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Any article listed below does not
necessarily reflect the opinion or endorsement of The PA Federation of
Sportsmen’s Clubs, Inc. (PFSC)
NOTICE: In compliance with Title 17 U.S.C.
section 107, this material is distributed free without profit or payment for
non-profit research and educational purposes only.
Be
sure to check out our Legislative
Alerts pages to follow legislation PFSC is tracking.
December 2007
Game commission must oversee fenced hunts, Pa. high court rules
http://www.philly.com:80/inquirer/local/20071228_Game_commission_must_oversee_hunts__Pa__high_court_rules.html
Associated
Press
HARRISBURG - The Pennsylvania Game
Commission must regulate hunting at fenced-in preserves, the state Supreme
Court said yesterday without specifying exactly how that should occur.
The 4-1 ruling said
wild boar are protected wild mammals that are subject to the commission's
regulations.
The lawsuit was
brought by Pennsylvania Legislative Animal Network board member Johnna Seeton to force the Game
Commission to investigate alleged Game and Wildlife Code violations at the
Tioga Boar Hunting Preserve.
"We reject the
commission's attempt to identify wild boar as 'domestic' by reclassifying it
without any authority, legal or taxonomical, as a member of the supposed 'pig
family,' "wrote Justice Max Baer for the majority. "Thus, wild boar
necessarily are 'wild animals' under the Game and Wildlife Code."
A lower court had
agreed with the Game Commission's argument that it did not have jurisdiction
to enforce the Game and Wildlife Code at Tioga, but the high court ruled that
interpretation was at odds with the language of the law.
The majority opinion
also said it expected the commission to consider whether any of the other
species hunted at Tioga also are subject to game regulations.
The 1,500-acre
preserve, near Tioga along the New York border, is among several Pennsylvania businesses that let customers
hunt such prey as boar, elk, ram and buffalo. Boar are
the most popular quarry at Tioga, but hunters there can also can pursue deer,
sheep, goat, turkey, buffalo or elk.
Seeton called the court decision a step toward
her goal of an end to what some refer to as "canned" hunts. The
Humane Society of the United States says 23 states have at least a
partial ban on canned hunts for mammals.
"I think that the
Game Commission will hopefully phase out wild boars in Pennsylvania," she said. "They're
not indigenous to the state, and I don't think they'll consider them fair
chase if they're in an enclosed area."
Mike Gee, vice
president and manager of the Tioga hunting preserve, said yesterday that he
was not overly worried about having the Game Commission issue regulations for
his business.
"I'm sure they
probably won't all be acceptable, but I guess they'll be as fair as we can
deal with," he said. "Sometimes there's
not a lot of options."
A phone message left
after hours yesterday for a Game Commission spokesman was not immediately
returned.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Senator Crapo And
46 Other Senators Request Policy Change Regarding The Carrying And
Transportation Of Firearms On Public Lands:
On December 14, U.S.
Senator Mike Crapo (R-ID) sent a letter to Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne requesting that prohibitions preventing
law-abiding citizens from transporting and carrying firearms on certain
public lands be removed.
The NRA initiated
and worked closely with Senator Crapo on this letter and appreciates his
bipartisan effort to get 47 Senators to sign a letter to Interior Secretary
Dirk Kempthorne requesting a change in policy
allowing state law to govern the carrying and transportation of firearms in
national parks and wildlife refuges, as is the case of national forests and BLM lands. We have been working for
nearly five years to change this policy and applaud the strong Senate support
for this policy change expressed in this letter.
View
the letter to Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Senate Passes NICS
Improvement Act
The US
Congress has approved the first major gun legislation since 1994, improving
background checks on buyers.
Related
article: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7153339.stm
12/20/07
After months of
careful negotiation, pro-gun legislation was passed through Congress
today. The National Rifle Association (NRA) worked closely with Senator
Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) to address his concerns
regarding H.R. 2640, the National Instant Check System (NICS) Improvement
Act. These changes make a good bill even better. The end
product is a win for American gun owners.
The NICS Improvement
Act does the following:
·
Permanently prohibits the FBI from charging a "user fee"
for NICS checks.
