Posted: 10/15/2004 | Author: H. Sterling Burnett
Kerry or Bush: Who's the Sportsmen's Friend in this Election?
Like all Americans, outdoor sporting enthusiasts, commonly referred to as sportsmen, have an important choice to make in November: helping choose the next President of the United States. While many issues will undoubtedly influence their presidential selection, a candidate’s position on issues that affect sportsmen’s opportunities to pursue fish and game will be key to who they vote for.
It’s actually not hard to answer the question “Is President Bush or Senator Kerry the better friend to sportsmen?” Indeed, one need only look at their records and who they count among their friends.
One place sportsmen can look to determine which candidate has the hook-and-bullet crowd’s best interest in mind is to see who the radical animal rights activists are supporting. The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), the Fund for Animals and the American Humane Society all oppose hunting, and lobby for state and federal laws to limit, restrict or ban it. Each of these groups has given John Kerry a 100 percent rating—he is one of their best friends in the Senate.
In fairness, he’s earned their support. Kerry supported Clinton administration efforts to reduce opportunities to hunt and fish on federal lands and to give federal funds to animal rights groups. In addition, he has voted for or spoke in favor of laws to restrict the importation of hunting trophies taken lawfully in foreign countries and to ban or limit hunting privately owned non-native animals on game ranches.
By contrast, President Bush has shown that he recognizes the problems faced by wildlife and sportsmen. The biggest threat to wildlife is habitat loss. Accordingly, President Bush has increased the budget for conservation programs on private lands that encourage landowners to improve the wildlife habitat on their lands. This initiative is similar to a program he implemented as Governor of Texas. He has also gone beyond his father’s promise of “no net loss of wetlands,” by pledging funds and research to restore and expand the nation’s wetlands. In addition, President Bush became the first President to actually propose legislation to limit mercury emissions from power plants. This is important because mercury sometimes accumulates in the bodies of popular game fish, occasionally causing the closure of rivers and streams to sportfishing.
With loss of access to hunting and fishing spots a major problem for sportsmen, President Bush has opened more than 50 additional National Wildlife Refuges – amounting to nearly 250,000 acres—to hunting and fishing. In addition, his administration supports proposed legislation to fund state grants to farmers, ranchers and private forest owners that allow sportsmen access to their lands for hunting and fishing. It’s an understatement to say that radical animal rights activists don’t like Bush.
Another concern of sportsmen is protecting their right to own the tools of the trade. No major gun rights organization has ever supported John Kerry for elected office, and those that give ratings routinely give him an F grade. In addition, Kerry gets an “A” grade – “A” for “Always votes against gun owners”—from every gun control organization. Why? He has supported almost every major piece of gun control legislation that has been introduced since he took office. Indeed, the only time he actually showed up to work in the Senate this year was to vote for legislation that would have restricted the sale of firearms to law-abiding citizens and thus killed a bill that would have protected gun manufacturers from frivolous lawsuits.
As Texas Governor, Bush signed legislation that allowed Texans to carry concealed firearms and that protected gun manufacturers from municipal lawsuits for the criminal misuse of guns.
Since becoming President, the Bush Justice Department reversed the previous administration’s position and argued that the 2 nd Amendment protects an individual’s right to keep and bear arms. The Bush State Department rejected United Nations’ efforts to place international restrictions on the gun sales in the United States. Finally, President Bush personally lobbied for national legislation to halt city lawsuits against gun makers for the harm caused by the criminal misuse of their product.
While no voter will agree with every program supported by the President or disagree with every policy supported by Senator Kerry, on the issue of outdoor sporting activities, sportsmen can tell their friends from their foes. Any candidate that gets the support of both the anti-hunting Fund for Animals and the anti-gun Brady Campaign is not a reliable friend of America’s hunters and anglers.