Wyoming: 32 State Representatives Ignore Hunters and Uphold Crippling Amendment to Pro-Hunting Reform Bill

Yesterday, Representative Albert Sommers (R-20) added a last-minute, crippling amendment to a pro-hunting bill that would remove the state prohibition on hunting with sound suppressors.  Representative Sommers’ amendment to Senate File 132 would maintain the state’s outdated ban on hunting with suppressors for all game except varmints.  Earlier today, Representative Mark Baker (R-49) offered a counter amendment that would erase this unnecessary restriction.  However, despite the flood of comments from hunters and sportsmen who vigorously support full inclusion of suppressors for hunting, 32 state Representatives ignored their constituents by voting against Representative Baker’s amendment.

SF 132, as introduced by Senator Ogden Driskill (R-01), has in the Senate and House Agriculture Committee by overwhelming margins.  Please contact your state Representative and politely ask him or her to vote to remove Rep. Sommers’ crippling amendment when SF 132 comes up for a final vote tomorrow.

This is your last chance to contact your state Representative and politely encourage his or her support of this common sense hunting reform measure – WITHOUT the Sommers amendment.

Currently, more than half of the states across the country allow hunters to use suppressors.  Recently Arizona, Oklahoma and Texas adopted new rules allowing for use of suppressors when hunting game.  It’s time that hunters in Wyoming are able to enjoy the same opportunities available to sportsmen in more than half of the country.  For more information on firearms and suppressors, click here.

Noise complaints are being used more frequently as an excuse to close shooting ranges, informal shooting areas and hunting lands throughout the country. Increased use of suppressors will help to eliminate many of these complaints and protect hunting and shooting areas well into the future.

In order to acquire a suppressor, a purchaser must submit the appropriate paperwork to the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives where long wait times for approval are unfortunately common (four to six months).  Also, purchasers must undergo a background check by the FBI, find a licensed dealer authorized to conduct the transaction and pay a one-time $200 tax for each device.  While suppressors do not eliminate the sound of a firearm, they do reduce the muzzle report in a manner similar to the way that a muffler reduces exhaust noise from a vehicle.  The benefits associated with suppressor use include increased accuracy due to reduced recoil and muzzle blast, protection from hearing damage and reduced noise pollution.

Please contact your state Representative TODAY and urge his or her support for SF 132  and opposition to the Sommers amendment.

Wyoming State Representatives Who Voted to Uphold the misguided Sommers’ Amendment:

Representative Eric Barlow

Representative Rosie Berger

Representative David Blevins

Representative Kermit Brown

Representative James Byrd

Representative Rita Campbell

Representative Kathy Coleman

Representative Cathy Connolly

Representative Kathy Davison

Representative Ken Esquibel

Representative Lee Filer

Representative John Freeman

Representative W. Patrick Goggles

Representative Matthias Greene

Representative Marti Halverson

Representative Steve Harshman

Representative Elaine Harvey

Representative Lynn Hutchings

Representative Dan Kirkbride

Representative Thomas Lockhart

Representative Thomas Lubnau

Representative Michael Madden

Representative Bob Nicholas

Representative John Patton

Representative Jerry Paxton

Representative Albert Sommers

Representative Tim Stubson

Representative Matt Teeters

Representative Sue Wallis

Representative Tom Walters

Representative Dan Zwonitzer

Representative David Zwonitzer