Maine: Hunting Bills to Be Heard in Committee This Week

Dear [Lawmaker],

As a fellow Mainer, I urge you to support pro-hunting legislation in your committee.

LD 1322 is a bipartisan pro-hunting bill that directs the State of Maine to create a 2-year pilot program to increase youth participation in hunting. If passed, this bill will create a partnership between the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife and the Department of Economic and Community Development to ensure the state is leveraging resources to increase hunting participation and expand the number of youth hunting days.

LD 1343  is a pro-hunting bill that clarifies language in Maine's "Right to Food" constitutional amendment to ensure that the definition of "harvest" includes hunting, fishing, and trapping. This language change ensures that Maine sportsmen are protected from potential bad actors seeking to exploit possible anti-hunting loopholes in Maine's current law.

Additionally, I urge you to OPPOSE LB 1364. LD 1364 is an anti-hunting bill that seeks to direct the State of Maine to commission a study of the impacts on and risks to wildlife, humans, and the environment of using lead-based ammunition. Commissioning a study to ban lead ammunition is the first step in anti-hunting groups' playbook to ban traditional ammunition, which would decrease hunting participation by substantially increasing the costs of ammunition. Maine has over 200,000 hunting license holders, which provides over $307,000,000 in annual economic impact. Restricting Maine's hunting economy through ammunition bans would reduce critical Pittman-Robertson funding and negatively impact Maine's rural economies.

Again, I urge you to SUPPORT LD 1322 and LD 1343, and to OPPOSE LD 1364.

Thank you for all that you do for our great state.

Sincerely,
______

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