·
Requires all federal agencies that impose mental health
adjudications or commitments to provide a process for "relief from
disabilities." Extreme anti-gun groups like the Violence Policy
Center and Coalition to Stop Gun Violence have expressed "strong
concerns" over this aspect of the bill-surely a sign that it represents
progress for gun ownership rights.
·
Prevents reporting of mental adjudications or commitments by federal
agencies when those adjudications or commitments have been removed.
·
Requires removal of expired, incorrect or otherwise irrelevant
records. Today, totally innocent people (e.g., individuals with arrest
records, who were never convicted of the crime charged) are sometimes subject
to delayed or denied firearm purchases because of incomplete records in the
system.
·
Provides a process of error correction if a person is
inappropriately committed or declared incompetent by a federal agency. The
individual would have an opportunity to correct the error-either through the
agency or in court.
·
Prevents use of federal "adjudications" that consist only
of medical diagnoses without findings that the people involved are dangerous
or mentally incompetent. This would ensure that purely medical records are
never used in NICS. Gun ownership rights would only be lost as a result of a
finding that the person is a danger to themselves or others, or lacks the
capacity to manage his own affairs.
·
Improves the accuracy and completeness of NICS by requiring federal
agencies and participating states to provide relevant records to the FBI. For
instance, it would give states an incentive to report those who were
adjudicated by a court to be "mentally defective," a danger to
themselves, a danger to others or suicidal.
·
Requires a Government Accountability Office audit of past NICS
improvement spending.
The bill includes
significant changes from the version that previously passed the House,
including:
·
Requires incorrect or outdated records to be purged from the system
within 30 days after the Attorney General learns of the need for
correction.
·
Requires agencies to create "relief from disabilities"
programs within 120 days, to prevent bureaucratic foot-dragging.
·
Provides that if a person applies for relief from disabilities and
the agency fails to act on the application within a year-for any reason,
including lack of funds-the applicant can seek immediate review of his
application in federal court.
·
Allows awards of attorney's fees to applicants who successfully
challenge a federal agency's denial of relief in court.
·
Requires that federal agencies notify all people being subjected to
a mental health "adjudication" or commitment process about the
consequences to their firearm ownership rights, and the availability of
future relief.
·
Earmarks 3-10% of federal implementation grants for use in operating
state "relief from disabilities" programs.
·
Elimination of all references to Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco,
Firearms and Explosives regulations defining adjudications, commitments, or
determinations related to Americans' mental health. Instead, the bill
uses terms previously adopted by the Congress.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Pennsylvania's Hunters and Anglers Have a
Significant Impact on the Economy Spending $3.5 Billion a Year
PRESS RELEASE
Contact: Melinda Gable
Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation
202-302-4794
Melinda@sportsmenslink.org
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Pennsylvania's 1.4 million hunters and anglers
are among the most prominent and influential of all demographic
groups, spending more than $3.5 billion a year on hunting and fishing,
according to a new report.
The new report, "Hunting and Fishing: Bright Stars of the
American Economy ~ A force as big as all outdoors," spotlights the
immense impact hunters and anglers have on the economy at the national and
state level.
In Pennsylvania, spending by hunters and anglers directly
supports 51,000 jobs, which puts $1.7 billion worth of paychecks into
pockets of working residents around the state. Of course, government coffers
also benefit -- spending by sportsmen in pursuit of these outdoor activities
generates $371 million in state and local taxes. These latest figures
demonstrate that season after season hunters and anglers are driving the
economy from big businesses to rural towns, through booms and recessions.
"Because sportsmen enjoy hunting or fishing alone or in small groups,
they are overlooked as a constituency and as a substantial economic
force," stated Jeff Crane, president of the Congressional Sportsmen's
Foundation. "When you compare spending by hunters and anglers to other
sectors, their impact on the state's economy becomes more tangible."
Sportsmen support more jobs in Pennsylvania than Penn State University and the Philadelphia Airport combined (51,000 jobs vs. 45,000).
Annual spending by Pennsylvania sportsmen is more than the
revenues of York-based BonTon Stores ($3.5
billion vs. $3.1 billion).
