• Friday Actions
• Saturday Auctions

At 10:00 am Friday, February 24th, doors to the taxidermy displays and vendor booths open – come visit with some of the world’s foremost outfitters and learn about hunting options around the world.

5:30 pm doors open to the Friday night fundrasier. Live and Silent Auctions and great gun raffles. No Charge to get in on Friday Night.

If you want to attend any of these seminars, please RSVP to admin@aksafariclub.org or call 907-980-9018.  Seating is limited so call early.

The bill passed the House of Representatives at the end of June by a vote of 412-6. The House bill was sponsored by Rep. Ron Kind (D-Wisc.) and Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.). The Senate bill (S. 632) was sponsored by Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.) and had 30 cosponsors, including lead co-sponsor Sen. Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) who co-chairs the Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus.

This legislation corrects a longstanding inequity in the Internal Revenue Code by permitting firearm and ammunition manufacturers to pay the federal excise tax payment on a quarterly basis, just as other industries that support conservation through a federal excise tax do. Currently, firearms and ammunition manufacturers pay this tax on a bi-weekly schedule, forcing many manufacturers to borrow money to ensure on-time payment. Industry members spend thousands of staff-hours administering the necessary paperwork to successfully complete the bi-weekly tax payments—monies that are due to the federal government long before manufacturers are paid by their customers.

Importantly, HR 5552 pays for itself and does not add to the budget deficit. Nor does the bill lower the amount of conservation dollars collected by lowering the tax rate. It simply adjusts the payment schedule to a quarterly period.

“This bill strengthens wildlife conservation funding in America,” said NSSF Senior Vice President and General Counsel Lawrence G. Keane. “By enabling manufacturers to grow their businesses, excise tax receipts will actually grow. We are thankful for the tremendous support and leadership of Senators Max Baucus and Mike Crapo. Clearly, their vision in championing this bipartisan, pro-conservation, pro-business legislation allowed for smooth passage of the bill.”

Keane added, “We also want to thank Majority Leader Harry Reid for expediting the legislative process by allowing the Senate to vote on the House-passed version of the bill. Senator Reid has long supported and fought for issues important to our industry and for hunters and gun owners both in Nevada and across the United States.”

The firearm and ammunition excise tax is the major revenue source for funding the Wildlife Restoration Trust Fund (also known as the Pittman-Robertson Trust Fund). Last year, firearm and ammunition manufacturers contributed approximately $450 million dollars to wildlife conservation through excise tax payments.

Passage of HR 5552 would not have been possible without the hard work of many organizations, including a broad coalition of more than 35 conservation groups that are members of the American Wildlife Conservation Partners. This coalition includes the National Rifle Association, Ducks Unlimited, Safari Club International and the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation, which made passage of this bill a priority.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies also supported this legislation as did the Internal Revenue Service-Tax and Trade Bureau, which collects the excise tax. There is no organized opposition to this legislation.

“With passage of excise tax improvement in the House and Senate, it is our hope that President Obama will act fast to sign this legislation into law,” said Keane.

About NSSF

The National Shooting Sports Foundation is the trade association for the firearms industry. Its mission is to promote, protect and preserve hunting and the shooting sports. Formed in 1961, NSSF has a membership of more than 5,500 manufacturers, distributors, firearms retailers, shooting ranges, sportsmen’s organizations and publishers. For more information, log on to www.nssf.org.

Whenever you are in the market for a hunt, merchandise or services, please remember that those listed on our website.  They gave generously so that your heritage would be protected, so let’s all remember them when shopping for that next hunt, fishing trip, shotgun, rifle, fur coat, optics or any of the fine products contributed by our donors.

Having led the sporting community for years in conservation and humanitarian endeavors  this new effort will fulfill SCI Alaska Chapter’s long awaited entry into the advocacy arena full time.  Supporting hunter’s rights is not new to the leadership of the Alaska Safari Club, having led the effort to battle the anti-hunters in 2004 and again in 2008 on ballot box biology fights.  Both of those efforts proved SCI Alaska Chapter is a formidable force for hunters.

Credit for getting SCA-PAC up and running goes to SCI Board Member, Steve Colligan, who is the chair of SCI Alaska Chapter’s Governmental Affairs Committee.  Steve’s extensive background in the political arena and campaigns will be as we move this effort forward.

For more information, contact the us at:  advocate@aksafariclub.org To donate, send your contribution to SCA-PAC at PO Box 770511, Eagle River, AK  99577.  Donations cannot exceed $500 and may not be made by a corporate entity.

Following the April 2009 delisting of wolves, Idaho authorized a hunt of up to 220 wolves and Montana authorized a hunt of up to 75 wolves per season. The anti-hunting groups sued to reverse the delisting and asked Judge Donald Molloy, of the U.S. District Court for Montana, to halt the scheduled hunts on an emergency basis.

SCI is participating in the case to defend the wolf delisting and filed a brief in opposition to preliminary injunction. SCI argued that the delisting was proper, and that Montana and Idaho’s limited hunts would not harm the wolf population, which is many times the number deemed necessary for continued recovery. SCI included with their brief expert testimony about the state of Alaska’s wolf harvests and the difficulties Alaska has had with managing its wolf population despite large bag limits and long seasons.

SCI President Larry Rudolph said “SCI continues to lead the way for the hunting community in efforts to keep the recovered wolves of the Rocky Mountains where they belong – off the endangered species list. The states can and will effectively manage the wolf, as demonstrated by their establishing reasonable and well-regulated wolf hunts. SCI recognizes that a difficult battle lies ahead. Our lawyers are already hard at work to meet that challenge.” The judge’s ruling offers an immediate victory for Montana and Idaho’s efforts to manage their wolf populations and for the hunting community’s interest in protecting the wild ungulate populations that are feeling the impact of the growing wolf populations.

Unfortunately, Judge Molloy’s ruling is only a temporary one and it foreshadows an uphill battle in the ongoing effort to defend the legality of the delisting. To make this victory permanent, the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), SCI and all of those who support the delisting will need to convince the judge that the FWS has authority to delist Montana and Idaho’s wolves, while leaving Wyoming’s wolves on the endangered species list.

SCI will stay involved to defend the delisting on the merits. Until the case is resolved on the merits, the Idaho hunt, which began on September 1, and the Montana hunt, which will begin on September 15, will proceed under state law. Thanks in part to the efforts of SCI, hunters in these states can now continue to participate in this important wildlife management activity.