ACTIVISTS FOCUS ON FUR TO END TRAPPING ACROSS THE COUNTRY .
The FRONT LINE
FLEECING AMERICA ’ S TRAPPERS
ACTIVISTS FOCUS ON FUR TO END TRAPPING ACROSS THE COUNTRY .
Relatively speaking , the attack on trapping during the first half of the legislative session was comparatively quiet . Of course , most years see a direct affront to the important practice , but that doesn ’ t mean that activists gave up on terminating trapping .
No , this session they took the roundabout economic route to stifling those who collect furbearing animal pelts for sale . This backdoor attack attempts to drown demand by making it illegal to buy , sell , trade or own anything containing fur . While their attempts don ’ t just decimate proven and sustainable scientific wildlife management practices , they also destroy basic American freedoms concerning an individual ’ s right to wear fashionable and , oftentimes , necessary , functional clothing .
A Western Embrace
In what has become an annual event in Oregon and Hawaii , similar bills were moving through the committee process in both states when we went to print . Instead of recognizing that the sale of furs is a part of vital wildlife management , antisportsmen legislators in both states want to join with animal extremists to decimate the fur trade .
Oregon House Bill 3390 and Hawaii Senate Bill 682 both banned any items that use fur in production , including fishing lures , boots or other clothing , jewelry , toys and home accessories . The impact of these bills will be felt far and wide if passed . Both bills will decimate all trade in fur , leaving trappers and others who rely on fur products with no way to sustain their activities , and will result in intrusive governmental overreach .
In order to ensure compliance with the law , individuals would have to destroy or move items containing fur out of state . Or , as we saw with a failed bill in Washington state in the past , the cataloging , registering and reporting of all fur items sold or transferred .
An Eastern Rejection
Animal-rights extremists introduced nearly identical language as the Oregon and Hawaii bills in Rhode Island . House Bill 5258 mirrored those bills and make it illegal to distribute , trade , sell or even display for sale , any item containing fur .
The fact that the language was nearly identical in all three states , and that the Humane Society of the United States testified in support of the bills , tells you that the group ’ s lobbying arm is hard at work crafting this legislation .
Luckily , the Rhode Island House Committee on Judiciary decided to hold HB 5258 for further study so it could review all testimony received . Committee members will decide later whether to bring this bill forward or keep it locked in the committee without a vote . Follow sportsmensalliance . org for the latest on this and other bills .
Similarly , if you remember Washington , D . C ., Councilmember Vincent Gray from our Heroes & Villains column last issue , you ’ ll recall that he introduced Bill 24-0758 , which also outlawed the sale of fur products in the district . We ’ re happy to report that the “ Fur Products Prohibition Act of 2022 ” failed to move through the D . C . 2022 legislative process and is considered defeated .
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