Annual spending by Pennsylvania sportsmen is more than the cash
receipts from dairy products, cattle, greenhouse/nursery, mushrooms and
broilers - the state's top five grossing agricultural commodities ($3.5
billion vs. $3.1 billion).
Pennsylvania sportsmen spend $104 million
annually on outboard boats and engines to get out on the water and around the
rivers for fishing and hunting.
Pennsylvania sportsmen outnumber the combined
populations of Allentown, Erie, Pittsburgh, Reading, and Scranton, two to one (1.4 million vs.
680,297).
More Pennsylvania residents hunt and fish each year than attend
Pittsburgh Pirates and Philadelphia 76ers games combined (1.4 million
vs. 1.3 million).
The economic stimulus of hunting and fishing equates to an astounding
$9.6 million a day being pumped into the state's economy.
"Spending by sportsmen benefits not only the manufacturers of hunting and
fishing related products, but everything from local mom and pop businesses to
wildlife conservation," noted Doug Painter, president of National
Shooting Sports Foundation. "And because most hunting and fishing takes
place in rural areas, much of the spending benefits less affluent parts of
the state."
On the national level, 34 million sportsmen age 16 and older spent more than
$76 billion in 2006, supporting 1.6 million jobs. If a single corporation
grossed as much as hunters and anglers spend, it would be among America's 20 largest, ahead of Target,
Costco and AT&T. And if all hunters and anglers had voted during the last
presidential election, they would have equaled 31 percent of all votes cast.
If all hunters and anglers living in Pennsylvania voted, they would have equaled 38
percent of all votes cast in the state.
These statistics are impressive and, if anything, they underestimate the
impact of sportsmen since they do not take into account the millions of
hunters and anglers under 16 years of age or people who were not able to get
out and hunt or fish in 2006. When sportsmen's spending is thought of in
business terms and compared to other sectors of the economy, it is quite
remarkable. From small rural towns scattered across our country's landscape
to the bottom-line of Fortune 500 companies located in major cities, if you
take away hunting and fishing you take away the equivalent of a multi-billion
dollar corporation.
"It is a fairly simple equation =96 hunters and anglers mean jobs in
states and local communities that have made the effort to maintain their
hunting and fishing opportunities," said Crane. "The economic
impacts that sportsmen have on state economies should be a wake-up call to
state governments to welcome and encourage hunting and fishing in their
state."
The report, "Hunting and Fishing: Bright Stars of the American
Economy":
http://www.nssf.org/07report/CompleteReport.pdf
A force as big as all outdoors," was produced by the Congressional
Sportsmen's Foundation with support from the Alliance of Automobile
Manufacturers, National Marine Manufacturers Association, National Shooting
Sports Foundation and SCI - First For Hunters. The report uses the results from the
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's 2006 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting and
Wildlife-Associated Recreation and statistics provided by the American Sportfishing Association and Association of Fish and
Wildlife Agencies.
The report along with STATE FACTS are available on the Web at www.nssf.org/07report
For more information or questions contact: Melinda Gable 202-302-4794 or at Melinda@sportsmenslink.org
|
TO:
ALL MEDIA
For immediate release
December 19, 2007
|
For more information contact:
Melinda
Gable
Melinda@sportsmenslink.org
202-302-4794
|
Texas Tops Nation in Ranking of State Hunting and Fishing
Economic Impact
Florida Lands No. 2 Spot
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- A ranking of states in categories including
total number of hunters and anglers, spending by sportsmen, jobs supported,
taxes generated, number of days spent hunting and fishing and the most
traveled to states by hunters and anglers has been released for the first
time.
Nationally, Texas is at the top of the pack. It is No. 1 in total
hunters and anglers (2.6 million), money spent ($6.6 billion), jobs supported
(106,000) and tax revenue generated ($1.3 billion). Florida lands the trophy for the No. 2 spot.
The new state-by-state rankings were
compiled to complement a national report, "Hunting and Fishing: Bright
Stars of the American Economy ~ A force as big as all outdoors," which
spotlights the immense impact hunters and anglers have on the economy at the
national and state level, as well as a constituency.
