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You all are having a bad day up there is loony liberal land.

U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation
801 Kingsmill Parkway, Columbus, OH 43229
Ph. 614/888-4868 • Fax 614/888-0326

Website: www.ussportsmen.org • E-mail: info@ussportsmen.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Doug Jeanneret (614) 888-4868 x 212

November 24, 2003 Beth Ruth (614) 888-4868 x 214

Suit Filed to End All Hunting, Fishing and Trapping
In New Jersey

(Columbus) - Anti-hunters today filed a lawsuit against the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection to suspend all hunting, fishing and trapping.

The U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation is looking into the merits of the case to determine what action to pursue.

The case alleges that the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife has issued sporting licenses to convicted felons. To avoid future instances, the plaintiffs are asking Judge Susan Reisner of the Superior Court of New Jersey to suspend all hunting, fishing and trapping licenses until a background check system for all license buyers is put into place.

“This is the most outrageous and blatant attack on sportsmen’s rights that we have seen in our 25-year history,” said Bud Pidgeon, U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation president. “To besmirch the reputation of sportsmen by linking us to felons is unconscionable. Sportsmen are America’s greatest conservationists, paying literally billions each year to fund fish and wildlife programs across the country.”

It is illegal in New Jersey for any convicted felon to possess or purchase a weapon, Pidgeon said. Criminal background checks would unnecessarily delay the issuance of a sporting license. The lawsuit even asks that fishing license purchases require background checks.

The U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation protects and defends America’s wildlife conservation programs and the pursuits – hunting, fishing and trapping – that generate the money to pay for them. The U.S. 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. For more information about the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation and its work, call (614) 888-4868 or visit its website, www.ussportsmen.org.