Why It Matters: For the continued success of our time-honored outdoor traditions, it is critical to secure policies that provide increased access and opportunity for hunters to remain engaged in their outdoor pursuits regardless of age or injury, as well as offering additional avenues for new hunters to be introduced to the stand or blind. …
Why It Matters: Introduced on March 25, 2025, Maine Legislative Docket 1230 (LD 1230), a bill that seeks to repeal the 72-hour waiting period on firearms transfers, currently sits in the Joint Committee on Judiciary where it awaits action. In 2024, LD 2238 was hurriedly passed in an attempt to” do something” after the tragic, …
Attempt to Abolish 72-Hour Waiting Period on Firearm Transfers in Maine Read More »
Why It Matters: Governed in-part by the notion that wildlife management decisions and regulations be decided using the best available science, the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation is regarded as the most successful model of wildlife management in the world. Careful and strategic game management decisions coupled with funds generated as part of the …
Big Time Big Game Opportunity on the Horizon for North Carolinians Read More »
Why It Matters: In 1923, Connecticut enacted a prohibition on the ability to hunt on a Sunday. On March 24th, over a hundred years later, the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) and fellow conservation partners testified in front of Connecticut’s Joint Committee on Environment to repeal all remaining statutory prohibitions on hunting on a Sunday (House …
Blue Laws Still a Barrier for Hunting in Connecticut Read More »
Why It Matters: When most people think of Nevada they think of Las Vegas or Reno. But the truth of the matter is, Nevada contains some of America’s most beautiful country. From the rocky, sage brush covered low desert, to the high, lonesome, snow-covered mountain peaks, Nevada’s diverse landscape is filled with equally diverse wildlife …
Heating Up in the Desert: Several Bills on the Move in Nevada Read More »
Why It Matters: Virginia Senate Bill 848 (SB 848) would have increased the minimum age for purchasing a modern sporting rifle (and “assault firearms”) to 21 years old and Senate Bill 1181 (SB 1181) would have made the sale, manufacture, purchase, or transfer of a modern sporting rifle (and “assault firearms”) that were made after …
Governors Sportsmen’s Caucus Member Vetoes Anti-Gun Bills in Virginia Read More »
Why It Matters: The Department of the Interior (DOI) is a critical federal department for sportsmen and women by serving as a significant facilitator of access and overseeing a wide array of conservation programs. Specifically, the roles of DOI Deputy Secretary and Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) are critical positions that …
CSF-Supported DOI Nominees Begin Confirmation Process Read More »
Why It Matters: The American Wildlife Conservation Partners (AWCP) is a consortium of 52 of the nation’s leading hunting and wildlife conservation professionals, among other entities, that work to build unity and consensus around the most pressing issues facing sportsmen and women and wildlife. Every four years, AWCP develops a collective set our federal priorities …
CSF Hosts Policy Briefing on Capitol Hill with Key Partners to Convey Priorities Read More »
Why It Matters: The South Dakota legislative session saw its fair share of sportsmen-related legislation. Fortunately, the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF), working with partners and the South Dakota Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus, was able to defeat bills that could have led to a transfer of funds from the South Dakota Game, Fish, and Parks and a …
Two Additional Policy Wins Notched in South Dakota as Session Adjourns Read More »
Why It Matters: The western states have been long celebrated by the outdoor community as being a mecca for outdoor recreational opportunity thanks in part to the vast amounts of state and federal land open to the public. Over time some states have become segmented into a patchwork of public and private land. This leads …
Wyoming Corner Crossing Ruling Upheld by the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals Read More »
Why It Matters: Whether they are aware of it or not, sportsmen and women support the “user pays – public benefits” structure of the American System of Conservation Funding through the purchase of firearms, ammunition, and other related outdoor sporting goods. Manufacturer-level excise taxes collected on these products are funneled directly back into conservation. 2nd …
Why It Matters: Hunters in Maryland can continue to use the ammunition of their choosing for hunting game species in the “Old-Line State”. Maryland House Bill 741 (HB 741) and Senate Bill 634 (SB 634) contained a provision that would require the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to create a lead hunting ammunition phase-out …
Going, Going, GONE! Maryland’s Lead Hunting Ammo Ban Killed at Crossover Read More »
Why It Matters: Without active management, forest health and wildlife habitat will decline as insects, drought, and other stressors reduce stand vigor while the risk for severe wildfire will increase, threatening nearby private lands as well as the winter range habitat that the wildlife management area provides for big game species important to Montana’s hunters …
CSF Supports Habitat Improvement Project on Montana Wildlife Management Area Read More »
Why It Matters: Firearms have long been one of the most important tools for participating in our outdoor traditions. Recognizing this, the Nebraska legislature is considering two bills that would respectively protect firearm purchasers from having their firearm and ammunition purchases tracked while also protecting the firearm industry from discriminatory business practices. Highlights: Nebraska Legislative …
Nebraska Legislation Protecting Firearm Retailers and Consumers on the Move Read More »
Why It Matters: Though hunting, fishing, and harvesting wildlife (including by trapping) have long been our heritage, dating back to before the first Europeans arrived in North America, only recently has the “right” to hunt, fish, and harvest wildlife come into question. To establish in perpetuity what has been assumed for centuries, 24 states have …
Right to Hunt and Fish Gets Committee Hearing in Maine Read More »
Why It Matters: There are seven federal agencies under four different cabinet-level secretaries that have some degree of jurisdiction and regulatory authority over what hunters, anglers, and boaters can or cannot do on navigable waters. As a compliment to the MAPWaters Act (H.R. 187) for the Department of the Interior and the Department of Agriculture …
Better Mapping of Marine Waters for Anglers and Boaters Clears Senate Committee Read More »
Why It Matters: Advancements in muzzleloading technology, such as the Firestick, have enhanced the safety and reliability of traditional muzzleloading firearms while maintaining the traditional characteristic of loading the projectile down the barrel. However, many states have outdated definitions of “muzzleloaders” or “primitive firearms” that don’t allow for the use of such technologies during their …
Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission Moves to Modernize Muzzleloader Definition Read More »
Why It Matters: Though the sporting-conservation community often finds itself in a defensive position, there are opportunities to advance proactive measures to protect and advance our outdoor pursuits. In Arkansas, these opportunities have recently taken shape in the form of a resolution to celebrate the 75th Anniversary of the Dingell-Johnson Act, and bills that would …
NASC Executive Council President Introduces Several CSF Priorities in Arkansas Read More »
Why It Matters: Private working forests provide a wide range of benefits to the public including providing habitat for fish and wildlife, open space, and access for sportsmen and women, and more, and the Forest Conservation Easement Program would offer landowners additional options to conserve their forestland. Preventing the conversion of working forests to other …
CSF-Priority Forestland Conservation Legislation Introduced in Senate Read More »
Why It Matters: Legislation seeking to restrict firearms is often eventually used as a vector of attack for issues more directly pertaining to sportsmen and women, just as restrictions on hunting are often used as a vector of attack against Second Amendment rights. Our issues are fundamentally intertwined given that firearms of every kind are …