What states have the most hunters and
anglers? Texas is No. 1 (2.6 million), Florida No. 2 (two
million), California No. 3 (1.7 million), Ohio No. 4 (1.48 million) and
Pennsylvania No. 5 (1.41 million).
What states are the big spenders? Texas is No. 1 ($6.6 billion), Florida No.2 ($4.8
billion), California No. 3 ($3.6 billion), Pennsylvania No. 4 ($3.5 billion)
and Minnesota No. 5 ($3.4 billion).
What does this spending support?
Jobs of course. Texas is No. 1 (106,000 jobs), Florida No. 2 (85,000),
Wisconsin No. 3 (57,000), Minnesota No. 4 (55,000) and California No. 5
(53,000).
However, when it comes to who
spends the most time in the field and woods, Pennsylvanians beat out Texans,
spending 16 million days hunting compared to the 13.4 million that Texans
spend.
Leaving a wide wake, Florida is out in front for the number of days spent on the
water (41.5 million), compared to the No. 2 state, Texas, with 38.9 million days. Not surprisingly, Florida is also the No. 1 destination state for fishing,
with North
Carolina
showing up at No. 2.
When it comes to the most traveled to
state for hunting, Georgia is No. 1, followed by Colorado in the No. 2 spot.
It is a simple fact: hunting and fishing
have a major impact on every state in the country. When you analyze the
amount of money spent on these activities, as well as the jobs and taxes
created, the impact becomes much more tangible. Every single state makes a
contribution through revenue, taxes and jobs.
"The economic impact that sportsmen
have on state economies should be a wake-up call to state governments to welcome
and encourage hunting and fishing in their state," commented Jeff Crane,
president of the Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation. "The evidence is
clear: states that encourage hunting and fishing by providing access and
maintaining healthy habitats and fisheries benefit many times over through
jobs and taxes as well as enjoying a boost to travel and tourism.
When you compare spending by hunters and
anglers to other sectors, their impact on the state's economy becomes more
tangible. Here are a few highlights:
·
Sportsmen
support more than twice the jobs in Texas than Dell Computer Corp., Lockheed Martin,
Electronic Data Systems and Dow Chemical Co. combined (106,000 jobs vs.
49,000).
·
Sportsmen
support more jobs in Florida
than Disney World (85,000 jobs vs. 61,000).
·
Pennsylvania sportsmen outnumber the combined populations of Allentown, Erie, Pittsburgh, Reading and Scranton two to one (1.4 million vs. 680,297).
·
Michigan
sportsmen annually spend more than the combined cash receipts for dairy,
greenhouse/nursery, corn, soybeans and cattle -- the state's top five
agricultural commodities ($3.4 billion vs. $2.9 billion).
·
Annual spending
by Florida anglers is three times greater than the cash
receipts from the state's orange crop ($4.4 billion vs. 1.2 billion).
·
Annual spending
by Wisconsin sportsmen is equal to the revenues of the state's
dairy industry ($3.1 billion).
·
Annual spending
by California sportsmen is greater than the cash receipts of the
state's grape crop ($3.6 billion vs. $3 billion).
"Spending by sportsmen benefits not
only the manufacturers of hunting and fishing related products, but
everything from local mom and pop businesses to wildlife conservation,"
noted Doug Painter, president of National Shooting Sports Foundation. "And
because most hunting and fishing takes place in rural areas, much of the
spending benefits less affluent parts of the state."
On the national level, 34 million
sportsmen age 16 and older spent more than $76 billion in 2006, supporting
1.6 million jobs. If a single corporation grossed as much as hunters
and anglers spend, it would be among America's 20 largest, ahead of Target, Costco and AT&T.
These statistics are impressive and, if
anything, they underestimate the impact of sportsmen since they do not take
into account the millions of hunters and anglers under 16 years of age or
people who were not able to get out and hunt or fish in 2006. When
sportsmen's spending is thought of in business terms and compared to other
sectors of the economy, it is quite remarkable. From small rural towns
scattered across our country's landscape to the bottom-line of Fortune 500
companies located in major cities, if you take away hunting and fishing you
take away the equivalent of a multi-billion dollar corporation.
