen's Act of 2012 (S.3525).

All hunters, target shooters and firearms owners should call your senators on Monday and urge them to vote YES on the Sportsmen's Act (S.3525), the most important package of measures for the benefit of sportsmen in a generation.

Do not be confused by the mistaken information put out by one national gun owners organization. S.3525 does not override current laws and thereby enable the seizure of privately-held land.

This historic legislation includes the firearms industry's top legislative priority, the Hunting, Fishing and Recreational Shooting Protection Act (S. 838) that would clarify that ammunition is excluded from regulation by the Environmental Protection Agency under the Toxic Substances Control Act.

Anti-hunting groups led by the Center for Biological Diversity are suing the EPA to force a ban on traditional ammunition made with lead components that would devastate hunting and shooting sports participation, drive up ammunition prices by almost 200 percent on average and dry up conservation funding.

No less than 46 of the nation's leading sportsmen and conservation groups including NRA, Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation, Ducks Unlimited, American Sportfishing Association, International Game Fish Association, Center for Coastal Conservation, and Boone and Crockett Club are championing S.3525. This bipartisan legislation is strongly supported by the National Shooting Sports Foundation.

A similar package of bills--the Sportsmen's Heritage Act of 2012 (H.R. 4089)--was passed by the House in the spring by a bipartisan vote of 276 to 146. Passage of this pro-sportsmen's legislation will promote, protect and preserve our nation's hunting, shooting and conservation heritage for generations to come.

Call the U.S. Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121 to urge your senators to SUPPORT the Sportsmen's Act of 2012.

Contact Your Senators: capwiz.com/nssf/issues/alert/?alertid=61457656

[melody]

My senator killed the bill!

Senate blocks sportsmen bill due to millions in new spending

www.humanevents.com/2012/11/26/hudson-senate-blocks-sportsmen-bill-due-to-millions-in-new-spending/
By: Audrey Hudson
11/26/2012 08:01 PM

Senate Republicans killed an omnibus bill Monday night that was intended to allow sportsmen greater access to federal property for hunting and fishing, but was loaded up with $14 million in new spending by Democrats in violation of the Budget Control Act.

Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.), ranking member of the Senate Budget Committee, sponsored the procedural vote that doomed the bill on a 50-34 vote — 60 votes were needed to keep the measure as written alive.

“This is a time in which our country has faced a systematic budget crisis,” Sessions said. “We are on an unsustainable course and we know that.”

Sessions said he supports the bill’s underlying language, apart from the additional spending, and that the language can easily be rewritten to exclude the additional outlays.

Similar legislation passed the House earlier this year on a 276-146 vote, but did not include the additional spending. The Senate version was rushed to the floor just weeks before the November election, in the hopes it would help the reelection efforts of its sponsor Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.).

Provisions with wide support by House and Senate Republicans included language blocking the EPA from regulating lead content in ammunition and fishing gear under the Toxic Substances Control Act, and an exemption allowing the importation of polar bear trophies killed outside of the U.S. before 2008.

One of the contentious measures would have used 1.5 percent of funds from the Land and Water Conservation Fund to purchase 35 million acres of private property to be added to the federal inventory.

“This is a bill about access, a bill about habitat … we are losing habitat every day,” Tester said. “This is about growing our economy.”

Added Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.): This bill does not add one cent to the deficit.”

But Sessions argued that Democrats, and President Barack Obama who supported the new spending, should abide by the Budget Act they passed and the president signed last year.

“I believe fundamentally this is a good series of policy initiatives to help sportsmen, in the long run however … this bill violates the Budget Act,” Sessions said. “I am taken aback my (Democratic) colleagues who seem oblivious to this fact.”

[Deleted]

So, what's next step?

"... said he supports most of the Sportsmen’s bill, but said it contains Democratic language that appropriates new money, and urged his colleagues not to support it for that reason."

Can they pass the "important parts" without this, or are we all just going to lose because of the Partisan Hacks-In-Charge?

[melody]

Because of the limited time left for the current legislative session, and with most resources focused on the "fiscal cliff", it is unlikely anything will happen by the end of the year. Thus meaning the whole process will need to start over in the new year with legislation needing to be re-introduced in both the House and Senate.

[Deleted]

"New York Times Blunder Puts Sportsmen and Habitat at Risk"

www.fieldandstream.com/blogs/conservationist/2012/11/new-york-times-blunder-puts-sportsmen-and-habitat-risk

I don't know what's the worst part here... the bill's failure, the fact that this is possibly hard evidence of the influence of the media in our legislation, or that the "journalists" involved don't know how to get someone involved / quoted who does know the intricacies. Otherwise, why write this piece? Why is everyone such a hack at life?! Laziness?

[melody]

The Sportsmen's Act of 2012 Needs Your Help
Call your U.S. Senators to keep it Alive!
202-224-3121

The Sportsmen's Act of 2012 (S.3525) still can be enacted in this Congress if we keep the pressure on. All hunters, target shooters and firearms owners should call your senators today and urge them to work in a bipartisan manner to resolve budgetary concerns raised on Monday so the Sportsmen's Act can be brought back to the floor for a vote on final passage. There are ongoing negotiations but time is running short. Tell your senators to compromise and reach a bipartisan agreement now.
The Sportsmen's Act is the most important package of measures for the benefit of sportsmen in a generation. It took a great deal of work to bring together no less than 46 of the nation's leading sportsmen and conservation groups including NSSF, NRA, Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation, Ducks Unlimited, American Sportfishing Association, International Game Fish Association, Center for Coastal Conservation, and Boone and Crockett Club to champion S.3525.

Call the U.S. Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121 to urge your senators to continue their bipartisan work on The Sportsmen's Act of 2012. Let's get the bill passed before the end of the 112th Congress. Find complete contact information for your elected officials here.

Send an email: capwiz.com/nssf/issues/alert/?alertid=61457656

[Deleted]

www.fieldandstream.com/blogs/conservationist/2012/12/will-senate-let-sportsmens-act-die

"I can tell you a lot of the senators who voted for Sessions’ objections are regretting it now," said one veteran lobbyist. "We need sportsmen to keep that pressure on, because we're just about out of time."

[melody]

Senators have been working together to develop a solution so that the Senate can proceed with a vote on the largest sportsmen’s package in a generation before the end of the 112th Congress. It appears that a solution is close at hand, since Senator Tester proposed adding a crop insurance provision to the sportsmen’s bill to bring it into compliance with budget law.
While it appears the budget concerns are being resolved, the bill is now being held up by Senator Barbara Boxer over the provision to exempt lead ammunition and fishing tackle from regulation by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). The EPA has denied several petitions by environmental groups to regulate lead ammunition and fishing tackle under TSCA.

Need to keep calling/emailing! Even if you've already done so...