SCI Congratulates House of Representatives on Passage of Sportsmen’s Act
Safari Club International 02.05.14
Today, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to pass H.R. 3590, the Sportsmen’s Heritage And Recreational Enhancement Act. This legislation includes eight titles that would expand and protect opportunities for hunting, target shooting, and angling for millions of Americans, including the permanent guarantee of hunting on nearly 500 million acres of public lands.
“Safari Club International would like to thank the members of the Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus and the leadership in the House of Representatives for advancing this very important legislation. We especially appreciate the work of Congressman Bob Latta, who has been the champion of the Sportsmen’s Act as the Co-Chair of the Sportsmen’s Caucus,” said Melissa Simpson, SCI Director of Government Affairs.
H.R. 3590 was introduced on December 21, 2013 by the bi-partisan leadership of the Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus including Congressman Robert Latta (OH), Congressman Bennie Thompson (MS), Congressman Robert Wittman (VA), and Congressman Tim Walz (MN). The Sportsmen’s Act includes legislation that has been successfully advanced by Congressman Dan Benishek (MI), Congressman Duncan Hunter (CA), Congressman Don Young (AK), Congressman Bob Gibbs (OH) and Congressman Jeff Miller (FL).
“With the bi-partisan vote today, America’s sportsmen and women are a step closer to enacting these much-needed, common-sense reforms. We wait eagerly and anxiously for Senate action in the near future,” concluded Simpson.
Safari Club International has been working closely with colleague organizations such as the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation, the National Rifle Association, the National Shooting Sports Foundation, the Boone & Crockett Club, and U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance. The combined effort by these organizations ensured that the House of Representatives passed the bi-partisan SHARE Act.
See the full text of the legislation at http://beta.congress.gov/bill/113th-congress/house-bill/3590.
Protecting hunters’ rights and promoting wildlife conservation, SCI’s two areas of focus, historically has been the interest of hundreds of individuals long before SCI was established. But how did SCI as an organization begin?
Forty years ago, there were many safari clubs across the country made up of local, unaffiliated groups of hunters. One such was Safari Club of Los Angeles, which was formed in April 1971 by forty-seven individuals. In early 1972, an out-of-towner from a similar club in Chicago attended one of the monthly Wednesday night meetings, and it was decided that the L.A. club should attempt to combine with the one in Chicago to make it an affiliated chapter. The founder of Safari Club of Los Angeles, C.J. McElroy, went to the Windy City and instituted the new chapter.
Eleven months after the formation of Safari Club of Los Angeles, on March 9, 1972, the name was changed officially to Safari Club International. SCI continued to reach out to other independent safari clubs throughout the United States in an effort to combine them into a single overall organization.
Today, interest in SCI’s two primary missions has grown a worldwide network. Subsequent involvement and promotion of these missions is rooted in each of our 55,000 members, supported through each of our 190 membership chapters found across the globe, and put into action by government representatives and personnel both nationally and internationally.
In this way, we can encourage an appreciation for nature and wildlife so that conservation efforts remain strong, while also fighting to protect our rich hunting heritage. Big changes can be achieved through the endeavors of many who are united in a mission – the mission of Safari Club International.
