It’s budget time, and the Ohio Senate will decide tomorrow, Saturday, June 7, whether to protect tens of millions in annual sportsman dollars or leave them unprotected and up for grabs by any department of state government. We cannot allow our money to be raided; we must fight back.
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. This was the deal, and now bureaucrats are trying to raid our money for whatever purpose they deem fit. This is why the 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 him/her to support sportsmen by restoring the protection of these sportsmen’s dollars from oil and gas exploration on our wildlife lands.
And it’s not only about the tens of millions in oil and gas revenues; 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.
In short, these budgetary tricks have the potential to cost Ohio’s sportsmen and women tens of millions of dollars each and every year. We shouldn’t be treated like second-class citizens, and we must stop this now.
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. These funds cannot and should not be diverted for other purposes.
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.
