All across the country, hunters have joined in a call to boycott Colorado over that state’s recent laws to curb gun freedoms.
Michael Bane, with the Outdoor Channel, says he’s not filming the show’s four productions in the state any longer, CBS says. And hunters have started canceling their trips to the state, the Colorado Springs Gazette reports.
“There’s a united front of sportsmen that are tired of having their freedoms and liberties and fundamental rights taken away from them,” said Northwest Colorado hunting guide Chris Jurney in the CBS report. “That kind of unity among sportsmen is going to be big, and unfortunately for those of us who live here, we’re going to suffer the consequences of this misguided legislation.”
And Jeff Lepp, owner of the Colorado Springs gun and hunting shop Specialty Sports, guessed hunters would bypass the state in protest of its new gun control laws and head for other Rocky Mountain regions instead, CBS says.
Democratic Gov. John Hickenlooper just signed into law this month a ban on ammunition magazines with more than 15 rounds, and a mandate that all buyers undergo background checks — including those who purchase online or through private sellers.
Mr. Jurney said the tourism industry in Colorado was going to see a dramatic hit. Colorado awarded 86,000 hunting licenses to out-of-staters in 2012, CBS reports. That’s about 15 percent of what it approves each year.
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• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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