TRENTON, NJ –-(Ammoland.com)- New Jersey Outdoor Alliance (NJOA) testified in favor of 3 hunting bills and 1 trapping bill before the Senate Environment and Energy Committee yesterday.
Ed Markowski represented NJOA CF. Ultimately, all 4 bills were approved by the committee, though there were committee members who voted against some of the bills. Pola Galie, President, New Jersey State Federation of Sportsmen’s Clubs, and NJOA Trustee, also testified in favor of the bills.
NJOA will provide a list of the committee members, the vote tally, and a more detailed description of the bills in a future release. The bills that were posted and approved are listed below.
It is important that sportsmen and women understand that participation by NJOA CF representatives and council member organizations is critical in advancing all types of conservation bills in Trenton. Our reliance on facts and science as the premise for gaining support of bills like those we have testified on in the past is vital for their advancement. At committee hearings there is opposition to bills by animal rights activists from Humane Society of the United States, local animal rights groups, and Sierra Club.
In fact, Jeff Tittel, New Jersey director of the Sierra Club, incorrectly stated that the bills had been promoted by the National Rifle Association and American Legislative Exchange Council.
A spokeswoman for the American Legislative Exchange Council said Tittel is wrong.
“The American Legislative Exchange Council does not have any policies on hunting beavers or hunting in general,” said the spokeswoman, Molly Fuhs. “I am not sure where Mr. Tittel of the Sierra Club is getting his information, as all ALEC model policies are online and it can be easily verified that ALEC maintains no model policies on hunting.” *
Additionally, NJOA knows of no involvement by the NRA in promoting the bills, but welcomes the support of any organization that favors advancing sound wildlife management practices.
Tittle also began testimony by incorrectly claiming NJOA is trying to link local animal rights groups to eco-terrorism activities. Mr. Tittel was ruled out of order by Senator Bob Smith, Chair of the Committee.
According to Anthony Mauro, Chair, NJOA, “NJOA has never claimed local animal activist organizations or their members are associated with people involved in eco-terrorist activities. However, over the years we have provided information that has been made public from groups as radical as the Animal Liberation Front, to government agencies such as the FBI, civil rights groups like the Anti-Defamation League, and private organizations that have made these claims. Mr. Tittel would be best served by getting a retraction from any agency or organization making the claims if he believes they are untrue.”
The bills approved by the committee:
- S573 Apprentice hunting license
- S1683 Bow hunting, fed. mil installations
- S2492 Beaver-removes statutory limitation
- S699 Authorizes hunting of game animals every day of the week during hunting season.
SUMMARY: The beaver bill (S2492) was one of several the committee approved today. Other bills would repeal the state’s Sunday ban on most types of hunting on public lands (S699), allow Sunday bow hunting at military installations (S1683), and establish apprentice hunting licenses, postponing a safety course for a brief period as long as they’re accompanied by a licensed hunter who’s at least 21 years old (S573).
Anthony P. MauroSr. Chairman,
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About:
NJOA – The mission of New Jersey Outdoor Alliance is to serve as a grassroots coalition of outdoorsmen and outdoorswomen dedicated to environmental stewardship. We will champion the intrinsic value of natural resource conservation – including fishing, hunting and trapping, among opinion leaders and policy makers. We will support legislation, and those sponsoring legislation, that provides lasting ecological and social enrichment through sustainable use of the earths resources. Visit: www.njoutdooralliance.org