Posted on 04/17/2012 6:50:44 PM PDT by neverdem
The House on Tuesday passed legislation giving hunters and fishing enthusiasts access to certain public lands to pursue their sport and also blocked the Environmental Protection Agency from banning lead for use in ammunition and fishing tackle.
The Sportsmen’s Heritage Act passed on a mostly party line vote of 274 yeas and 146 nays.
Republicans argued that the ability of sportsmen and women to fish and shoot on public lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and Forest Service is being threatened by the Obama administration and environmentalists through bureaucratic regulations.
Republicans also said that banning lead bullets and tackle would cause economic harm to the recreation industry and kill jobs.
“It would be a massive power grab by the EPA without a clear lack of legal authority, but has that ever stopped the EPA under this administration? Sadly, it hasn’t,” said Rep. Doc Hastings (R–Wash.) chairman of the House Resources Committee.
The bill recognizes hunting and fishing as historic and traditional recreational activities on public land and requires the federal bureaucracy to support those rights, said Rep. Rob Bishop (R–Utah), chairman of the Resources subcommittee on national parks, forests and public lands.
“It’s simple language: if agencies in the bureaucracy of Washington want some areas of land closed to the public for recreation, they have to have a darned good reason to do it,” Bishop said.
Hastings and Bishop cited an article in U.S. News and World Report stating the proposal to ban hunting on BLM land was in response to urbanites that “freak out” when they hear gunfire, and that the decision was an effort to reduce “social conflict.”
“I suggest that is not a logical reason why these rights should be prohibited,” Bishop said.
Federal managers are treating the public lands as their “personal fiefdoms” rather than managing the vast properties for public use, Hastings said.
The public outcry following the BLM threat forced Interior Secretary Ken Salazar to abandon the plan. “However, nothing prevents a future bureaucratic maneuver to limit access,” Hastings said.
Democrats opposed the bill and called it a tool of the gun lobby.
Rep. Raul Grijalva (D–Ariz.) argued that the greatest threats to hunting and fishing do not come from federal land managers, but from development, pollution and destruction of wildlife habitat.
“The problem this bill claims to solve actually does not exist,” Grijalva said. “This bill is intended to wrap (land managers) in red tape and intimidate them… and to score political points with outside groups.”
Federal law already bans the EPA from regulating lead ammunition, however, more than 100 environmental groups petitioned the agency last month to ban it claiming the lead can poison those who eat wild game shot with the ammunition, or other animals that accidentally ingest the metal in dead carcasses.
“There is no scientific evidence for their position,” Hastings said. “So this (bill) makes it crystal clear Congress has primacy on this issue and it should be respected.”
Interestingly enough, Dingell voted bad on this one.
Thanks for the info on Dold. Is Dingell still on the NRA's board?
LOL... Yeah... He should know. Most of his constituents are illegal aliens that utterly destroy and pollute the wildlife habitat in the beautiful Sonoran Desert in Southern Arizona. That said his comments have nothing to do with the obomba administrations attempt to use bogus agencies like the BLM and EPA to institute yet another federal bureaucratic power grab. Using ammo poisoning wildlife and hunters allegedly trampling and polluting their hunting grounds as the excuse to attack the 2nd Amendment is beyond hypocritical.
This is an old article but it explains and shows what raul's constituents do to BLM managed property and privately owned ranches along our boarders. You ask me there isn't enough lead being used in this area of the country. Read the article here - The Amnesty Trail
It's gotten even worse since this article came out. Why isn't our government doing what's needed to put an end to these atrocities?
I know. The questions redundant isn't it? >:-(
That's the real problem. The EPA, just one agency among many, needs to be abolished or at least castrated. If you don't do that, they just keep pushing and pushing until they find a Congress that's more amenable to their plans. Then the public is stuck with the agency's power grab forever.
One hell of a way to really piss off a bundle of Americans,
some f-ing beauracrat banning ammo and fishing tackle.
Course these are activities obummer has Never done.
Too busy dating men and hiding his past.
The chemicals in the propellant for all ammunition is the next target for the EPA. Watch.
Because they can’t. Unless the Senate agrees with them (and they won’t), it is just talk.
“Shit, we’d all be brain dead if lead leached out in water under like 300°”
It does, but only in liberal homes. I only know of one case in the literature of lead poisoning from a bullet in the body. It was lodged in a joint and the acidic joint fluid caused the bullet to dissolve. All others just sit there and the same for outdoors.
He’s not on there, but gets A+ ratings.
some, not all. sweeping generalizations are rarely accurate.
“...Democrats opposed the bill ...”
Communists never have cared for lead in ammunition, especially in the hands of the unwashed masses...lol
They can't, this is just Blabbidy, blah, blah, for the little people, the Senate will never let it happen. How has spending been increased to unconscionable levels under the leadership of Boehner and McConnel? The GOPe is dominated by enemies of the Republic.
National Endowment of the Arts, A group hated by conservatives, yet they still get funded. Remember that Ronald Reagan ran on abolishing the Department of Education, but phony Republicans stopped him.
We have apparently not yet learned the danger of voting for the man with the (R).
If Romney wins they’ll likely be able...actually forced to do much more. If Lugar loses, the limp wristers will be even more frightened of not doing the right thing. Their hand will be forced because of the looming defense cuts. I’m not yet cynical enough to believe the GOP will defund Marine Brigades and quintuple Tricare rates while continuing to fund the NEA and the Peace Corps/Job Corps, Americorps, etc.
That’s weird.
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