July 7, 2011

NSSF Submits Letter to the Editor on Sunday Hunting in PA

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NSSF Senior Vice President & Chief Marketing Officer Chris Dolnack submitted the following Letter to the Editor this morning in response to Sunday Hunting in Pennsylvania:

The Morning Call
Letters to the Editor
P.O. Box 1260
Allentown, Pa. 18105

To the Editor:

I was disappointed to see that Gary Blockus stands in opposition to Sunday Hunting (“Sunday hunting in PA not a good idea,” July 5, 2011).   I was shocked to see the basis for this opposition was his belief in “a day of rest for the hunted.” Huh? While I’m sure Pennsylvania’s wildlife would love to sleep-in on the weekend, that’s hardly a viable reason to oppose a very necessary measure.  Especially when one considers that most hunting in Pennsylvania occurs only from late September into early December—clearly very few Sundays would be affected by removing this restriction.

Our country has experienced declining participation in hunting over the past two decades.  This is for a variety of reasons including 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.

An economic impact report released by a coalition of America’s leading conservation, sportsmen’s and hunting organizations has found that removal of Sunday hunting restrictions would result in an estimated 8,190 new Pennsylvania jobs. The report also notes that these jobs would pay more than $245 million in wages and contribute approximately $765 million in additional economic activity to the state.

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 are not enough to convince Mr. Blockus of Sunday hunting’s benefits, perhaps he’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.

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