April 4, 2013
Dear Senators:
Our
organizations, which represent millions of Americans who actively support professional
wildlife management and the advancement of our nation’s hunting and
recreational shooting heritage, are writing to express our sincere hope that
your upcoming gun control debate will be constructive.
Like
you, we were devastated by the recent tragedy in Connecticut, and we share your
goal of ensuring that appropriate actions are taken to prevent similar acts of senseless
violence in the future. We believe an opportunity exists to enact legislation
that addresses the causative agents of this and similar tragic events.
Specifically we support:
· National Instant Criminal Background Check
System (NICS) improvement measures that will effectively prevent access to
firearms by those not legally qualified to possess them, without criminalizing
private transfers;
· Vigorous enforcement of existing federal
firearms laws;
· Efforts to improve security in our nation’s
schools;
· A comprehensive process to review, evaluate
and recommend changes to our nation’s treatment of the mentally ill before
their actions result in these devastating consequences; and
· The development and implementation of a
community based “family watch” program that helps families with concerns that an
immediate family member who they believe has the potential to become a societal
danger is afforded the assistance that they need to intervene before a tragedy
occurs.
As much as we support this five point
plan that responds to the causative agents that could have potentially avoided
this tragedy, we oppose unnecessary restrictions of our ability to attain and
possess legal firearms and that have no foundation in addressing the factors
that led to this tragedy or like tragedies.
In addition, the signatories to this
letter are proud of our hunting and recreational shooting heritage and the
support that our activities contribute to our nation’s conservation, economic
and societal interests.
Specifically, shooting sports
participants are the largest financial supporters of wildlife conservation
throughout the United States, having contributed over $5.4 billion to the
management of our nation’s wildlife, recreational shooting and hunter education
through Pittman-Robertson excise tax payments since 1991. This uniquely
American System of Conservation Funding – a “user pays-public benefits” system
- is heralded internationally as the most successful wildlife management
program in the world.
Economically,
the companies in the United States that
manufacture, distribute and sell firearms, ammunition and hunting equipment
employ as many as 98,752 people in the country and generate an additional
110,998 jobs in supplier and ancillary industries. In 2012
alone the firearms and ammunition industry was responsible for as much as
$31.84 billion in total economic activity in the United States. The significant
contributions these companies are making to our nation’s economic recovery
should not be sacrificed to unnecessary and ineffective restrictions and bans,
no matter how well-intended their proponents may be.
Societally, these lawful recreational activities provide
untold hours of benefits to our nation’s families and their friend and
neighbors that should not be unnecessarily impinged upon.
For these reasons, the
undersigned organizations respectfully request that you continue to work
collectively, as the voice of sportsmen and recreational shooters in Congress,
toward pragmatic bipartisan solutions in a manner that enhances wildlife
conservation, benefits the economy and protects America’s rich hunting and
shooting heritage, while not impeding the Second Amendment rights of our
members. Thank you for your ongoing
service to our nation and future generations of sportsmen and women conservationists.
