Legislation that would deem sportsmen and hunting clubs, gun and ammunition stores and shooting ranges as life sustaining is quickly moving through the Pennsylvania legislature. This designation would allow these businesses and organizations to operate during a public health crisis and throughout the state’s ongoing stay-at-home orders. House Bill 2440 was recently approved by the House of Representatives and now awaits a committee referral in the Senate.
Take Action Today! Pennsylvania sportsmen should call their state senators and ask them to SUPPORT House Bill 2440. Pennsylvania members can contact their senators by using the Sportsmen’s Alliance Legislative Action Directory.
During difficult economic times, access to firearms and hunting and fishing supplies directly puts food on the tables of struggling families. In a 2013 study conducted by Southwick Associates, the American Sportfishing Association and the Oregon Department of Natural Resources, nearly half of the hunters (48%) in seven states surveyed said that “hunting to save money in a bad or declining state economy was a reason for their decision to go hunting during that time period.”
“Sportsmen fund the vast majority of all wildlife conservation and public land preservation efforts through license fees and federal excise taxes paid on the purchase of hunting and fishing equipment,” said Jacob Hupp associate director of state services at the Sportsmen’s Alliance. “Limiting access to the stores that offer products for sale where the excise taxes are collected negatively impacts wildlife and the future of hunting and fishing. We appreciate the work the Pennsylvania legislature is undertaking to ensure sportsmen can continue to fund their pursuits.”
About the Sportsmen’s Alliance: The Sportsmen’s Alliance protects and defends America’s wildlife conservation programs and the pursuits – hunting, fishing and trapping – that generate the money to pay for them. Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation is responsible for public education, legal defense and research. Its mission is accomplished through several distinct programs coordinated to provide the most complete defense capability possible. Stay connected to Sportsmen’s Alliance: Online, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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