The new rankings were compiled to
compliment a national report, "Hunting and Fishing: Bright Stars
of the American Economy ~ A force as big as all outdoors,"
which was produced by the Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation with support
from the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, National Marine Manufacturers
Association, National Shooting Sports Foundation and SCI - First For Hunters. The report and state rankings uses the results
from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's 2006 National Survey of
Fishing, Hunting and Wildlife-Associated Recreation and statistics
provided by the American Sportfishing Association
and Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies.
The
report: "Hunting and Fishing: Bright Stars of the American Economy ~ A
force as big as all outdoors" along with STATE FACTS are
available on the Web at
www.sportsmenslink.org and
www.nssf.org
For
more information or questions contact: Melinda Gable 202-302-4794 or at Melinda@sportsmenslink.org
###
About
CSF
CSF is the most respected and trusted hunting and fishing organization in the
political arena. With support from every major hunting and fishing
organization, CSF is the leader in promoting sportsmen's issues with elected
officials. CSF works directly with the bi-partisan, bi-cameral
Congressional Sportsmen's Caucus in the U.S. Congress, as well as affiliated
state sportsmen's caucuses in state legislatures around the country.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Firearm
reciprocity update:
*PA has entered into a reciprocity agreement with Arkansas
(effective immediately)*
For more details on
reciprocity: http://www.attorneygeneral.gov/crime.aspx?id=184
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
REMARKABLE PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP PROTECTS MORE THAN 3,500 ACRES
IN SOUTH-CENTRAL
PENNSYLVANIA
News Release
Contacts: Pa. Dept. of Conservation and
Natural Resources: Christina Novak, (717) 772-9101
The Conservation Fund: Vanessa Vaughan, (703) 908-5809
Properties provide critical access to
existing publicly-owned lands
Harrisburg, PA (December 28, 2007) - Pennsylvanians received a special gift
this holiday season - the gift of land. A broad-based coalition of
private and public partners announced today the protection of more than 3,500
acres of forestland across Bedford, Fulton,
Huntingdon, Cumberland and York
counties.
The Conservation Fund (TCF), a national non-profit land and water
conservation organization, purchased the properties for $9 million from
Glatfelter Pulp Wood Company. The company is in the process of selling
more than 20,000 acres of land throughout southern Pennsylvania.
TCF worked with the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural
Resources (DCNR), the counties and the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy (WPC)
to identify parcels that were the highest conservation priorities. The nine tracts identified make up the 3,500-acre
land purchase package. Many of these
parcels lie within Pennsylvania's
ridge and valley system and are adjacent to existing public lands.
"This acquisition will help us enhance what we treasure in Pennsylvania
- our beautiful forests, streams and natural areas," State Forester Dan
Devlin said. "Adding this piece of Pennsylvania's
great outdoors to four state forest tracts will mean we are able to protect
wildlife habitat, and that future generations will be able to enjoy the land
for outdoor recreation, including hunting, fishing and hiking."
All but one parcel will be transferred to DCNR's
Bureau of Forestry as additions to existing state forests. The
remaining parcel, consisting of 150-plus acres along the lower Susquehanna
River, will by owned by York
County to expand Apollo
County Park.
"This acquisition protects some of the most important [formerly]
privately held conservation lands along the southern tier of Pennsylvania,"
said Todd McNew, Pennsylvania
representative for TCF.
"Glatfelter's cooperation and commitment to working with this
partnership was key to ensuring that these lands
have permanent conservation status and will be forever open to the
public."
"Cumberland County
is pleased to be part of this public-private partnership," said
Cumberland County Commissioner Gary Eichelberger.
"Preservation of our forested ridgetops is
essential to the quality of life in our region, particularly for clean
drinking water for generations to come."
Funding for the acquisition was supported by a mix of private and public
sources. TCF raised more than $3 million in private funds, more than
half of which came from the Pittsburgh-based Richard King Mellon
Foundation. Pennsylvania DCNR contributed more than $5.5 million.
