Public hearings throughout Wisconsin will gather input
regarding fall waterfowl hunting season structure
DATE: February 28, 2018 CONTACT: Taylor Finger, DNR migratory game bird
ecologist, 608-266-8841or Trenton Rohrer, DNR assistant migratory game bird
ecologist, 608-261-6458 MADISON - Public hearings
regarding Wisconsin's proposed 2018 waterfowl season structure will be held
March 12-15. After public comments have been collected, final season structure
will be set by the Natural Resources Board at its Apr. 11 meeting in Madison. "The 2018 waterfowl
seasons will be based on the 2017 continental waterfowl population estimates
which were at near record estimates since USFWS surveys began 62 years ago.
With average to above average precipitation last fall and this winter in
Wisconsin, we expect populations to remain high in 2018 and if we have
favorable conditions this fall, hunters can expect good waterfowl hunting
opportunities" said DNR migratory game bird ecologist Taylor Finger. Public hearings will be held
at the following locations starting at 7 pm:
Monday March 12, 7 p.m., La Crosse - State Office Building, Rooms B-19 and B-20, 3550
Mormon Coulee Road.;
Tuesday March 13, 7 p.m., Rice Lake - AmeriVu Inn, 1710 South Main St.;
Wednesday March 14, 7 p.m., Appleton - Agricultural Services Center, Main conference room,
3369 West Brewster St.; and
The department will accept
public comments on the proposed waterfowl season structure at each public
hearing. If you would like to provide input directly or are unable to attend a
hearing, comments will be accepted through midnight Friday, March 16. Written
comments can be sent to Trenton Rohrer, Wisconsin DNR, PO Box 7921, Madison, WI
53707, via email to Trenton.Rohrer@wisconsin.gov
or by calling 608-261-6458. To view and provide input on
the 2018 waterfowl season options online, search the DNR website, dnr.wi.gov, for keyword "waterfowl."
FixNICS:
U.S. Senate to Address Firearms Background Checks
Action Alert!
Contact your senator today and ask them to vote “YES” on Senate Bill 2135
that will make the National Instant Criminal Background Check System more
complete. You can contact your two U.S. senators by calling (202)
224-3121 and following the prompts or can email them using the Sportsmen’s
Alliance Legislative Action Center.
The firearm industry and hunting
organizations have united to support legislation to address deficiencies
in the background-check system for the purchase of firearms. The National
Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) was established 20 years
ago to prevent those prohibited by law from obtaining a firearm.
Unfortunately, the NICS system depends on states and the federal
government to provide updates to the database, which has not always been
done effectively.
To address this issue, the National
Shooting Sports Foundation launched its Fix NICS
initiative in 2013 to encourage and assist
states to submit all appropriate disqualifying criminal and adjudicated
mental health records. While the effort to Fix NICS has yielded a
200-percent increase in records submissions, the work is not done yet as
many states still do not submit all appropriate records that would
disqualify individuals from legally purchasing firearms.
Senate Bill 2135 provides incentives
for states to submit up-to-date information to NICS and punishes agencies
that fail to do so, while also holding the federal government accountable
for including and processing those records in the background check
system.
The “Fix NICS” act could be voted on in
the U.S. Senate as early as this week.
All sportsmen want to make sure
firearms are not sold to criminals and those with serious mental health
problems. Please call your two U.S. Senators at (202) 224-3121 and ask
them to support S.2135
About the Sportsmen’s
Alliance: The Sportsmen’s Alliance protects and defends America’s
wildlife conservation programs and the pursuits – hunting, fishing and
trapping – that generate the money to pay for them. Sportsmen’s Alliance
Foundation is responsible for public education, legal defense and
research. Its mission is accomplished through several distinct
programs coordinated to provide the most complete defense capability
possible. Stay connected to Sportsmen’s Alliance: Online, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Today, Dick’s Sporting Goods announced major changes in how they sell guns in their retail locations, so we thought is was important to remind sportsmen that Field & Stream (the media brand) and Field and Stream (the sporting goods brand and retailer owned by Dick's Sporting Goods) are in no way connected. We understand how that could be confusing for many, but it is the truth. The two brands are owned by different companies and are in no way related.
