California – -(AmmoLand.com)- The Sportsmen’s Alliance, Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation, and Safari Club International filed for a preliminary injunction today in their federal lawsuit against a newly passed California law to protect the free speech rights of shooting, hunting, and conservation organizations throughout the state.
The law, created by the passage of AB 2571, which purports to prohibit the “marketing” of firearms to minors, actually goes much further by banning free speech regarding the use of firearms while hunting, shooting or engaging in competitions that might be “attractive to minors.” It’s anyone’s guess what this means.
The Sportsmen’s Alliance was the first to alert sportsmen on AB 2571 early in the legislative session, citing the bill’s prohibition of communicating any youth firearm-related activities as the death-knell of recruitment efforts and hunter safety training statewide.
Because the law institutes a massive $25,000 per occurrence penalty, individuals and organizations responded by putting the brakes on communicating anything about youth shooting and education programs of all types.
“We’ve just implemented a major overhaul of our next magazine to comply with this draconian law, removing a number of stories about youth hunter recruitment, our high school Conservation Science curriculum and pulling all photos of kids hunting with firearms,” said Todd Adkins, vice president of government affairs for Sportsmen’s Alliance.
“And this is precisely what Gov. Newsom and supporters of AB 2571 want, to muzzle our free speech and gut our recruitment efforts, because their ultimate goal is to remove hunters from the landscape altogether.”
Although Newsom signed an amendment that was passed in the waning moments of the 2022 legislative session, the new language does little to protect free speech by hunting organizations like the Sportsmen’s Alliance which regularly publish on firearm-related issues. Many organizations with routine communication outlets like magazines, websites, social media platforms, and the like will simply cease to exercise their protected First Amendment rights because of the uncertainty created by the new law.
“The amendment Newsom signed is just a bunch of nice-sounding words that don’t fix the underlying gag order the law puts on organizations like ours,” continued Adkins. “It’s political eyewash to call this is a ‘fix’ when it’s really nothing more than a shiny object to show some groups who wanted a carve out.”
The Sportsmen’s Alliance legal challenge in federal district court continues, and the filing of the preliminary injunction necessary to stop enforcement of the law so that free speech related to youth hunter education, recruitment, and shooting programs can continue while the case is pending.
Sportsmen’s Alliance
About Sportsmen’s Alliance: Working in all 50 state legislatures, the Sportsmen’s Alliance protects and defends America’s wildlife conservation programs and the pursuits – hunting, fishing, trapping and recreational shooting – that generate the money to pay for them. Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation is responsible for public and youth education, legal defense in state and federal court and research to guide the decision-making process of all involved. Its mission is accomplished through several distinct programs coordinated to provide the most complete defense capability possible. Stay connected to Sportsmen’s Alliance as www.sportsmensalliangce.org, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
So far the only person I see that is just as stupid as Joe Biden is Gavin Newsome . Thier oath to uphold the constitution means nothing too these two clowns . Rather than banning free speach or guns , we need to ban Democrats from holding any public offices.
I can think of other STUPID “professional permanent practicing politicians”. Schmucker, Piglousy, Naaaadler, Schitf, Wraaaay, Brennnnaaann, Learner, Holddder, Wattters, Saanddy among hundreds of others. 80% to 90% just happen to be DemoKKKrat commie party members!
These democrats are not doing these anti gun laws because they’re stupid, but rather to constantly and consistantly hammer away (pun intended) at the 2nd A and The Bill of Rights, until eventually their constituency finds themselves having stupidly and blindly voted theirselves out of their constitutional rights completely,because of their ignorance and failure to open their eyes and see the big picture of the long term consequences.
Alas they are voting ALL OF US to our doom with them.
FJB
In this stroke of public policy brilliance Gavin and his Clown Circus have accomplished one thing: they have decimated one of the most dedicated and effective volunteer work forces remaining in the People’s Republic of California. That workforce is the Hunter Education Instructor force of nearly 3,000 volunteers who dedicate hundreds of hours and miles driven to support the mandatory Hunter Education requirement for all hunters in California. I know four folks at least here in Arizona who USED TO BE a part of this workforce providing a cost free service to California. Many of us are multi-state certified as… Read more »
Making your job perilous to your freedom and thus making you quit was their whole intention to begin with.
Denial and Violation of Constitutional Rights by Color of Law” comes to mind here…….
California far left are off the chart. They hate everything: free speech, freedom of association, firearms, people who own firearms, hunters (except for Hunter Biden), freedom to live ones life without having to check-in with dear Gavin first.
I say to hell with California; last person out turn out the lights! Oops, forgot, they blew up their hydroelectric dams, so, no lights to turn out.