COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- Hunters across the country say they are boycotting Colorado because of recent legislation meant to curtail gun violence.
Colorado last week became the first Western state to ratchet back gun rights in response to mass shootings at a suburban Denver movie theatre and an elementary school in Connecticut. Opponents warned the gun controls would hurt hunters, especially an expansion of background-check requirements to apply to personal and online gun sales.
Republican opponents of the new background-check law said it would make criminals of hunters lending each other weapons for weekend hunting trips. In response, Democrats changed the bill to give people a 72-hour grace period to share guns without triggering background-check requirements. Republicans then complained the bill would imperil weeklong hunting trips.
The backlash in Colorado comes at a time when critical votes next month in Congress will determine whether gun rights groups can thwart efforts to tighten firearms regulations even after the Connecticut massacre. President Barack Obama proposed a package of gun curbs in January, a month after a shooter with an assault rifle killed 20 first-graders and six educators. Legislation likely to be debated include expanded federal background checks, tougher laws and stiffer sentences for gun trafficking and increased school safety grants.
Gun-rights advocates who said hunters would boycott Colorado in protest say they are following through on their threats.
Michael Bane, a freelance producer for The Outdoor Channel, announced he will no longer film his four shows in Colorado. And hunting outfitters say people began cancelling trips after the legislation passed, The (Colorado Springs) Gazette newspaper reported (http://tinyurl.com/cfbquoy ).
Northwest Colorado hunting guide Chris Jurney expects more state defections in a major tourism industry. Out-of-state hunters accounted for 15 per cent of hunting licenses last year, 86,000, compared with 489,000 for residents.
"There's a united front of sportsmen that are tired of having their freedoms and liberties and fundamental rights taken away from them," said Jurney, vice-president of the Colorado Outfitters Association. "That kind of unity among sportsmen is going to be big, and unfortunately for those of us who live here, we're going to suffer the consequences of this misguided legislation."
Colorado Parks and Wildlife spokesman Randy Hampton said his agency has asked the state attorney general's office for advice on impacts to hunters. While legal possession of high-capacity magazines is grandfathered in, officials want to make sure they are still legal to use.
"We believe there's the potential for impact. That's out of our control," he said. "Hunting is a tool to manage wildlife populations, and we do not believe the impacts will affect that part of our mission."
Jurney said he expects the actual impact of gun regulations on Colorado hunters will be small. Varmint hunters tend to use high-capacity magazines, so they might be limited.
Colorado tourism chief Al White said there's no immediate data showing any impact from a boycott. He said Colorado has the region's friendliest licensure process for out-of-state hunters and a waiting list for big-game licenses.
