Delaware: SCI issued a HAAC and a letter of support for House Bill 271 and the expansion of Sunday hunting of game birds in the state. The bill, which passed unanimously out of the house, will be heard on Wednesday, March 13 in the Senate Environment, Energy, and Transportation Committee.
Kansas/Missouri: SCI Western State and Local Liaison Chris Tymeson attended his home chapter annual fundraiser and dinner at the KCSCI Exposition, held in Overland Park, Kansas, where renowned gun writer Craig Boddington was the keynote speaker. Boddington, a Kansas native, grew up in the Kansas City area, hunting and fishing before heading to the University of Kansas and subsequently joining the service of our country in the United States Marine Corps. The Kansas City Chapter proudly has members from both sides of the state line, as the Kansas City metro area is split by the state line.
Kentucky: SCI issued a HAAC in opposition to Senate Bill 3 which attempts to move the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources (DFWR) to the Department of Agriculture and would authorize the Commissioner of Agriculture to appoint all members of the KDFWR Commission. It’s important to note that there is not a single state in the entire country where the wildlife agency is attached to or directly connected to their state department of agriculture. Among other reasons, this is largely due to the drastically different priorities and management models between wildlife and agriculture. All Kentucky advocates, please contact your senator to oppose Senate Bill 3 and support the continuation and independence of DFWR.
Maryland: Eastern States and Local Liaison Bee Frederick testified in opposition to Maryland Senate Bill 983 that, if enacted, would ban the use of lead ammunition for ALL hunting by the end 2026. SCI also submitted a letter of opposition to the bill and a HAAC alert. Senate Bill 983 poses a significant threat to the physical and economical access for hunters in the state and would also have consequences for conservation funding within the state. SCI’s EVP Ben Cassidy also wrote a letter-to-the-editor in the Baltimore Sun that points to the fallacies within the proponents arguments. For more information, click here.
Montana: SCI CEO Laird Hamberlin submitted comments on both the 2023 Draft Grizzly Bear Management Plan and the 2023 Draft Gray Wolf Conservation and Management Plan. To read the grizzly bear comments, click here. To read the gray wolf comments, click here.
Wisconsin: SCI spearheaded a coalition letter of national and Wisconsin-based sportsmen’s organizations advocating for the creation of a Legislative Council Study Committee on the impacts and opportunities of a growing sandhill crane population in Wisconsin. Additionally, the letter supported sound, science-based management of sandhill cranes in the state of Wisconsin.
