Anti-Hunting Bill Dies

After passing on the Assembly floor, Senate Bill 1175 , a bill that had serious ramifications for hunters died before a concurrence vote could happen on the Senate floor in California.

The unexpected demise of SB 1175 ended the relentless effort by Senator Stern and animal rights groups to punish law abiding sportsmen and women while negatively impacting rural African communities and financially straining California’s Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Safari Club International played a key role in helping to defeat this bill from the moment it was introduced, all the way down the last minutes of the legislative session. SCI members sent more than 7,500 emails and phone calls to legislators in the weeks leading up to yesterday opposing this bill, and those efforts helped spark critical debates in committee hearings and the Assembly floor about the hypocrisy of this legislation that ultimately helped kill it.

SCI also helped coordinate and amplify key voices in Africa through testimony and strategic communication opposing this legislation. These crucial voices from the front lines of conservation in Africa included testimony from government officials like Zimbabwe’s Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Environment and the Namibian Association of Community-Based Conservation Organizations.  Like SCI, the affected countries and rural communities did not take the threat of this legislation lightly, but vehemently opposed the proposed legislation at every step.

“We are pleased to see this bad legislation fail in California and take pride in knowing our members helped move the needle on it.” said W. Laird Hamberlin, SCI CEO. “Safari Club International remains vigilant in defending the freedom to hunt and promoting wildlife conservation worldwide.”

Source: SCI