Additional funding came from York County,
Cumberland County
and WPC.
"The Western Pennsylvania Conservancy is pleased to partner with TCF in
this great conservation effort," said Greg Socha,
senior director of
forest conservation for Western Pennsylvania Conservancy. "The
acquisition of the Glatfelter tracts provides protection of a larger
conservation landscape in the Chesapeake Bay
watershed. We are particularly excited that one of the Glatfelter
tracts is adjacent to land previously protected by WPC,
which is also planned to become an addition to Buchannan State
Forest. We look forward to
partnering with
TCF and DCNR to continue to protect Pennsylvania's
natural heritage."
"In today's world, one must truly work at preservation in order to pass
treasures on to future generations," said Lori O. Mitrick,
president of
York County Board of Commissioners.
# # #
For more information about state parks and forests, visit the DCNR web site
at www.dcnr.state.pa.us.
About The Conservation Fund
The Conservation Fund is the nation's foremost
environmental nonprofit dedicated to protecting America's
land and water legacy for current and future generations. Seeking innovative
conservation solutions for the 21st century, the Fund works to integrate
economic and environmental
goals. Since its founding in 1985, the Fund has
helped its partners safeguard wildlife habitat, working landscapes, community
"greenspace,"
and historic sites totaling nearly 6 million acres. With 1% fund raising
costs and 97% program allocation, The Conservation Fund is recognized as the
nation's top rated environmental nonprofit by both the American Institute of
Philanthropy and Charity Navigator.
www.conservationfund.org
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The January 2008 PFSC Board of Directors Meeting will be held:
Saturday, January 12, 2008
9:30
a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
At
the Centre County
Solid Waste Authority Transfer Station Office, Pleasant Gap
A catered lunch will be
provided. Please RSVP by January 4, 2007. Lunch will be $10 and can be paid by check,
payable to PFSC, or cash. Board
members, please send completed form (attached) & payment to the
state office.
Note: PFSC board meetings
are open to members and quests. If you plan to be there for lunch,
please RSVP so we are sure to have enough food for everyone.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The gun is neither good nor bad. It can't make
decisions
Patriot News
http://www.pennlive.com:80/columns/patriotnews/review/index.ssf?/base/opinion/119766750665270.xml&coll=1
Sunday, December
16, 2007
BY GRAHAM HETRICK
It is just sad. As Dauphin County coroner, I have seen what
violence can do. The destruction of life, the pain to the survivors and the
social cost to punish the guilty is tearing apart our society.
The problem is that we
have, as of yet, not had an honest debate about the real problem.
Each time there is a
high profile incident of violence with a gun, there is a cacophony of
politicians at microphones or TV cameras demanding more laws and calling the
deaths the result of gun violence. It is so much easier to blame an inanimate
piece of steel than the person who used that object to kill another. It is
easier to blame the gun than the shooter or society that emulates all forms
of violence in movies, music and television.
 The
danger of this simplistic approach to this complex problem of societal
violence is that nothing ever changes. Here's a real news flash for all those
legislators who think they can legislate morality: Bad guys don't care if a
gun is registered or not, good citizens do. The moment we call violence
"gun violence" we take away personal responsibility and move the
problem to the gun that can do nothing on its own.
The gun is neither
good nor bad (an example being the security guard that killed the shooter in
the Colorado church last weekend). It can't make moral decisions. It
is a tool like a knife or a car. In fact, I have more people killed by drunk
drivers than guns in a year's time. Is this "car violence" or
selfish, irresponsible behavior by the driver?
Let us get down to the
real debate when it comes to violence. Our country no longer has a moral
consensus. Benjamin Franklin, George Washington and John Adams all said this
is something we must have for this republic to survive. Our educational
system has been swept clean of any value system, and knowledge without values
is folly. Mass media, TV, movies, the Internet and music to large extent are
pushing violence, sex without love and immediate gratification.
These problems can't
be solved by talking about guns. We must start talking about behavior. We
must have parents parenting, teachers free to teach and not to baby-sit, and
citizens must get involved in promoting that which is best in our society.