We also wanted to share this story because it’s news that affects hunters and recreational shooters.
Article Continues Below:
First Look: Mossberg 590M
This is the Mossberg 590, but with a whole lot more shells. It's…
Dick's Sporting Goods announced that they will make the following changes regarding guns sales at all of their retail locations:
They will no longer sell “assault-style rifles”
They will no longer sell any firearm to anyone under 21 years of age
They will no longer sell high-capacity magazines
They have not—and will never—sell bump stocks
In addition to these changes, their chairman and CEO, Edward W. Stack, also implored elected officials to enact “common sense gun reform” by passing the following regulations:
A ban on assault-style firearms
Raise the minimum age to purchase a gun to 21
Ban high-capacity magazines and bump stocks
Require universal background checks that include relevant mental health information and previous interactions with the law
Ensure a complete universal database of those banned from buying guns
Close the private-sale and “gun-show loophole” that waives the necessity of background checks
These changes will be implemented at all of Dick’s retail locations, as well as all 35 Field and Stream Shops—the retail chain owned by Dick’s that has no connection to us.
Democrat (Finally) Admit their Goal is the Ban the Second Amendment
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Supporters of the Second Amendment often fear that any step towards increased gun control is a step towards a total gun ban and confiscation like what took place in Australia. Liberals, however, are quick to downplay these justified fears, calling gun owners paranoid for thinking that their party wants to abolish the Second Amendment entirely. The reality is, of course, that most liberals in power and in the media would love nothing more than to disarm the American people, and every great once and a while you can get one of them to admit it.
Anyone who believes that the left would be satisfied with a ban on “assault rifles” – a term with no real definition that could apply to thousands of firearm models – clearly isn’t familiar enough with their agenda. What starts with an assault rifle ban would likely would lead to a ban on handguns (it’s handguns, after all, that are used in the vast majority of crime) and quickly spiral out of control from there. Like the old saying goes, if you give an inch they’ll take a mile.
In the video below, one CNN host admits that this is the agenda, saying that once assault weapons have been banned that a ban on handguns should be the next priority. To see her concerning if not surprising confession about the true end-game of the gun control crowd, be sure to check out the video below.
NSSF Statement on Dick’s Sporting Goods Announcement
We respect the right of all companies
to make the decisions they believe are appropriate for their business.
Nonetheless, we are disappointed by the decision of Dick’s Sporting Goods
to stop selling modern sporting rifles at its 35 Field & Stream stores,
to cease sales of certain magazines and to raise the purchase age to 21 for
all firearms at all its stores. We note that the Dick’s Sporting Goods
announcement acknowledges the vast majority of gun owners are responsible
and law-abiding. Indeed, they are and should not be penalized for the
actions of criminals.
Members of our industry believe that unauthorized individuals should never
have access to any firearm, of any kind, at any time. On behalf of our
industry, NSSF supports effective solutions to achieve that goal, which is
shared by all Americans. NSSF strongly supports and calls upon Congress to
immediately pass the Fix NICS bill – named after our program of the same
name – to increase the reporting of all disqualifying criminal and
applicable mental health records to the FBI National Instant Criminal
Background Check System (NICS) database to increase the effectiveness of
the system on which our nation’s retailers depend. We will continue our
work on that vitally important initiative, as well our other programs that
work every day to help enhance public safety, including Project ChildSafe,
the Don’t Lie for the Other Guy anti-straw purchasing program and Operation
Secure Store programs that we conduct in cooperation with Bureau of
Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
Aerial
imagery of urban forests gives bird's-eye view of a community's tree canopy MADISON -- Land cover data from Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
Urban Forestry program can help communities determine the current state of
their urban forest, identify priority areas for tree planting and calculate the
ecosystem values of their urban trees.
