Earlier this week, the Ohio Senate made several changes to the two-year budget plan. One of these changes is detrimental to Ohio’s sportsmen.
When the state began to explore for natural gas and oil on Ohio’s wildlife lands, the legislature agreed that funds from this exploration would be used by the Division of Wildlife to benefit hunting quality, wildlife, and shooting range access. But language to protect these critical dollars was stripped out of the budget with no warning or fanfare.
Use the Take Action button to email your state Senator today and urge them to support wildlife habitat, hunting and shooters by restoring the protection of sportsmen’s dollars.
The current Senate version of the budget fails to protect these oil and gas revenues, allowing bureaucrats to spend the tens of millions of dollars previously committed to sportsmen and women, like covering projects in other governmental departments. And the raid on sportsmen’s dollars does not stop there.
This move also threatens the $20 million in annual federal funds that Ohio receives from taxes paid by Ohioans on firearms, ammunition, and archery equipment. Allowing those previously committed dollars to be spent elsewhere can be ruled a diversion of federal Wildlife Restoration Funds, making the state ineligible to receive the $20 million federal funds earned by Ohio sportsmen.
Sportsmen and gun owners must contact their state Senators today and urge them to keep their promise that the funds from natural gas and oil found on wildlife lands will be used to benefit hunting quality, wildlife, and shooting range access.
Don’t forget to share this vital alert with your family, friends, fellow sportsmen, and gun owners. Ask them to use the Take Action button to urge their state Senator to restore the protection for wildlife lands by ensuring the oil and gas revenues go to the Division of Wildlife, as agreed upon when these lands were opened for exploration.
And if your family, friends, fellow sportsmen, and gun owners are not members of the Sportsmen’s Alliance, urge them to join and help in the fight to protect and defend against the relentless attacks from animal extremists with the Sportsmen’s Alliance.
The Sportsmen’s Alliance guarantees hunting, fishing and trapping for the American sportsman now and forever. We’re there when sportsmen need us most. We are the only organization specifically created to protect the individual hunter, angler and trapper – no matter the threat. We will never compromise when it comes to defending our way of life in the courts, in the legislatures, in the public square and at the ballot box. We make this promise to the American sportsman: we will never give up and never give in while proudly securing our future against those seeking to destroy our values, beliefs, and traditions. Stay connected to Sportsmen’s Alliance: Online, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
