New California Law Allows NWTF to Restore Services to Youth Members

EDGEFIELD, S.C. — In response to an outpouring of concerns from hunting, shooting and conservation organizations and the state’s wildlife agency, California’s legislature passed a bill amending language in a recently signed law that broadly prohibited all advertising of firearms and firearms-related products to youth in the state. Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the corrective bill into law last Thursday..
The Firearms: Advertising to Minors bill (AB 2571) — signed into law in June under an urgency clause, meaning there was no opportunity to negotiate or make amendments — directly impacted the National Wild Turkey Federation’s outreach to its JAKES (Juniors Acquiring Knowledge, Ethics and Sportsmanship) members. The bill’s ambiguity meant the NWTF was not able to meet our obligation of sending JAKES Country magazine to youth members or include youth firearms in banquet auctions. Advertising outreach and recruitment events centered on hunting, hunter education and shooting activities were also prohibited.
“After the bill passed, a coalition of sporting organizations, with the help of Gaines and Associates government relations agency, immediately unified to negotiate with the governor’s office and legislators on language that corrected the unintended consequences from the overly broad language to our outreach, fundraising and mission delivery in California,” said Patt Dorsey, NWTF’s director of conservation operations in the West region. “It was clear that the state’s own outreach and education efforts, as well as those of conservation organizations, were not the intended targets of the ban.” Read more







