I hope I got your attention. Please read the following and respond to your Senators ASAP.

Legislation is now before the Senate Judiciary Committee that could seriously jeopardize game programs across the country by federalizing hunting laws. Senate Bill 1655 would put a “one size fits all” policy on wildlife management activities that ignores the diverse hunting culture in this country. Sportsmen across the nation need to contact their U.S. Senators in opposition to this bill.



Senate Bill 1655 purports to ban the hunting of exotic animals in enclosures. Titled the Captive Exotic Animal Protection Act, it also allows the federal government to define “fair chase,” ignoring the hunting culture, as it exists in different states. It opens the door for the federal government to begin regulating hunting and fishing. Until now, it only intervened on wildlife issues that concerned endangered or migratory species.



For example, congressmen from California and Massachusetts would have a voice in the management of wildlife in South Dakota or Tennessee. This is not the duty of Congress - it is the responsibility of state wildlife agencies, which exist to manage wildlife in their own states.



Senate Bill 1655 was originally written to ban all hunting in enclosures, but the bill’s sponsors could not muster support for legislation that would ban hunting on some of the largest ranches in the country. It was scaled back, and now applies only to exotic mammals, such as lions. However, if Senate Bill 1655 passes, it would only take an amendment to apply the ban to all hunting behind fences.



Senate Bill 1655 would give anti-hunters an opportunity to concentrate their huge financial warchests at one body, the U.S. Congress, rather than having to take their cases to each state legislature.



The anti’s are relying on sportsmen to concentrate on the notion that the bill will simply ban hunting of exotic animals within enclosures. They hope that hunters will overlook the dangers Senate Bill 1655 presents to the future of hunting. Senate Bill 1655 must be defeated in the Senate Judiciary Committee.



The bill is scheduled to come to a vote before the Senate Judiciary Committee in early October.



Call both of your U.S. Senators today! Contact them by calling 202-224-3121 and asking to be connected to their offices or by going to the Legislative Action Center at www.ussportsmen.org. Ask each of your senators to vote against Senate Bill 1655 because it undermines wildlife conservation across the country. Also, if you are a resident of any of the states below, contact your member of the Senate Judiciary Committee and ask him or her to vote against Senate Bill 1655 because it is vague and would adversely affect sportsmen.



The members are:



Patrick Leahy (D-VT) 202-224-4242

Chairman

Joseph Biden (D-DE) 202-224-5042

Sam Brownback (R-KS) 202-224-6521

Maria Cantwell (D-WA) 202-224-3441

Mike DeWine (R-OH) 202-224-2315

Richard Durbin (D-IL) 202-224-2152

John Edwards (D-NC) 202-224-3154

Russell Feingold (D-WI) 202-224-5323

Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) 202-224-3841

Charles Grassley (R-IA) 202-224-3744

Orrin Hatch (R-UT) 202-224-5251

Edward Kennedy (D-MA) 202-224-4543

Herb Kohl (D-WI) 202-224-5653

Jon Kyl (R-AZ) 202-224-4521

Mitch McConnell (R-KY) 202-224-2541

Charles Schumer (D-NY) 202-224-6542

Jeff Sessions (R-AL) 202-224-4124

Arlen Specter (R-PA) 202-224-4254

Strom Thurmond (R-SC) 202-224-5972