Sportsmen Unite to Defeat Anti Ordinance

[apmaurosr]

Unity Among Sportsmen and Sportswomen Defeats Ordinance (The Benefit of Unity)

More than 50 conservationists gathered at the Wall Township Committee Meeting last night to support the last minute removal of an ordinance would have prohibited a person from having a loaded firearm or nocked arrow while within 650 feet of any building, school playground or municipal park.

Hunters, anglers, trappers, and a diver united to present a coalition protecting New Jersey’s hunting heritage from eroding due to the efforts of what appeared to be one family’s vendetta against outdoorsmen and outdoorswomen.

A husband and wife spoke on behalf of the ordinance, and were the only residents on recent records to support the 650’ perimeter rule. They were also joined by Ms. Doris Lin (see bio below.) **

Thanks to all of those who wrote and called the township in support of removal of the ordinance and especially to those that took the time to attend and demonstrate their commitment to conservation. A special thank you to Cindy Kuenstner of the Division of Fish and Wildlife and for her expert advice to the committee and for her attendance.

Sportsmen and sportswomen are slowly gaining respect and reasserting their rightful place in the minds and communities of New Jersey. On behalf of the New Jersey Outdoor Alliance I’d like to express my deep appreciation and sincerest thanks to everyone that attended, corresponded, cheered us on and wished us well. The results are truly a benefit of unity.

Ant
Chair
New Jersey Outdoor Alliance
www.njoutdooralliance.org

* * According to a bio on About.com: Animal Rights - Ms. Doris Lin is an animal rights attorney and the Vice President of Legal Affairs for the Bear Education and Resource Group. She has worked for a variety of animal groups over the years, including the Animal Protection PAC, New Jersey Animal Rights Alliance, The Bear Education and Resource Group, The Humane Society of the United States, and the Animal Welfare Institute. She has also founded two student animal rights groups, and has served on the Board of Directors of the Boston Vegetarian Society.

As an attorney, she represented NJARA and the BEAR Group in a lawsuit against the state of New Jersey, successfully invalidating the state's five-year bear hunt plan. She is also a member of the New Jersey State Bar Association's Animal Law Committee, and is the author of "Bear Hunt Controversy Shines the Spotlight on New Jersey's Wildlife Law," published in New Jersey Lawyer Magazine.

Doris has been an animal rights activist for 25 years, vegetarian for 23 years and vegan for 20 years. She shares a home with two humans, two rabbits, and two guinea pigs, and is a life member of the House Rabbit Society.

[bunkerjoe4]

Bravo, Anthony!

Someone reported this in our hunting forum, I will have to cross-link it so others are aware.

As you have been saying, awareness is key. Many people might not have understood the significance of this united front. Without it, a seemingly innocuous change in one township's ordinance could have been a precedent to do this in other towns, causing grief for NJ hunters down the road.

Thanks for your vigilance, and keeping us up to date with the latest developments regarding access in NJ. - bunkerjoe