The U.S. Senate effectively killed the Bipartisan Sportsmen’s Act of 2014 when it failed to pass a vote that would have moved the bill forward. After 81 amendments were offered to the bill, many of which were not supported by the sporting community or germane to the original bill, the vote reflected the partisan animosity of the mid-year elections.
The bill had 46 cosponsors and had the strong support of most hunting and angling organizations and many conservation organizations.
The Associated Press reported that opposition to the bill also came from groups including the Humane Society of the United States and the Natural Resources Defense Council, an environmental organization.
“Upfront, we wish to thank the bill’s sponsors Senators Kay Hagan (D-N.C.) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) for working with us to craft a bipartisan bill that we, and others in the sporting community, believe should have passed,” said American Sportfishing Association Vice President Gordon Robertson. “It’s very disheartening that the Senate process and partisan politics pulled down, for the second time in two years, a comprehensive sportsmen’s package that would have benefited this nation’s fish and wildlife resources as well as hunters and anglers.
“The failure had nothing to do with the merits of the bill and much to do with mid-term elections this year. Neither party wants to give an advantage to the other,” added Robertson. “Although we understand that this has always been the way of politics, but we also understand that good public policy requires discipline to do what is right for the nation. The former is what killed this legislation and other recent bills in the Senate.”
In a statement posted in a legislative update, the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) said:
“NSSF understands why pro-sportsmen members from both sides of the aisle wanted an opportunity to vote on amendments unique to their respective states. That said it is disheartening to see America's longstanding tradition of bipartisanship on sportsmen's issues sacrificed to the continued gridlock preventing meaningful bipartisan legislation. NSSF looks forward to working with the vast majority of Senators who continue to have an interest in passing this historic legislation on behalf of current and future generations of hunters.”
“The National Rifle Association is disappointed that the bipartisan Sportsmen’s bill has fallen victim to Sen. Harry Reid's political agenda,” said NRA Executive Director Chris Cox. “By refusing to allow a reasonable amendment process, Sen. Reid effectively killed this legislation a bill with substantive measures that would have enriched America’s hunting and sporting heritage.”
“On behalf of our 5 million members, we would like to thank Sens. Mitch McConnell, Lisa Murkowski and John Cornyn for their leadership and efforts to allow the Senate to consider important amendments that would have strengthened the legislation, such as Sen. Roger Wicker’s amendment that would have opened up millions of acres of public lands administered by the Army Corps of Engineers to lawful firearms use,” said Cox.