City
tree champions lauded for outstanding community service MADISON -- The Wisconsin Urban Forestry Council recently announced award
recipients honoring those dedicated to protecting, preserving and increasing
the number of trees that line city streets, fill community parks and beautify
neighborhoods throughout the state.
Incidental
take notice for Racine County and Kenosha County MADISON - A project to reconstruct the I-94 and State Highway 11
Interchange may result in the "incidental taking" of two rare plants
under an authorization the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources proposes
to issue for the project. Incidental take refers to the unintentional loss of
individual endangered or threatened animals or plants that does not put the overall
population of the species at risk.
Open Letter to Students of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School
Fayetteville, AR –-(Ammoland.com)-Dear students of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School:
You have experienced a horror that no one should have to go through. And the claims that have been made that some among you are hoaxers or actors are a disgusting attempt to add further injury, a desperate effort to glom on to the notoriety of a killer.
I am glad to see you participate in the political process. As a teenager in the 1980s, I was one of the few among my peers who cared about how our country is run, and I do remember all the work that people your age have to do to get ready for adulthood. Things don’t get easier as the years add up, so I hope that you maintain your commitment to be involved.
That being said, there are some things that you need to know about the political sphere:
It’s a Rough Business
No one who opposes you will care about your feelings. That’s not because the opposition is filled with jerks. It’s just the way politics works. The people on your side will exploit your feelings for the benefit of the political goal. In other words, unless the person talking to you is a relative or friend—and not even then, always—understand that your emotional states are commodities.
Disagreement is a Part of the Process
You may have noticed on social media that anyone who disagrees with someone else is likely to be called a troll. This is a stock accusation, and it’s worth exactly as much as the evidence provided to support the claim. A troll seeks to derail rational discourse. But disagreeing with your position isn’t trolling. It’s continuing the discussion. Ideas have to be tested to find their worth, and you’ll need to submit the proposals you are advocating for to the analysis of others.
Similarly, disagreeing with you doesn’t make a person identical to the ones who are calling you fakes. As I said above, you experienced a horror. I acknowledge that, but I disagree with what you want to do.
Gun Control Doesn’t Work
This claim may surprise you, but it’s at the heart of why I oppose what you’re trying to do. Take a look at one nation that is cited over and over as proof that we should impose strict gun laws: England. (Don’t quibble about England, Britain, and the United Kingdom. The data available are for England.) The homicide rate in that country has been basically flat since the late 1700s, hovering between one and two murders per hundred thousand residents. And yet, gun control didn’t become onerous until the second half of the twentieth century. Until then, the people of England could own and even carry firearms in a manner much like what we are able to do here in most of the United States.
But what about Australia? That nation imposed bans and restrictions in 1997, following the mass shooting in Port Arthur. But the homicide rate peaked in the late 80s at around two per hundred thousand, then began a decline that lasted until the middle of the last decade. The 1997 laws added no additional decline in the rate.
At this point, someone will declare that Australia hasn’t had a mass shooting since 1997. That may be true, though mass killings have taken place since then, it’s worth noting that New Zealand didn’t impose new gun laws in 1997 and also hasn’t had a mass shooting since. A mass shooting is a horror, but so is any murder, and since the gun laws are not reducing the overall homicide rate, is it really such a gain to say that those deaths are now only happening one at a time?
Here among the states of this nation, gun control also fails to show any effect on homicides. The Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence publishes a scorecard of gun laws in each state. The more burdens imposed on gun rights, the higher the score. And yet, comparing their ratings with the homicide rates by state shows no correlation. Some states with loose gun laws have lots of murders, while others have few. Some states with strict gun laws also have lots of murders, while others also have few.
Which is to say, it’s not the gun laws. Bans and restrictions only burden the law-abiding. We can work together on things that do reduce violence—education, poverty reduction, and anti-bullying programs—but we can’t cooperate as long as demands to violate our rights are still on the table.
