Why It Matters: Maryland House Bill 197 (HB 197) and its cross-file, Senate Bill 118 (SB 118), seek to impose an additional 11% excise tax on firearms dealers for the sale of firearms, accessories, and ammunition to fund gun violence prevention and intervention programs. Legislation like this discriminates against law-abiding sportsmen and women in the […]
Why It Matters: Maryland Senate Bill 181 (SB 181) requires the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to create a lead hunting ammunition phase-out plan on or before July 1, 2029. The Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) encourages the legislature and the Department of Natural Resources to work together to implement incentive-based programs for the use of non-lead hunting ammunition by hunters, […]
Why It Matters: Limiting access to Mississippi’s sportsmen and women through blanket bans on equipment, requiring individuals to have access to 2k contiguous acres of privately owned ground to hunt with, train, or utilize any hunting dog, and requiring people to obtain a depredation permit from the state to eliminate any nuisance animal is entirely unnecessary…
Why It Matters: The EXPLORE Act represents one of the most comprehensive outdoor recreation bills to become law and includes a number of longstanding priorities for the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF). Taylor Schmitz, CSF’s Senior Vice President, will be the sole representative from the sporting-conservation community to talk about the importance of fully implementing this law to improve access for sportsmen and women and conservation of our natural…
Why It Matters: On November 13, 2025, Massachusetts’ Office of Public Safety and Security (OPSS) released their fourth guidance letter to help citizens navigate the complexities and confusion of last year’s omnibus gun law, Chapter 135. In just over a year’s time, OPSS has published 39 points in an attempt to clarify and explain the…
Why It Matters: The Second Amendment and sportsmen’s issues are often very much intertwined. All types of firearms are in commonplace usage for hunting and recreational shooting sports; thus, anti-firearms legislation is often a trojan horse attack on our sporting heritage. Additionally, the American System of Conservation Funding (ASCF) relies on revenue from firearms and…
Why It Matters: The recent renovations at the Hank Harmon Public Shooting Range in Juneau exemplify the enduring impact of sportsmen and women’s contributions through the American System of Conservation Funding (ASCF) – a “user pays-public benefits” model that has fueled wildlife conservation for over 85 years. By channeling excise taxes from sporting goods and…
Why It Matters: On September 29th, 2025, H 3082– an act establishing an excise tax on guns and ammunition was heard by the Massachusetts Joint Committee on Revenue. This proposed law would add a 4.75% excise tax on firearms and ammunition to explicitly fund “community-based public health interventions and research to prevent gun violence; and…
Why It Matters: It is no secret that the Mid-Atlantic region (DE, MD, PA, VA, WV) can be challenging when it comes to protecting and promoting our sporting heritage. IIn 2025 the region saw just about an equal number of pro-sportsmen’s bills (15.6%) and anti-sportsmen’s bills (16.8%). The Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation continues to work with…
Why It Matters: The “Sportsman’s Paradise” has seen several different pieces of legislation and regulations cross the finish line thus far in 2025. From committing funding to revitalize one of the most historic waterfowl hunting areas in the state, to incentivizing private landowners to enhance wildlife habitat, expanding black bear hunting opportunities, modernizing primitive firearms…
Why It Matters: It is no secret that the sporting-conservation community has to play a lot of defense in the Northeast. You’ll typically find the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) working hard to defeat proposed legislation that has negative ramifications for conservation and the sporting community vs. and eking out a few pro-sportsmen victories when possible….
Why It Matters: Advancement in muzzleloading technology has created a modern iteration of the classic firearm with enhanced safety and reliability without sacrificing the characteristics that have defined muzzleloader hunting for hundreds of years. Following a citizen petition that has the support of the Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR), Hoosiers may be able to more…