June 16, 2011

NSSF Responds to Sunday Hunting Article in Pennsylvania

---

Earlier today NSSF submitted the following Letter to the Editor regarding Sunday Hunting in Pennsylvania:

Lancaster Newspapers, Inc.

To the Editor:

I was dismayed to see my hometown paper cite a “growing anti-hunting attitude” as a reason for a decrease in hunting license sales between 1981 – 2006 (“PA and Sunday Deer Hunting,” June 15, 2011).  Quite the contrary: the public’s view of hunting has never been higher.  According to a 2006 Responsive Management study, 78 percent of American adults support this great tradition, our great tradition.

Still, as your editorial correctly notes, our country has experienced declining participation in hunting over the past two decades for a variety of reasons – a growing disconnect between children and nature, loss of habitat and an aging population. As more and more adults hang up their fishing rods, rifles and boots, fewer and fewer young people are picking them up, choosing instead to stay indoors with their video games, television and laptops.  This is bad for our economy, wildlife management and most certainly our children.

Hunting, fishing and other forms of outdoor recreation can provide proven physical, psychological and educational benefits for our nation’s young people – given the time to participate. If the strong economic incentives, many of which were discussed in your editorial, are not enough to convince some of Sunday hunting’s benefits, perhaps they’ll embrace it as an opportunity to allow these young people to go afield and build the next generation of hunter-conservationists.

Sincerely,

Christopher Dolnack
Senior Vice President & Chief Marketing Officer
National Shooting Sports Foundation, Inc.

The National Shooting Sports Foundation is the trade association for the firearms, ammunition, hunting and shooting sports industry.

---

Categories: Hunting, Top Stories