NASC Executive Council Member: Representative Patrick Brennan

Elected in 2002, State Representative Patrick Brennan represents Vermont’s Chittenden District. Representative Brennan joined the Vermont Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus in 2009 and currently serves as Caucus Co-Chair.

Over the years, Representative Brennan has been instrumental in the passage of several key sportsmen’s priorities, including HB 101 -- the Sportsmen’s Act of 2013. The Sportsmen’s Act, signed into law by Governors Sportsmen’s Caucus (GSC) Vice-Chair Governor Peter Shumlin, was a comprehensive package of pro-sportsmen provisions aimed at allowing the relevant agencies greater flexibility in managing Vermont’s fish and wildlife and administering various hunting and angling licenses. The bill also contained provisions that allowed for the possession of handguns during archery season and while training dogs, granted authority to the Fish and Wildlife Board to regulate the use of crossbows during hunting seasons, and allowed landowners the opportunity to legally post their property so that hunting, fishing and trapping would be allowed with permission.

Most recently, Representative Brennan spearheaded a multi-year effort to legalize firearm suppressor ownership in the Green Mountain State. On June 17, 2015, GSC Vice-Chair Governor Peter Shumlin signed into law HB 5, a fish and wildlife omnibus bill into which Rep. Brennan’s standalone suppressor bill was amended during the final days of the 2015 legislative session. As a result of Rep. Brennan’s diligent efforts, suppressors became legal to own in Vermont for the first time in over a century on July 2, 2015.

“It is an honor to Co-Chair the Vermont Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus and to work on issues that help to preserve and protect our sportsmen’s traditions here in Vermont,” said Representative Patrick Brennan. “Vermont has a rich sportsmen’s heritage, one that not only adds to the diverse fabric of our state’s culture, but also helps fuel our state’s economy and funds the conservation work of the Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife.”

There are over 254,000 sportsmen and women residing in the state of Vermont spending an estimated $442 million to engage in their pursuits. In 2011 alone, sportsmen and women generated $50 million in state and local taxes for the Green Mountain State.