Where is this support
and moral outrage from our religious institutions? Where is the involvement
with kids who are less fortunate? I am not talking about another government
program because there is no government program that will solve this problem
of violence and this lack of value for human life.
I suggest we have a
real debate, not a 30-second sound bite. I suggest we have a debate at the
Forum right here in Harrisburg. Community leaders, nonprofits
and religious leaders with their members should come together and debate the
real problems of this country.
Let us try for a list,
a moral consensus, to which we can all pledge and encourage others to do the
same. Maybe Harrisburg is the place to start building a
moral consensus. All great journeys begin with the first step.
Yes, certain behaviors
are wrong and others are right. We don't need more gun laws because we have
more than enough. What we really need is a whole lot of moral courage, then take action and get involved in the community.
This isn't a job for
politicians. It is the responsibility of citizens to take their community back
from the violent.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Senate
Passes Farm Bill
On Friday, December 14, the
Senate voted 79-14 to pass a new Farm Bill.
After weeks of debate, the only substantial changes made by the Senate to the
committee bill were those included in the manager’s amendment
offered by Senator Harkin, who chairs the committee. The package of changes
was approved by both the Democratic and Republican leaders in
advance, and includes some significant provisions.
Attached is our wrapup of the outcome of the key
amendments that NWF has focused on.
Thanks to all of you who sent letters, emails, calls and faxes to your
Senators! You helped make a difference! All amendments that would have
weakened conservation provisions were either voted down or withdrawn, and
several of the provisions we sought were eventually included in the manager’s
amendment.
The next step is for Senate and House negotiators to meet to work out
differences between the Senate bill and the version passed by the House
in July.
Duane Hovorka
Farm Bill Outreach Coordinator
National Wildlife Federation
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Bass Pro Shops Christmas Tree
Collection
Harrisburg, PA – Don’t know what to do with
your Christmas tree after the big holiday is over? Bring it to Bass Pro Shops
and help support conservation! Bass Pro Shops will be taking the first 100 Christmas Trees for
donation on January 5th starting at 9
AM. The first 100
customers who bring their Christmas Tree to the Bass Pro Shops located at 3501
Paxton Street in Harrisburg
will receive a gift for their tree.
All Christmas trees will be given
to the PA State B.A.S.S. Conservation officer for placement in Blue
Marsh Lake
in Berks County.
Please make sure that all trees are
free and clean of all decorations including tinsel and icicles. These
trees will be bound together and placed in Blue
Marsh Lake
to serve as structure for fish and other aquatic life.
For more details call Chris
O’Hara, Promotions Manager, Bass Pro Shops, Harrisburg at 717-565-5200.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
NRA_ILA Update:
New Documents posted December 14, 2007
1-800-392-8683
www.nraila.org
Please
forward this information to your family, friends, and fellow gun owners!
Praise the Lord . . . and the armed "security guard"
- OregonLive.com
Thank God the New Life Church in Colorado Springs was not a gun-free zone. Thank
God volunteer security guard Jeanne Assam was licensed to carry a weapon.
Thank God she used her gun to stop Matthew Murray. Yes, thank God.
Read
More Read
Other News
Outrage Of The Week! An Inane Statement
This weeks outrage comes courtesy of MSNBCs Morning Joe show co-host Mika Brzezinski,
who apparently has a very hard time laying aside her anti-gun sentiments,
even when confronted with the truth.
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Hypocrisy of the Week
During an election year, its common to see political contenders pulling out
all of the rhetorical stops in an attempt to distinguish themselves as the
candidate of choice for their constituency. Unfortunately, they often test
the limits of credulity in the process.
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Right-to-carry saves lives
- USA Today
Let`s stop saying there`s
nothing new to say, writes Wayne LaPierre. The
policy that USA TODAY derided in a 1994 editorial as "one of the most
cockamamie clichs in the pro-gun lexicon"
halted unspeakable carnage in a Colorado Springs megachurch
on Sunday.
