Editorial-Opinion November 2015

Elections, they say, matter.

Many of you who have been following this editorial for years know that I am a bit of a political wonk.

There are a number of elections approaching that will impact sportsmen and things that either interest us or impact us. 

The House Leadership

Several times in recent months, I have expressed hope that some sanity would return to management of saltwater fisheries, especially in the Gulf of Mexico. I now believe that no progress will be made in the foreseeable future. Progress hinged on the ability of the U.S. Congress to act. For reasons I understand, the ability of the House to focus on the smaller issues that impact us will be constrained. The House has to elect a leadership team and figure out a way to fund the government. There won’t be time or energy for members to deal with “small” issues, I don’t think. Consequently, I don’t think the issues that plague saltwater fishing regs will improve for a while. The election of a strong and functional leadership team in the House comes first. 

Statewide Election In 2016

State politics will be in the forefront beginning in January. There are two issues that will effect sportsmen that I expect to be raised. The first is license-fee increases for sportsmen. Legislators have to vote and pass this increase. A compelling case can be made for fees to increase at some level. However, there are two obstacles that stand in the way. The first is that legislators don’t want to increase taxes or fees in the year of an election, and all legislators will be running this April. So there is a natural reluctance to increase fees. This case is made more difficult by the unwillingness of the Wildlife Resources agency to share with sportsmen what it would do with any new funds. Tracking current spending and accountability is a guess at best. So it may be that a pending 2016 election may dampen legislators’ appetite to increase hunting and fishing license fees.

Coastal Georgia legislators are already getting an earful about a push by Coastal Resources to restrict harvest of seatrout by anglers via a change in the length limit. It is not a popular plan with many on the coast, and the data I have seen fails to make a compelling case for change. 

The 2016 Presidential Election

There is a term that plays well to the uninformed that can have dramatic consequences for you and me. The term is: “Common Sense Gun Laws.”

Those who talk about Common Sense Gun Laws and claim we need them somehow are unable to write them. But they keep beating the drum saying we need them in an effort to get people convinced that when something comes along with that label, it will automatically be supported. 

The real threat is not from the promoted but never-seen laws, but from the election itself. The reading of the Second Amendment of the constitution protects you by preventing the government from deciding who can and cannot own and use a firearm. That protection has been upheld by the Supreme Court. On first blush, that sounds very reassuring.

 But it offers a false sense of security.

A recent vote by the court was 5-4 in our favor. Those who would read the constitution differently need only one more justice to see things their way. Change one vote on the Supreme Court, and our constitutional protection vanishes. That is a fact that keeps me up at night. 

Several justices are approaching the end of their time on the bench. Their successor will be nominated by the President, whoever that may be. 

It is clear to me that should any current Democrat presidential candidate gain the presidency, the fate of the Second Amendment protection is sealed. The individual right will be lost.

Furthermore, there are candidates on the GOP side of the race that I believe would be unconcerned about protecting the current reading of the Second Amendment. This troubles me greatly. 

So I put it to you now. The only two weapons we have to protect ourselves in this national question is our vote and our money. Sportsmen need a pro Second Amendment candidate who can be elected president. I urge you to pick your candidate carefully, and send him or her a little money. This coming election really matters.