VOTE! VOTE! VOTE!
By W. Laird Hamberlin, CEO of SCI and SCIF
Originally published in the 2024 September/October issue of Safari Magazine.
I am not going to be the least bit subtle about it. U.S. hunters must VOTE this year because the future of hunting depends on it.
Never before has the choice been so clear because of the track records of both the incumbent administrations (née Biden/Harris, but at the time of this writing, Harris/Walz) and the challenger (Trump/Vance) are known. Biden/Harris/Walz has been and always will be anti-hunting. Now and when he was President, Trump has been pro-hunting.
The political divide is so stark that neither side is going to change spots, so to speak. Additionally, Donald Trump Jr. is an avid hunter and Life member of SCI. He has helped SCI raise many thousands of dollars at the SCI Convention to help save hunting.
Even with the last-minute changes in which Biden pulled out of the race and was replaced by Harris, the bottom line remains the same: A vote for Trump is a vote FOR hunting, and a vote for Harris is a vote AGAINST hunting.
So much for the soap box, on other fronts, there are many good things happening now and in the near future.
For example, SCI finalized a new partnership agreement with Cinegética, Spain’s largest and most prominent hunting and conservation convention and the largest transatlantic alliance of hunting fairs and conventions in the world.
I was honored to represent SCI as a signer of the agreement with Marcos Quintas of Cega Multimedia, Venatoria representative and Marquis of Laserna Iñigo Moreno, and Director of Cinegética and Duke of Cardona Rodrigo Moreno.
Looking forward, the 22nd African Wildlife Consultative Forum will be held in Stellenbosch, South Africa, from Oct. 28 to Nov. 1. This is one of SCI Foundation’s most important efforts of the year because it brings together representatives from governments and stakeholders in the hunting world together to help conserve wildlife in Africa. Hunting is a critical element in sustainable use wildlife conservation.
Conservation is one of the six pillars upon which the future of SCI and hunting rests. The other pillars are Advocacy, Event Services (Convention), Hunting, Membership and Chapters.
And now is the time to plan to attend the SCI Convention Jan. 22-25, 2025, in Nashville. Register now. It’s going to be the best SCI Convention ever, and you won’t want to miss it. I look forward to seeing everyone in Nashville at the Convention.
Meanwhile, I can’t stress too strongly how important it is for every hunter to VOTE in this year’s elections. Our votes count tremendously in the elections for other representatives, from local and state races to the national elections for President and Congress.
The stakes are too high to be casual about elections, and especially this year. With the right representatives in office, SCI’s advocacy efforts can be much more effective.
SCI will continue fighting for hunting regardless of the outcome of the election. However, the future of hunting is much brighter when pro-hunting representatives are in office. It’s all up to us right now. We have the future of hunting in our hands, so we must not drop the ball.
VOTE! VOTE! VOTE!