CONSERVATION IS UNDER ATTACK!

[TurkeysForTomorrow]

NEW PROPOSED BILL AIMS TO REPEAL PITTMAN-ROBERTSON ACT

Turkeys For Tomorrow encourages everyone to TAKE ACTION TODAY and protect conservation and your freedom to hunt! Use the link below and OPPOSE this Anti-Conservation Bill in Congress Now!

HTTPS://ACT.SAFARICLUB.ORG/PASJ8UF


FOR 85 YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES, THE FEDERAL AID IN WILDLIFE RESTORATION ACT, ALSO KNOWN AS THE PITTMAN-ROBERTSON ACT, HAS RAISED BILLIONS OF DOLLARS FOR WILDLIFE RESEARCH AND HABITAT ACQUISITION. THE PITTMAN-ROBERTSON ACT, WHICH IS FUNDED BY A 10 TO 11 PERCENT EXCISE TAX ON HUNTING GEAR, INCLUDING FIREARMS, IS ARGUABLY THE MOST IMPORTANT SOURCE OF CONSERVATION FUNDING IN THE UNITED STATES.


H.R. 8167, Representative Andrew Clyde of Georgia has taken aim at Pittman-Robertson's current funding in the name of Second Amendment rights.

Recently, Congressman Andrew Clyde (GA-R) introduced the RETURN (Repealing Excise Tax on Unalienable Rights Now) our Constitutional Rights Act. The bill is named the "RETURN (Repealing Excise Tax on Unalienable Rights Now) our Constitutional Rights Act of 2022".  It would eliminate the excise tax on guns, ammunition, and archery tackle that fund Pittman-Robertson. He introduced the bill on June 22, 2022, with the support of 53 co-sponsors.

According to Safari Club International "This bill would eliminate a primary funding source for state fish and wildlife agencies.  Since 1937, The Pittman-Robertson Act has put $15 billion towards wildlife conservation, hunter recruitment, construction of public shooting ranges and other activities.  In fact, the excise tax directed by Pittman-Robertson generated more than $1 billion in funding last year alone."

Turkeys For Tomorrow states, "The Pittman-Robertson Act provides the fuel for the most successful conservation initiative on the planet, the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation. This self imposed tax on hunting goods has provided 15 billion dollars for wildlife management."

TFT ENCOURAGES ALL HUNTERS AND CONSERVATIONISTS TO LOUDLY EXPRESS THEIR DISAPPROVAL OF HOUSE BILL 8167 IMMEDIATELY! IF NOT HUNTERS, IF NOT YOU, WHO WILL?

TFT and other NGOs feel The Pittman-Robertson American System of Conservation funding is a system that works for hunters, states, and wildlife. "With anti-hunting sentiment growing culturally in the United States, the last thing Congress should do is remove the hunter-funded system of conservation." – SCI

According to Field and Stream "Clyde also wants to repeal the $200 tax on Class III guns and believes any state and local sales taxes on guns are illegal. In addition to eliminating the excise tax on guns and ammunition, Clyde's bill also would remove taxes on fishing rods and limit taxes on outboard motors and tackle boxes to a 3 percent rate. He proposes to use "unallocated funds" from leases from on- and offshore energy exploitation on federal lands. Those funds are collected by the Department of the Interior and total between $6 and nearly $12 billion a year depending on the level of leasing. The energy lease revenues, which tend to fluctuate widely, are already divided among other competing needs, including the Land and Water Conservation Fund."

Conservationists and hunters alike led the original effort to create the Pittman-Robertson funding system during the Great Depression. If we do not take a stand against H.R. 8167, our country's state wildlife agencies, and critical conservation organizations will find themselves in severe financial jeopardy.

[tracker vi]

Check out the co sponsors, usuall  cast of blowhards.

[Tail Feathers]

It's hard to be against a tax break, but we need the funds from this tax to be there and be used as intended.

