Take Action Today! Connecticut members should contact their state elected official and ask them to vote NO on House Bill 5272 and 5485. Connecticut members can contact their state elected official by using the Sportsmen’s Alliance Legislative Action Center.
Connecticut State Rep. David Michel (D-Stamford) has sponsored legislation that would give local municipalities the ability to regulate or ban trapping and hunting in their respective jurisdictions. House Bill 5272 would undermine the state’s ability to effectively manage game species. Currently, HB 5272 has been assigned to the Joint Committee on Planning and Development where it awaits a hearing.
Connecticut hunting and trapping regulations are controlled by the Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection (DEEP). DEEP sets all trapping and hunting season dates and quotas to ensure that the state’s wildlife is properly managed. DEEP also supplies wildlife biologists with the data that is needed to ensure the state’s wildlife is healthy and abundant. By allowing local governments to regulate hunting and trapping, DEEP’s overarching conservation and management efforts would be severely undermined.
“Local elected officials are not trained in keeping wildlife healthy, and this move would only serve to further politicize wildlife management,” said Luke Houghton associate director of state services for the Sportsmen’s Alliance. “As a result, Connecticut’s hunters and trappers would face a higher risk of running afoul the law, as regulations could differ significantly from one small town to another.”
Additionally, similar legislation has been introduced by Rep. Alfred F. Camillo (R-Old Greenwich) that would give local municipalities the ability to ban trapping. House Bill 5485 is currently waiting to be assigned to a committee.
“HB 5272 and 5485 would hurt wildlife conservation efforts and further takes away management authority and revenue from the professionals at DEEP,” continued Houghton. “It also will allow for varied laws from town to town, creating confusion and the potential for law-abiding trappers to be fined for unintentional acts.”
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.