ANTI-HUNTING CAMPBELL-DEFAZIO AMENDMENT VOTED DOWN IN CONGRESS

A proposal by Congressmen John Campbell (R-Calif.) and Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.) to prohibit necessary and legal practices used to effectively manage wildlife and predator species was overwhelmingly defeated this week in the House of Representatives.  The amendment to H.R. 2112--the Agriculture appropriations bill--was strongly opposed by NRA and other pro-hunting organizations.  It was pushed by the Humane Society of the United States and other radical anti-hunting groups.

“Wildlife and wildlife predators cause hundreds of millions of dollars in damage annually to natural resources, public infrastructure, private property and agriculture,” said NRA-ILA Executive Director Chris W. Cox.  “We will continue to oppose efforts like the Campbell-DeFazio amendment that seek to diminish essential wildlife and predator management programs that protect our hunting heritage.”

The amendment would have drastically reduced funding to the Wildlife Service Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service Program, which is a program authorized by Congress to decrease human-wildlife conflicts throughout the United States, including damage from predator animals.

Coyotes and other predators have decimated a great deal of the mule deer, moose and elk populations throughout the United States.  As it stands, lethal predator control remains the best tool we have for keeping large predators in balance with existing habitat and the prey they require.