[eggshell]

Thank you for the heads up. As a retired State Wildlife administrator I can tell you this news was enough to make me literally gasp. This funding is the heart beat of many state and federal wildlife agencies. It's passing would be crippling and utterly destroy much of the game management in the United States. I am beyond words and I wish I could say this was a total shock, but I have learned to expect extreme idiocy out of this bunch of delusional bastards in our house of representatives. You bet I'll share with my representative!

[Dtrkyman]

I doubt they will give up any funding!   Imagine if they did and charged it to the REI crowd, they would lose their !

The fact the tax includes guns and ammo is crucial to the shooting sports and gun rights!

[tal]

 Leave it to'em to screw up one of the FEW things that works as intended.

[Tail Feathers]

I just wrote my congressman.  But he's a lame duck so who knows if he'll act on it.

[slicksbeagles1]

Boys I can't believe a Georgia republican congressman Andrew Clyde is that ignorant! Please contact your congressman, congresswomen, and senators to show your displeasure and ask them to uphold the Pittman-Robertson Act which has been solely funded by sportsman for years.

[Cowboy]

Just sent an email to my US Representative. Thanks for the heads up.

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[Sir-diealot]

I was just reading this this morning, I can't believe that a Republican isactually doing this, what an idiot.

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[ChesterCopperpot]

I was just reading this this morning, I can't believe that a Republican isactually doing this, what an idiot.

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Without jumping into a larger political conversation, there are 58 cosponsors to this bill and they're all Republicans (https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/8167/cosponsors?s=1&r=3&overview=closed&fbclid=IwAR2eyMOO7QMXiF0FBlVtqobvu3WsUNVwC9VMZr36SYj8UDNXyf-s8fHMR2w).

The truth is that any time public lands are placed on the chopping block, the end game of this legislation, it's at the hands of Republican representatives. Think Jason Chaffetz a few years back trying to sell off all that land in Utah and effectively ruining his own political career. Hell, think about Senator Mike Lee in Utah earlier this year trying to sell off all that BLM land. Regardless of your greater politics, that's where the threat on public lands always comes from. Always.

Anyhow, here's a link to the bill with a super helpful link at the side to contact your rep. https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/8167?fbclid=IwAR3UBApKGx3HKBjItcLHP595CByEgqSLQ9hKJpD0oAH_OiXIcm9yVxE4Ny8

Pittman-Robertson has carried the load of conservation for 85 years. It's one of the most effective pieces of legislation in our history. It makes up roughly 80% of all conservation dollars in this country annually, last year alone to the tune of $1.5B. I beg you to write your reps this Fourth Of July weekend.


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[JeffC]

Thank you TFT, thank you, Chester, the link was very helpful, hopefully this bill will be defeated.

[ChesterCopperpot]

Thank you TFT, thank you, Chester, the link was very helpful, hopefully this bill will be defeated.

From everything I've been told it'll be dead in the water. But that doesn't mean we should sit idly by. We have to actively head this stuff off every time they try. And we should certainly let every one of those politicians involved know that we haven't forgotten and will not forget at the next election cycle. The vast majority of recreational shooters and sportsmen are conservative which means they're constituents of the people who keep pushing this garbage year after year. That to say, hold their feet to the fire. You are their electorate.


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[slicksbeagles1]

Chester thanks for the links. I just looked at the list of all the cosponsors and we have a bunch of idiots from different states 1 from Tennessee Scott DesJarlais, Georgia has a bunch, I think Kentucky has 1, Alabama has 1 so on and so on. Do you self a favor and check out all the sponsors. I don't know what they are thinking. Maybe silent anti gunners?

[TurkeyReaper69]

I ended up emailing my representative, but in all honesty I feel like this has no chance of passing. Dems control the house and any republican whose an outdoorsman would realize that this would be a tremendous blow to game and land management.

As far as this proposed "backpack tax" they mentioned. I'd like to hear other folks opinions on it. My thing is I'm happy with sportsman funding wildlife and wildland conservation rather than pot smokers, hikers, and campers due to the fact it could then potentially give them a seat at the table to discuss how funds are used and how land use is utilized and all that sort of stuff which could be in opposition to the beliefs and values of sportsmen.