Seattle Gun Violence Tax

JUDGE FINDS AGAINST SEATTLE IN PRA CASE FILED BY SAF, MAGAZINE EDITOR

A King County Superior Court judge has ruled in favor of a firearms magazine editor and the Second Amendment Foundation in a case challenging the City of Seattle’s refusal to disclose “gun violence tax” revenues under the Public Records Act (PRA).

SAF filed the lawsuit in September with Dave Workman, senior editor of TheGunMag.com. SAF owns the publication. At issue was the city’s refusal to comply with Workman’s PRA request for revenue collected by the city under its “gun violence tax,” passed by the city council in the summer of 2015.

“We are delighted with the outcome of this case,” said SAF Executive Vice President Alan M. Gottlieb, who is also publisher of TheGunMag.com. “It was silly for Seattle to withhold this information, but we’re pretty certain why the city did it. The council was told that this tax could generate between $300,000 and a half-million dollars, but now it appears the city has collected just over $100,000, which is an embarrassing shortfall.

“As a result,” he added, “the city has essentially lost money on this scheme because now they have to pay our attorney fees, plus a small penalty. On top of that, the city has lost tax revenue because one major gun dealer has moved out of the city and another has reported considerable sales losses. That is tax money the city will never realize.” Read more

Self Defense

Senate Committee Approves Crucial Polar Bear Provision

SCI is pleased to update members about the addition of language to S. 1514 that will allow the importation of certain sport-hunted polar bears from Canada.  The polar bear provision has become part of a sportsmen’s legislative package introduced in late June by Senator John Barrasso.

S. 1514 is the Hunting Heritage & Environmental Legacy Preservation Act or “HELP for Wildlife Act.”  Yesterday, the Senate Environment & Public Works Committee approved the measure on a 14-7 vote.  As we previously reported, the HELP for Wildlife Act reauthorizes several important conservation programs, directs the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to delist the wolf populations in the Western Great Lakes and Wyoming, and facilitates the construction of shooting ranges on Bureau of Land Management & Forest Service lands.

Before final approval yesterday by the committee, Senator Dan Sullivan of Alaska moved to add the polar bear provision, which was approved by voice vote.  The provision is similar to a bill introduced in the House by Rep. Don Young of Alaska to amend the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 to allow importation of polar bear trophies harvested in sport hunts in Canada.  Sullivan’s amendment enables the Secretary of the Interior to authorize import permits for polar bears that had been legally harvested from approved populations in Canada before the polar bear was listed as threatened in 2008.

The polar bear today, as it did in 2008, enjoys high population numbers across its entire range.  Canada’s polar bear management program is top notch and is one the most scrutinized conservation programs in the world.  The 41 polar bears taken by U.S. hunters in 2008 were all harvested under sustainable quotas in accordance with sound conservation practices.  Before the listing, U.S. hunters who imported their polar bears into the U.S., each paid $1,000 to a fund used exclusively for polar bear research and conservation.  Over the three decades that the program was in place, U.S. hunters contributed almost $1 million dollars to benefit the polar bear. Enactment of Senator Sullivan’s amendment would generate an additional over $40,000 for polar bear research and conservation, coming from U.S. importation fees. Read more

Hunting

Minnesota: Virus Kills Carp in Lake Elysian

Thousands of common carp died last month in Waseca County’s Lake Elysian because of a virus likely introduced to Minnesota waters by the release or escape of ornamental koi or pet goldfish.

A joint effort by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and the University of Minnesota have determined koi herpesvirus (KHV) was the main cause of the late-June fish kill in southern Minnesota. It is the state’s first documented case of the virus in a wild fish population.

KHV does not affect humans and is not believed to affect other fish species. First documented in the United Kingdom in 1996, the virus has since been documented worldwide, mostly in countries that culture koi or common carp. This virus can cause disease in koi and common carp. Goldfish can be carriers of the virus but typically do not show signs of the disease.

“The virus can be present in a lake without causing a fish kill, at least not until the right conditions are present,” said DNR fisheries pathology lab supervisor Ling Shen. “KHV is highly contagious, and as we’ve seen, very capable of causing large-scale die-offs of common carp.” Read more

Fishing

The New Rapid Shooting Rest from Bog-Pod

The all new Bog-Pod Rapid Shooting Rest (RSR) is compact, collapsible, and portable, making it the perfect shooting rest for outdoor enthusiasts. The Rapid Shooting Rest features Bog-Pod’s Switcheroo® Ultimate Shooting Rest, giving the shooter a full 360 degrees of target acquisition. Easy to store in a backpack, and quick to set up, this rest will give you the accuracy and range you need to make that big game shot on the fly.

Features Include:
Constructed of heavy duty cast aluminum and polymers
Easy to deploy Tripod legs with non-marring rubber traction feet
Twist lock main elevation adjustment
Minimum height of 7 inches with maximum height of 11 inches
Collapses to 12.8″ in length and weighs only 21.6 ounces
110113-render-demo-w-callouts Read more

Hunting

Take Someone Hunting, Fishing or Target Shooting for a Chance to Win Prizes

NHF Day Challenge participants are eligible for a NASCAR or Ultimate Outdoor experience

National Hunting and Fishing Day (NHF Day), an annual celebration of hunters and anglers, features a new twist this year. Richard Childress, NASCAR legend and honorary chair for NHF Day, is asking hunters and anglers to participate in the new NHF Day Challenge by taking someone hunting, fishing or target shooting.

