Under current law, when recreational hunters in Minnesota volunteer for wildlife management hunts sponsored by local governments, their personal information is subject to public disclosure just as if they were government contractors. Strangely, if conducted on behalf of state government, such information would remain private. This loophole in Minnesota’s data-privacy laws must be fixed and fixed now. The threats to personal safety and privacy are obvious while the cratering of effective wildlife management in urbanized environments is abundantly clear.
Hunters know all too well that in today’s highly toxic “doxing” community, harassment of who we are and what we stand for is a common threat to our way of life. We could list dozens of infamous cases where hunters have been targeted by anti-hunters on social media simply because they engaged in legal hunting activities. These attacks have been brutal, but nothing new. Many will recall that the Sportsmen’s Alliance led the effort to pass “hunter harassment” laws throughout the nation because of the sad reality that animal extremists will stop at nothing to intimidate and shut us down by whatever means possible.
In today’s environment, this means private information about volunteers is weaponized because it “must be” public. No other justification for this absurd loophole in existing law is offered by proponents of “good government.” They don’t offer substantive justification because there isn’t any.
While “government in the sunshine” and “freedom of information” laws are an important component of our enduring republic, this twist on what “good government” must include is problematic at best, downright dangerous at worst. Government corruption is what sunshine laws are meant to protect against, not private individuals engaging in a legal and time-honored recreational activity that millions of Minnesotans enjoy.
The simple truth is that nobody should be subject to public disclosure of personal information because they hunt, fish, trap or have participated in a managed hunt for a locality. And no government official or government watchdog group can possibly defend this practice with reason or objective science.
Minnesota sportsmen who believe in the importance of protecting private information should contact their state senator and representative and let them know that this needs to be fixed.
About the Sportsmen’s Alliance: The Sportsmen’s Alliance protects and defends America’s wildlife conservation programs and the pursuits – hunting, fishing and trapping – that generate the money to pay for them. 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. Stay connected to Sportsmen’s Alliance: Online, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
