Slugs & Plugs

Firearms Freedom Act becoming state law

In recent weeks, the governors of two Western states have inked legislation that exempts firearms and ammunition manufactured and retained in-state from federal regulations, bringing the total number of states passing so-called Firearms Freedom Acts to five. 

Last week, Gov. Mike Rounds signed the South Dakota Firearms Freedom Act, just days after Gov. Dave Freudenthal from neighboring Wyoming placed his signature on similar legislation. With the governors’ action, the two states joined Montana, Tennessee and Utah as states that have passed firearms sovereignty laws in the past two years. 

And just yesterday, lawmakers in Arizona sent its version of the Firearms Freedom Act to Gov. Jan Brewer, who is expected to sign the bill into law. 

Similar measures appear to be on the fast track in Oklahoma, Alaska and Idaho in the current legislative session. A total of 19 other state legislatures had similar bills introduced this year. 

State firearms groups in Montana—as the first state to pass a Firearms Freedom Act in 2009—have filed a lawsuit in federal court to validate the principles and terms of the Montana Firearms Freedom Act (MFFA). Led by the Montana Shooting Sports Association, the suit does not contend that the federal government has no authority to regulate firearms, but rather that courts have misinterpreted interstate commerce regulations under the Tenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. 

In addition to its firearms sovereignty provisions, Wyoming’s Firearms Freedom Act goes further, providing that any state or federal official who tries to enforce any federal gun law on firearms made and sold in Wyoming may face a $2,000 fine and up to a year in prison.

While some contend that the thought of county sheriffs arresting U.S. marshals who try to enforce federal gun laws in Wyoming conjures up images of vigilantes and the old West, supporters say it is intended to be a symbolic assertion of Wyoming residents’ constitutional rights. “I think it sends a message that the state, and I think the Legislature, represented the voters and the residents of the state, in telling the feds that we don’t want the federal government interfering with our right to bear arms,” said bill co-sponsor Sen. Bruce Burns (R-Sheridan), a co-sponsor of the bill.

PA deer harvest lowest in 23 years

The Pennsylvania Game Commission reported last week that Keystone State hunters harvested an estimated 308,920 whitetail during the 2009-10 seasons, marking the lowest overall deer-kill in 23 years. 

Last year’s deer totals were an 8 percent decline from the 335,850 in 2008-09. With its history of high harvest numbers, one has to go back to the 1986-87 season to find a lower deer take, when an estimated 300,014 deer were recorded. Pennsylvania hunters took 108,330 antlered deer in the 2009-10 seasons, down 11 percent from the previous license year’s harvest of 122,410, but similar to the 2007-08 harvest of 109,200. 

The 2009-10 buck kill represents a 47 percent decline from the record-high buck kill of 203,247 posted in 2001-02, the last season before the state’s antler restrictions went into effect. Also, hunters harvested 200,590 antlerless deer in 2009-10, a 6 percent decline from the 213,440 antlerless deer taken in 2008-09. The 2007-08 antlerless deer harvest was 213,870. 

The 2009-10 hunting season marked the first time crossbows were legal in statewide archery deer seasons for all hunters. In those 19 WMUs outside of the three urban areas, the archery harvest increased 13 percent. 

The proportion of the archery harvest taken by crossbows in the 19 WMUs increased from 15 percent to 30 percent. Crossbows have been legal in WMUs 2B, 5C and 5D since 2004. 

“Although we do not use season-specific harvest data for management purposes, we recognize the public is interested in these harvest estimates,” said DuBrock. “For that reason only, we provide estimated deer harvest breakdowns for firearms, archery and muzzleloader seasons, but we only use total deer harvest estimates when making recommendations for each WMU.”

Study: Catching spawning bass doesn’t harm populations

Despite the widely held notion that catching aggressive bass off nests during spawning season can deplete largemouth populations, a new University of Florida study published in a national fisheries journal this week indicates otherwise.

Largemouth bass are easily the most popular gamefish among American anglers. When the fish spawn in early spring, male bass make shallow nests in the sand, court females, and then protect the eggs and hatchlings for several weeks.

Males guarding nests are notoriously aggressive, striking anything that moves. The fish are easy to catch, and as a result, it is commonly believed that spawning-season fishing reduces bass populations.

“We found that in most cases, spawning area closures won’t improve bass populations,” said study co-author Mike Allen, a fisheries professor with UF’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. “If you lose some nests, the ones that are left have higher survival rates.”

