Legislation that would ban recreational trapping and make it unlawful to sell furs, has been scheduled for a hearing before the Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee on June 11 at 9:30 a.m. in room 112 of the Capitol building. The measure, Assembly Bill 273, has been steadily making its way through the state’s legislature, passing the Assembly on April 25.
Take Action Today! California members should contact their state senator and ask them to vote NO on AB 273. Members can contact their state senator by using the Sportsmen’s Alliance Legislative Action Center.
As a result of a 1998 ballot initiative, it is already illegal in California to use many common traps, such as conibear, foothold or snares, leaving live and box-cage traps as the only alternative. AB 273 would completely eliminate recreational trapping, along with the selling of furs. If the bill becomes law, professional nuisance trappers and government contractors will be the only avenue for taxpayers to control problem wildlife. Currently recreational trappers purchase a trapping license, and their efforts help control animal populations.
“AB 273 is a final attack on trappers in a state that increasingly has adopted the animal-rights agenda,” said Luke Houghton associate director of state services for Sportsmen’s Alliance. “The bill makes no fiscal sense at all, and further solidifies California’s reputation as a state hostile to sportsmen and women.”
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.