The Delaware State Sportsmen’s Association advocates on behalf of Delaware’s community of hunters and trappers. As such, on May 6, 2014 DSSA submitted the following resolution to members of the Delaware legislature regarding House Bill 98, a bill that “amends existing statute by classifying gray foxes, skunks and weasels as game animals to allow the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control to establish seasons and regulations for these species.”
RESOLUTION
OF THE
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
OF THE
DELAWARE STATE SPORTSMEN’S ASSOCIATION, INC. (DSSA)
REGARDING HOUSE BILL NO.98
WHEREAS, The Delaware State Sportsmen’s Association, Inc. was founded in 1968 as an independent local organization to serve as the official State Affiliate of the National Rifle Association of America here in the State of Delaware, for the purpose of providing services to its individual and constituent club members pertaining to the shooting sports and the right to keep and bear arms for lawful purposes, including the protection and defense of self, family, home and State, and for hunting and recreational purposes; and
WHEREAS, the Delaware State Sportsmen’s Association, Inc. continues to provide services to Delaware’s community of hunters, trappers, sportspersons, competitive shooters, recreational shooters, gun owners and collectors, and those Delawareans wishing to lawfully own, possess and use firearms for lawful purposes here in the State of Delaware; and
WHEREAS, the Delaware State Sportsmen’s Association, Inc., recognizes the proactive efforts of Delaware’s Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) to monitor and control Delaware’s gray fox population by classifying gray foxes as game animals; and
WHEREAS, the Delaware State Sportsmen’s Association, Inc., recognizes the adoption of the gray fox as Delaware’s State Wildlife Animal in 2010; and
WHEREAS, the Delaware State Sportsmen’s Association, Inc., recognizes that other official Delaware State Animals are harvested, including the weakfish (Delaware State Fish) and horseshoe crab (Delaware State Marine Animal); and
WHEREAS, the Delaware State Sportsmen’s Association, Inc., recognizes that other states’ official animals are harvested, including the white-tailed deer in Pennsylvania and the Rockfish (Striped Bass) in Maryland; and
WHEREAS, the Delaware State Sportsmen’s Association, Inc., recognizes that trapping and controlled and targeted hunting are proven and effective methods of protecting and controlling Delaware’s valuable wildlife populations, including Delaware’s important gray fox population; and
WHEREAS, the Delaware State Sportsmen’s Association, Inc., recognizes that effective and efficient enforcement of the so-called “incidental taking” of gray foxes as proposed in Senate Amendment No. 1 to House Bill 98 (Delaware 147th General Assembly) will be difficult, if not impossible, for Delaware wildlife agents to enforce fairly, equitably and with uniformity throughout all portions of all three counties of the State of Delaware; and
WHEREAS, Senate Amendment 1 to House Bill 98, contains provisions which are likely to result in unforeseen and unintended consequences for Delaware’s hunters, trappers and landowners and for Delaware’s wildlife population, generally, and for foxes of all types, specifically; may be subject to arbitrary and capricious interpretation and application; will be difficult, if not impossible, to uniformly interpret, apply and implement; and thus constitute bad governmental policy.
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Board of Directors of the Delaware State Sportsmen’s Association hereby:
- supports classifying gray foxes as game animals in Delaware as proposed in the original House Bill 98 of the Delaware 147th General Assembly (without Senate Amendment No. 1); and
- opposes Senate Amendment 1 to House Bill 98 as bad public policy; and
- would request the House of Representatives not pass House Bill 98 as amended by Senate Amendment 1; and
- supports the re-passage of House Bill 98 in its original form, without Senate Amendment 1.
* * *
This RESOLUTION, having been considered by the Board of Directors of the Delaware State Sportsmen’s Association, Inc., in a meeting held in Dover, Delaware on May 5, 2014 during which a quorum was then present and participating, and having received unanimous approval by the affirmative vote of all Directors then present and voting, is hereby declared to be PASSED.