Allen and biological scientist Daniel Gwinn gathered data on anglers catching bass during spawning seasons in three states. The researchers plugged the data into mathematical models representing several types of restricted and unrestricted fishing.

The results showed that prohibiting bass fishing during spawning season would only boost populations in waters where very high percentages of spawning bass are caught.

“Those conditions are pretty rare,” Allen said.

The researcher also conceded that the practice of catch and release fishing may significantly reduce any negative impact of fishing off bass nests during the spawn.  In 2008, Allen and colleagues published a study showing that the percentage of largemouth bass caught and kept by anglers was half what it was in the 1980s.

The study’s findings were published in the current issue of the journal Transactions of the American Fisheries Society.

Shoot like a girl

This past weekend, the Texas Christian University Horned Frog Rifle Team won their school’s first-ever NCAA Rifle National Championship, posting a two-day aggregate score of 4,675. 

And not only did the team surpass the shooting prowess of a West Virginia team that was heavily favored to repeat its 2009 title, it won with a team comprised entirely of women—the first time in the history of the event that an all-female team has taken the NCAA rifle crown. 

You see, in collegiate competitive shooting, there’s no such thing as separate men’s teams and women’s teams. 

The Horned Frog women posted a respectable second-place score of 2,314 in smallbore (.22 cal.) on Friday, following it up with a blistering 2,361 in air rifle Saturday. Alaska-Fairbanks shot a two-day aggregate score of 4653 to finish in second place, with West Virginia University placing third, Kentucky fourth and Army fifth. A total of eight teams qualified for the finals, which took place at TCU’s home range in Ft. Worth, Texas. 

Coming off this weekend’s NCAA Championship performance, five members of the TCU rifle team received All-American honors. Senior Erin Lorenzen joined Sarah Scherer and Sarah Beard as All Americans in both smallbore and air rifle. Team members Simone Riford and Caitlin Morrissey garnered All-American honors in air rifle. The TCU Rifle Team is coached by Karen Monez. 

Go Frogs!

Tennessee bowhunters with CCW may carry in field

A measure passed easily by both houses of the Tennessee General Assembly and signed into law by the governor last week allows those with valid handgun permits to carry pistols for personal protection while bowhunting. 

House Bill sponsor Mike Turner (D-Nashville) said he drafted the measure after a constituent told him about being robbed in a parking lot after archery deer hunting. 

Lawmakers and wildlife agencies in many states are beginning to realize the need to revisit and update laws and regulations relating to concealed and open carry by hunters, anglers and others who use vast tracts of public land for recreation. Other states have been slow to recognize the need for regulation change. 

The Tennessee measure becomes effective July 1, 2010. 

The case for carrying a handgun while bowhunting is a simple one, depending on the region and environment where one chooses to hunt. Whether it’s protection from grizzly bears or other predators in the northern Rocky Mountain backcountry, or from clandestine meth lab operatives in rural Appalachia, the need for personal protection in remote areas is a growing concern. 

Last year, the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources clarified its hunting equipment regulations to allow hunters who hold valid concealed carry weapon permits to carry firearms during archery-only or archery/crossbow hunting seasons, and to “carry firearms and ammunition that may be contrary to hunting equipment caliber or ammunition requirements.”

Urban NC bowhunt pits neighbor vs. neighbor

A bowhunt approved by both the North Carolina Wildlife Resources agency and the property owners association at an exclusive Chapel Hill, NC gated community has ignited a battle between those who want the deer population thinned and those who are anti-bowhunting. 

The Charlotte News & Observer reports that some homeowners at The Governor’s Club—where homes range from $400,000 to $6 million—are illegally posting their property to keep bowhunters from recovering deer shot with permission on neighboring land. 

In e-mail sent to residents, the homeowner’s association reminded opponents of the bowhunt that it is against North Carolina law to harass hunters. The e-mail cites state statutes that make interfering with the legal taking of wildlife a misdemeanor punishable by a fine up to $1,000 and 30 days in jail. 

The NC Wildlife Resources Commission approved the bowhunt after state biologists verified a significant amount of plant damage by deer. 

Jerry Cole, a resident since 1998 and chairman of the Governor’s Club deer management committee, said the hunt is necessary so the community can remain green and lush. 

“Vegetation is almost impossible to keep up unless you put a fence around it, and our guidelines discourage fences,” Cole said.

