Taxpayer Millions Paid to Anti-Hunting Organizations

The U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance has long been concerned over provisions within the Endangered Species Act that anti-hunting groups are using more and more to get large government payouts for filing lawsuits that do not help the recovery of threatened or endangered species.  Many of these lawsuits even threaten to stop hunting, fishing, or trapping.

Documents provided by the U.S. Department of Justice to the House Natural Resources Committee show that our federal government is giving millions of taxpayer dollars to anti-hunting organizations.  Anti-hunting groups like the Center for Biological Diversity, the Humane Society of the United States, Defenders of Wildlife, and the Sierra Club are cashing in – on your dime.

Anti-Hunting Groups Ask People to Lie to Congress

There has been a deluge of misinformation about HR 4089, the most significant pro-hunting legislation of the last 15 years.  This past Friday the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance provided a complete legal analysis that debunks the propaganda of the animal rights and environmental lobby piece by piece.

In one of the latest fundraising pleas from the world’s most powerful animal rights group, the Humane Society of the United States intentionally misleads readers about legislation moving through Congress that protects the rights of American hunters, anglers and recreational shooters:

What should hunters look for in a politician at election time?

It’s election time again.  And all over America various interest groups are discovering that our local politicians do in fact still know we exist.  And more important, that they think just like us.  Now is the time of year when the congressman who normally wears the $1,000 Brooks Brothers suits gets the Starter jacket featuring the logo from the area’s prominent NFL team out of moth balls, and shows up at the local sports bar to make sure we all know that he is just like us.

As hunters we ought to be familiar with this song and dance.  Over the next six months we will see plenty of freshly creased flannel shirts and shotguns, that have not been used enough to open easily,  broken awkwardly over shoulders.  And while all of this conversation takes place with us “regular folk,” young Washington DC staffers who look 15, but are actually probably 25, will be snapping photos to be used in campaign brochures, emails and websites.

“I’ve never seen a form of hunting that the USSA doesn’t support.”

That’s a direct quote from Wayne Pacelle, CEO of the world’s largest animal rights group, the Humane Society of the United States during a debate with me over legislation that would ban hunting black bears in California using hounds.

I’ve never heard anyone state the commitment and purpose of the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance more succinctly.  I’ll explain:

Anti’s Strategy: Find the Weakest Link

The anti’s strategy, including the Humane Society of the United States, is the same as it was back in 1978 when our organization was born.

1. They identify a form of hunting that has a lower number of participants.
2. They bet that the majority of hunters will not come to the aid of their brethren.
3. They co-opt the urban media to portray that form of hunting as particularly cruel and unsporting.
4. They stir up the emotions of well-meaning city folk to contact their legislators.
5. They use all of these to pressure politicians to vote to take our hunting rights away.
6. They move on to the next target.

Examples of this Strategy

What’s Behind California Senate Bill 1221? An Organization Working to Ban All Hunting

The main force behind the effort to ban the hunting of California’s black bears and bobcats with hounds is the world’s largest anti-hunting group – a group that won’t be satisfied unless all hunting is illegal.  Of course I know that claim sounds like a lot of hyperbole.  And it’s expected that the opposition to a bill like this would make this argument.  But it is also the truth.  And I can prove it.