Fifty Caliber Institute Alert
By Graham Hill
Washington DC -(Ammoland.com)- The Nevada Department of Wildlife’s Board of Commissioners (NDOW) will vote this Saturday, June 25th 2016, to ban hunting in Nevada with a rifle caliber larger than .50, or, with a case length or more than three inches.
This change will ban several rifle cartridges including the .50BMG, .50Beowulf, .577NE, .505 Gibbs.
Express your opposition to this arbitrary and capricious attack on Second Amendment Freedoms to the NDOW by: Calling NDOW at their Elko Office (775)-777-2300, Fax letters to (775) 738-2485; Post a comment on their Face Book page at “Nevada Department of Wildlife”; or Send a Tweet to #NevadaWild or https://www.ndow.org/
The proposed prohibition establishes an arbitrary and capricious distinction between cartridges that are allowed, and those prohibited. The proposed prohibition is not supportable by any ballistics distinctions between allowed and prohibited calibers concerning safety, success in hunting, or any other rationale in the jurisdiction of the Commission to consider.
The Nevada Department of Wildlife is in receipt of multiple letters from hunting and firearms associations and experts pointing out the same substantive defect in the proposal, and also urging rejection of the proposal. The Fifty Caliber Institute has been joined by NRA-ILA, the Fifty Caliber Shooters Association, the Nevada Firearms Coalition among others in this effort.
When this proposal was first raised at Nevada Department of Wildlife, FCI suspected the Commission either didn’t understand modern ballistics, or, that an agenda unrelated to the duties of the Commission to adopt regulations “to establish the manner and means of taking wildlife” was the motivation for the proposed change.
FCI noted in a March letter to the NDOW that “under current law, hunting in Nevada occurs today with these cartridges and that no problem with current practice has been proffered.”
FCI and others have noted to the NDOW that Fifty Caliber owners engage in two primary activities, competition shooting and hunting. Fifty Caliber hunters harvest bison, big horn sheep, elk, deer, and other species using the .50BMG cartridge, just like hunters with other high-velocity cartridges do.
Notwithstanding the lack of facts to support this effort, and in the face of expert opinion in opposition, the NDOW is proceeding to vote on it this Saturday.
It is clear the only rationale for this proposal is anti-Second Amendment fervor.
The current political assault on the Second Amendment in Nevada is well known nationally for its obedience to Michael Bloomberg and its deliberate distortion of facts and the subversion of the civil rights of Americans. It is a sad day when this political agenda is promoted by the very state agency charged with stewarding Nevada’s hunting resources.
We hope enough Commissioners will reject this distortion of the NDOW’s obligations under the law and prevent this, and further attempts to, attack the Second Amendment through “hunting policy”. Your voices must be raised to the NDOW to ensure they understand the will of the people they are supposed to serve and they vote to reject this Gun Ban.
Graham Hill – President, Fifty Caliber Institute
About Fifty Caliber Institute:
The Fifty Caliber Institute is an national organization dedicated to the advancement of the .50 caliber shooting sports. FCI has a tradition of proud service to America’s law enforcement and military services, helping to make our streets and nation safer. Drawing on top experts ranging from firearm manufacturers to aerospace engineers, FCI rebuts wild anti-gun claims with clear, documented facts. If you want the honest truth, look to FCI. Visit: www.fiftycal.org.