If you wish to discuss any of this, feel free to let me know. I am on Twitter @gregcampnc.
About Greg Camp
Greg Camp has taught English composition and literature since 1998 and is the author of six books, including a western, The Willing Spirit, and Each One, Teach One, with Ranjit Singh on gun politics in America. His books can be found on Amazon. He tweets @gregcampnc.
USA –-(Ammoland.com)- YouTube has taken down some of the world’s top airgun channels. At first, it looked like a reaction to the recent tragic Parkland school shootings, and anti-NRA feeling across the internet in the USA.
But shooters are mystified why YouTube should single out the sport of airgunning. Now it seems it is a YouTube algorithm that’s over-reaching itself. One YouTuber, Andy’s Airgun Review, says on Facebook that his channel was terminated as a reaction to Logan Paul’s poor-taste film mocking a suicide victim.
Channels that have been terminated include four of the top ten consumer channels:
AirgunGearShow, 85,000 subscribers, 75 million views, the fourth biggest in the world
Among airgun companies to lose their channels are two big American retailers
Pyramydair, 59,000 subs and 23 million views
Airgunsofarizona, 45,000 subs and 13 million views
However, 12 of the world’s top 14 ‘corporate’ airgun channels remain visible. Apart from AirgunGearShow which is produced by Giles Barry in the UK, all the channels terminated are US-based.
Other channels are receiving YouTube community guidelines ‘strikes’, like this one, which restricts access to their channel. In this case, it looks like the algorithm is flagging a film, and an over-zealous anti-gunner at YouTube, feeling empowered by the Parkland shootings, is making the decision to issue a strike.
YouTube TOS Take Down Notice
Ted Biers of the famour Ted’s Holdover channel has made all his videos private apart from the one below, an impassioned plea to YouTube bosses to stop the purge.
He is afraid his channel is next.
He writes: “The likely reason my channel has survived longer than smaller channels is probably due to me being a ‘verified Youtube partner’, as well as my subscriber and view counts. When you gets millions of views a month, a lot of flags are part of the deal. So, my channel likely isn’t as ‘sensitive’ to flagging as others. That said – better safe than sorry. I will be back as soon as YouTube gets a handle on the situation.”
Here is Andy’s Airgun Review’s take on it. He says: “The algorithm seems to have been adjusted following recent misdemeanours” – he cites Logan Paul’s poor-taste video about mocking a suicide victim – “Sadly the airgun community has been caught up in this for some unknown reason.”
“It felt like someone had taken away a child.”
Some airgunners speculate that this is a token gesture by YouTube. Shooting channels outside the sport of airgunning are not affected.
UtahAirguns
Ted also lists these channels:
AirgunWeb – TERMINATED
Airguns Air Rifles And Pistols – TERMINATED
AirArmsHuntingSA – STRIKE
AirgunnerSA – STRIKE
AmericanAirgunner – TERMINATED
DaystateLTD – TERMINATED
HatsanUSA – TERMINATED
HoldOverVlog – TERMINATED
UmarexAir – TERMINATED
UtahAirguns – TERMINATED
Fieldsports Channel presenter Charlie Jacoby says: “Taking down AirgunGearShow – a fun, Bristol-based, airgun kit channel – for any reason makes no sense. YouTube might as well ban the sports of carpfishing or tennis.
“Technically, the question remains whether this is a tightening of the YouTube algorithm, which means the damage has been done, or a few maverick YouTube employees who have permission to terminate anything they don’t like, in which case there could be future casualties.
“Airgunning is a huge sport around the world. At 12 million, the number of British airgunners dwarfs our 500,000+ shotgun certificate holders.”
YouTube has made no comment about its action. The takedowns may be permanent or may be temporary.
This story appears first on Fieldsports Channel, which is so far unaffected. More news as we get it.