By pledging to introduce someone to the outdoors between now and NHF Day on Saturday, Sept. 23, participants will be eligible to win a Richard Childress Racing VIP race weekend package or the Ultimate Outdoor Experience from Big Cedar Lodge and Johnny Morris’ Wonders of Wildlife National Museum and Aquarium.

Alabama Conservation Commissioner Chris Blankenship says small game species provide an ideal introduction for new hunters. “Several opportunities are right around the corner including dove season in Sept. with the season opener on Sept. 9 in the South Zone and Sept. 16 in the North Zone, and both squirrel and rabbit seasons open on Sept. 16,” he said. “The Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Division also has 12 community archery parks and 12 shooting ranges that can be used year-round. All you need is either a hunting, fishing, management area or wildlife heritage license to use the ranges.” Visit www.outdooralabama.com for complete details. Read more

Fishing, Hunting

ICOtec® GC320 Electronic Predator Call/Decoy Combo

The ICOtec GC320 Predator Call/Decoy Combo utilizes our outstanding remote technology that connects to call unit from up to 300 yards with no line of sight required to activate the speaker and the decoy. The unit comes with 24 deadly call sounds, and you can play two calls simultaneously. Additionally you have the ability to activate the electronic decoy with the same remote control. ICOtec has developed this decoy with a speed control, LED light for night hunts, 2 quick change toppers and it has its own power source so it will not drain your call batteries. The AD400 Decoy is included with the GC320 caller.

Light weight, compact, easy to operate, superior quality audio calls, extreme long range remote, low power consumption, feature filled electronic decoy and one of the lowest prices available for a great call. The ICOtec GC320 is how predator calling was intended to be. ICOtec offers quality, performance and value. Dead Serious! Retail price around $150

Hunting

Powderhook Launches Major App Update

LINCOLN, NE – Local, current information on hunting, fishing, and recreational shooting is now easier than ever to find with the newest Powderhook update. The Nebraska-based tech company has assembled nearly 10,000 outdoor events from many major NGO’s, retailers, state agencies and more and organized them in a new feature called “Discover.”

Here’s a breakdown of everything you’ll find in the newest release. As always, visit the App Store or Google Play to download or update the app.

Discover: Easily find an event or public hunting spot near you.

Events
When people are out looking for stuff to do on the weekends, outdoor events usually aren’t on anyone’s radar. Why is that? People who host outdoor events are competing for attendees just like a movie theater, concert venue, sporting event or pretty much anything that a person can do to entertain themselves. This update and the API Powderhook has created for others to use changes that.

When it comes to creating new participants, it’s hard to know which event might trip which trigger. With the Powderhook update, we’ve not only begun to distribute our partner’s events to the top five event hosting websites on the internet, we compile them in a sortable feed for our users to access.

Public Spots
People are constantly looking for a new or better spot to go. Powderhook has always had one of the most complete public lands map available for free to anyone who downloads, but now we give users a cleaner ability to sort and configure search results. “I was headed up to Ohio last weekend and used the app to find a spot to go,” says app user Bobby Bostian. “It was great being able to hit the ‘Directions’ button and have it take me right to the spot. I also showed a couple hunters the ‘Discover’ section of the app and they were absolutely amazed at all of the public land that was available in their area.”

Fishing, Hunting

MI DNR sends firefighters to British Columbia as part of an international crew

Firefighters from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources are joining international crews this week to battle wildfires raging in the western Canadian province of British Columbia. According to the British Columbia Wildfire Service, more than 930,000 acres have burned since April 1.

Eight Michigan firefighters will join two, 20-person international teams that also include staff from Minnesota, Wisconsin and the Canadian province of Ontario. They’re slated to spend two weeks in British Columbia, working up to 16-hour days. Read more

Wildlife

Four New Calibers Join Browning Ammunition’s BXR Deer Loads for 2017

Arnold, Mo., July 26, 2017 – Fall of 2016 saw Browning Ammunition’s BXR Deer rifle loads put successfully to the test by hunters across the country. Now it will only get better in 2017. Hunters will be ready for the rut with more caliber options to choose from.

New offerings include:

  • 6.5 Creedmoor (129-grain)
  • 7mm-08 (144-grain)
  • 7mm Rem. Mag. (144-grain)
  • .270 WSM (134-grain)

Each round features a nickel-plated shellcase and bullet jacket along with Browning Ammunition’s trademarked Rapid Expansion Matrix Tip™. The Matrix Tip is designed to allow for high-downrange velocity and energy retention while initiating rapid expansion and delivering maximum knockdown power on large game such as whitetail, blacktail, mule deer and antelope. Read more

Ammunition

Duck band reporting system moves online

LAUREL, MARYLAND – Hunters fortunate enough to harvest a banded duck, goose or dove next hunting season will see a change in the way they report those bands to the United States Geological Survey. The call-in center that has been in place to record information has been replaced by an online tool at www.reportband.gov.

According to the USGS Patuxent Bird Banding Laboratory, which administers the bird-banding program in the United States, the toll-free number engraved on bands will still function, but will redirect callers to the website. Read more

Hunting
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