This USSA-WLFA summary is better than that of the WA Farm Bureau. This is a big win for Wayne Pacelle/Humane Society of the US(H$U$), partially balancing his recent Sacramento anti-hunter losses. I'd expect Oregon's Governor Kulongoski to take encouragement and veto the sportsmen's-farm interest current effort to overturn the H$U$-FFA ballot initiative that banned bear & cougar dog hunting. In January, New Mexico's new Governor, Bill Richardson, fired the entire NM Game Commission. Last year, Iowa's Governor vetoed a dove hunting bill and Maryland's previous Governor was steadfastly AR, casting several vetoes. Illinois, Maine, Michigan and New Jersey also have AR chief executives. We've still a lot to do on the state level, after making progress in Washington. This and the Minnesota loss are very disappointing. Sportsmen also failed to support "right to hunt & fish" constitutional amendments in AR, IN and SD this year. Another one's in trouble in LA. We need to close in Texas this week and block several AR bills in IL, NJ and NY.
I hope that our successes in CA and MD weren't flukes, but we sure haven't parlayed those wins. What are sportsmen waiting for, another Sarah Brady or a personal phone call from NRA's Wayne LaPierre? See http://www.hsus.org/ace/702 Time's very short. Most state legislatures are finishing up their work in the next few weeks.
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(Columbus) – Governor Gary Locke has disregarded the sportsmen’s voice and vetoed a bill to allow trapping in Washington. Trapping was banned at the ballot in 2000.
Governor Locke apparently caved to pressure from out of state animal rights groups and vetoed SB 5179, a bill to allow the use of traps for population control, scientific research and nuisance wildlife. The bill, sponsored by Senator Bob Oke (R-Port Orchard), had passed the Senate by a vote of 37 to 12 and the House by a vote of 52 to 46.
Washington sportsmen have been working to reinstate trapping since Initiative 713 passed in 2000. In the general election that year, voters were misled by the campaign of anti-hunting organizations and banned the activity by a vote of 55 to 45 percent. Once the initiative passed, the state attorney general ruled that traps could not be used to control nuisance wildlife. As a result, private property damage from moles, gophers and coyotes has skyrocketed.
“It’s important to remember that Governor Locke was a supporter of I-713 in the first place,” said Rob Sexton, vice president for government affairs for the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance. “Clearly, he is sympathetic to the animal rights philosophy and his refusal to help the sportsmen, homeowners and agricultural interests is proof. We can only hope that Washington voters remember where Governor Locke’s loyalties are and how he failed to help them when he had the chance.”
Bob Kane
Sportsmen's and Animal Owners' Voting Alliance
http://saova.org
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