Suit Filed to End All Hunting, Fishing and Trapping

Suit Filed to End All Hunting, Fishing and Trapping

In New Jersey



(Columbus) - Anti-hunters today filed a lawsuit against the New Jersey
Department of Environmental Protection to suspend all hunting, fishing and
trapping.



The U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance Foundation is looking into the merits of the
case to determine what action to pursue.



The case alleges that the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife has
issued sporting licenses to convicted felons. To avoid future instances,
the plaintiffs are asking Judge Susan Reisner of the Superior Court of New
Jersey to suspend all hunting, fishing and trapping licenses until a
background check system for all license buyers is put into place.



"This is the most outrageous and blatant attack on sportsmen's rights that
we have seen in our 25-year history," said Bud Pidgeon, U.S. Sportsmen's
Alliance Foundation president. "To besmirch the reputation of sportsmen by
linking us to felons is unconscionable. Sportsmen are America's greatest
conservationists, paying literally billions each year to fund fish and
wildlife programs across the country."



It is illegal in New Jersey for any convicted felon to possess or purchase a
weapon, Pidgeon said. Criminal background checks would unnecessarily delay
the issuance of a sporting license. The lawsuit even asks that fishing
license purchases require background checks.



The U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance Foundation protects and defends America's
wildlife conservation programs and the pursuits - hunting, fishing and
trapping - that generate the money to pay for them. The U.S. Sportsmen's
Alliance Foundation is responsible for public education, legal defense and
research. Its mission is accomplished through several distinct programs
coordinated to provide the most complete defense capability possible. For
more information about the U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance Foundation and its
work, call (614) 888-4868 or visit its website, www.ussportsmen.org.


--
James Ehlers

Outdoors Magazine
www.outdoorsmagazine.net