Urgent Sportsman Alert

June 14, 2012 By J. Scott Rupp

Call Your U.S Senators and Urge Them to
SUPPORT the Sportsmen's Act of 2012

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

NSSF encourages all firearms owners, hunters and sportsmen to immediately call their U.S. Senators and urge them to SUPPORT the Sportsmen's Act (Senate Amendment 2232).

Sponsored by the bipartisan senate co-chairs of the Congressional Sportsmen's Caucus, Sens. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) and John Thune (R-S.D.) and filed as an amendment to the 2012 Farm Bill (S.3240), the Sportsmen's Act is the most important single piece of pro-sportsmen legislation in a generation. This historic legislation includes the firearms industry's top legislative priority, the Hunting, Fishing and Recreational Shooting Protection Act (S.838), which 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 on average by almost 200 percent and dry up conservation funding.

This historic, bipartisan legislation is strongly supported by the National Shooting Sports Foundation and over 40 of the nation's leading sportsmen and conservation groups like the NRA, Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation, Ducks Unlimited, U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance and the Boone and Crockett Club.

The Sportsmen's Act is a package of 16 separate bills including the majority of sportsmen's legislative priorities in this Congress. (See below for an overview of the components of the bill.) A similar but less extensive package of bills--the Sportsmen's Heritage Act of 2012 (H.R. 4089)--was passed by the House in April by a bipartisan vote of 276 to 146. Passage of this unprecedented pro-sportsmen's legislation will promote, protect and preserve our nation's hunting, shooting and conservation heritage for generations to come.

But you must act now! The Senate will take up the Farm Bill this week. Anti-hunting forces are aggressively trying to block the Senate from even considering the Sportsmen's Act. In order for this vital amendment to have an opportunity to be voted on by the full Senate more senators need to become cosponsors. So act now, call your U.S. Senators at 202-224-3121 and urge them to support the bipartisan Sportsmen's Act. Help save our hunting and shooting sports heritage.

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.