Read
More | Read Other News
Gunning For a Change-The Court Takes Aim At The Second Amendment
- Southeast Texas
Record
They are simple words the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall
not be infringed - that liberal commentators have called maddeningly
ambiguous, writes John G. Browning. Yet for all of the controversy
surrounding gun control laws, the Second Amendment has not been considered by
the U.S. Supreme Court in nearly 70 years. All of that is about to change.
Read
More | Read Other News
Anti-Gun Bills Looming Over New Jersey!
Please Contact the Senate Law and Public Safety and Veterans Affairs
Committee Today!On Monday, December 17, at 10:00
a.m., the New Jersey Senate Law and Public Safety and Veterans Affairs
Committee is scheduled to consider three bills that impact law-abiding gun
owners.
Read More
Pennsylvania: Action Delayed on
"Castle Doctrine" Legislation House Bill 641, "Castle
Doctrine" legislation, was not heard on
Tuesday, December 11. The bill was pulled off of the agenda and likely
will not to be heard until next year. HB641 will ensure that
law-abiding Pennsylvanians have the ability to defend themselves and their
loved ones from violent attack without fear of criminal prosecution or civil
action.
Help The Holmesburg Fish and Game
Protective Association Have A Happy New Year!
The Holmesburg Fish and Game Protective Association
has served sportsmen and gun enthusiasts throughout Pennsylvania for seventy-seven years. Now,
the last remaining shooting range in the City of Philadelphia is in danger of closure.
Several months ago, the City of Philadelphia sent notice to the Association
that its long existing property lease would not be renewed. If no action is
taken, the Holmesburg Fish and Game Protective
Association will be forced to close its doors on January
1, 2008.
Please continue to contact Mayor John Street (D) and the members of the City
Council to respectfully urge them not to close the door on our Second
Amendment rights and to renew the Holmesburg Fish
and Game Protective Associations lease for 2008.
Read More
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GOVERNOR ADDRESSES ENERGY CONCERNS AND LEGISLATIVE
INITIATIVES
By Rick
Morrison, PA Legislative Services
12-12-07
Governor Edward Rendell held a
late afternoon press conference today during which he expressed his
disappointment that the state Senate passed an energy bill this week that
represented “…at best, modest progress.”
His opening statement included a brief review of the goals of his
energy proposals made last February and he expressed his belief in the
importance of developing more renewable and alternative energy sources. The
three goals behind developing renewable and alternative energy sources he
explained, are to protect consumers from the price shocks in traditional
sources of energy such as gasoline and home heating fuel, to attract new jobs
and investment into the clean energy sector and to address what he termed the
“…rapidly growing threat of global climate change.”
The Governor said legislation
passed by the House in June, requiring fuel for automobiles to contain a 10
percent ethanol component, for diesel fuel to contain two percent biodiesel, eventually climbing to 20 percent, was ignored
and a bill passed by the Senate this week eliminates the 10 percent ethanol
requirement. He noted there is a corn-based ethanol fuel plant under
development in Clearfield County and that he will veto any bill
that does not have that component. He noted that cellulosic
ethanol, coming from wood chips and wood fiber, switchgrass
and animal waste could be a product produced easily in Pennsylvania because of abundant forests and
farms. The same company building the corn-based plant is also investing $70
million in a cellulosic ethanol pilot plant.
He renewed his call for the
creation of an $850 million fund to invest in the manufacturing and
installation of innovative energy technologies and conservation. The Governor
said 17 states have created similar funds. He noted the Senate moved the
process forward this week by passing a bill containing $250 million for the
fund, but that is “…woefully short of what we need,” he commented.
Governor Rendell also said he is
concerned with mercury pollution, particularly from coal-fired power plants.
He noted that the Senate bill sets aside $25 million to pay utilities to
comply with mercury pollution. He said it was a bad idea for two reasons, one
is that it reduces the technology and conservation investment fund to $200
million and the other is that it “…puts us in the position of paying the
utility companies to comply with the law, not to pollute,” he said.
Surrounded by several Democratic
senators and representatives, he emphasized they are committed to achieving their
energy goals through legislation that seeks to push the state toward energy
independence.
Looking at the big |