Game violations in Arizona reach high mark

Reports to the Arizona Game and Fish Department’s poaching hotline reached an all-time high in 2009, as did the total number of game-law violations occurring in The Grand Canyon State. 

“Arizona experienced a record year for wildlife violations that include outright poaching. With that, we are also experiencing a record number of reported and solved wildlife crimes. Call it a target rich environment, if you will,” said Officer Ken Dinquel, who operates the Operation Game Thief Program. 

In calendar year 2009 the Operation Game Thief Program received 768 reported wildlife related violations through the Operation Game Thief Program, which is a significant increase from 2008 when there were 451 OGT reports and in 2006 when there were 360 reports.

Those 2009 violations included 416 big game violations, including those involving poaching. Fifteen of those cases involved mule deer, three cases involved whitetail deer, 16 cases involved elk, two cases involved black bear, two cases involved antelope, and one case involved a bighorn sheep ram.

Bad call: Gun dealer nixed as little league sponsor

Nothing is more aggravating to baseball fans than a bad call by those officiating a game. And in New Jersey last week, the committee in charge of a little league program made a real stinker. 

In an 8-1 vote, the South Orange-Maplewood (NJ) Babe Ruth/Cal Ripken baseball league rejected an offer from a local licensed firearms retailer to become a $300 sponsor for his son’s team because of the potential controversy it may cause. 

Matt Carmel, owner of Constitution Arms in Maplewood, called the decision “arbitrary, capricious and unfair.” 

According to the New Jersey Star-Ledger newspaper, the gun dealer and NRA-certified pistol instructor offered to sponsor his son’s little league team for an annual fee of $300—which would have included shirts bearing his store’s name—but was soundly rebuffed by the volunteer committee that oversees the league. 

“Personally...given the nature of that business, I’m certain there’d be quite a bit of contention,” Craig Gruber, secretary of the committee, told the newspaper. “We don’t need the headache...we have our hands full with deciding whether infield fly rules should be in effect for 9-year-olds.” 

On learning of the situation in Maplewood, the president of the nation’s leading firearms trade association, the National Shooting Sports Foundation, wrote a letter to the Star-Ledger supporting Carmel and the shooting sports. 

“As much as baseball is part of the history and fabric of American culture, so too is the Second Amendment, hunting and target shooting. The latter are activities that millions of youth participate in across America,” wrote NSSF president Steve Sanetti. 

Sanetti went on to explain why it was patently unfair for the little league committee to attach any type of negative stigma to the responsible use and legal sale of firearms. 

“The shooting sports are safe and fun for all, and a day at the range is an activity the entire family can enjoy. The lessons that organized youth sports teach involving sportsmanship, respect for teammates and authority, and winning and losing also apply to the shooting sports.” 

And the letter concluded: “Since this was a policy call and not an ‘on the field’ judgment call, we urge a review of the decision before the umpires yell ‘play ball!’”

Living by 'The Code'

On Wednesday, Wyoming Governor Dave Freudenthal signed legislation adopting an official Wyoming state code based on the tenets known in the West as “Cowboy Ethics.” 

Although the historic Code of the West was unwritten, many cowboys, ranchers, trappers, hunters and others in the U.S. frontier knew it was about maintaining honesty, integrity and courage in a wide-open region where the affects of government barely reached and laws were not always enforced.

More recently, the code’s 10 basic principles were outlined in a popular 2004 book, Cowboy Ethics: What Wall Street Can Learn from the Code of the West, by retired Wall Street investor James Owen. 

The measure’s sponsor, Sen. Jim Anderson, (R-Glenrock), said Owen’s book captured his interest, and inspired him to introduce the bill after seeing the December premier of a related video project, “The Code of the West: Alive and Well in Wyoming.”

“There’s a work ethic in all things that we do, particularly in government,” Anderson said. 

Here are the 10 Principles of Cowboy Ethics according to James Owen:  

1. Live each day with courage 

2. Take pride in your work 

3. Always finish what you start 

4. Do what has to be done

5. Be tough, but fair

6. When you make a promise, keep it 

7. Ride for the brand 

8. Talk less and say more

9. Remember that some things aren’t for sale 

10. Know where to draw the line 

Even though the bill is merely a symbolic gesture, carries no criminal penalties and is not meant to replace any civil codes, here at Slugs & Plugs, we think it reflects a pretty valuable ideology. 

Perhaps Capitol Hill should adopt something similar. 

But, we're not holding our breath.