Dear Editor:

The RETURN Act, introduced by Rep. Andrew Clyde (R-Ga.), would decimate funding for state-based wildlife management and crush the voice of hunters and shooters. This bill would eliminate funding for conservation raised by the Pittman-Robertson Act (PR Act). The PR Act is an 11% federal excise tax on firearms and ammunition. Since 1937, the PR Act has generated over $15 billion for state wildlife agencies ($1.5 billion in 2021). 

This historically conservatively supported funding source is not an individual tax, nor a tax on our Second Amendment rights. Rather, this is paid by manufacturers of firearms and ammunition before the point of sale. The RETURN act is opposed by the NSSF, who represents over 9,000 firearms industry companies.

Americans have the best model of wildlife conservation. We’ve successfully recovered elk, black bear, mule deer and turkey. The bulk of this work is by state game and fish agencies, at a cost more than license sales alone can cover. PR funds made up over 20% (almost $20 million) in the 2020 Wyoming G&F budget. These funds pay for hunter education, public shooting ranges, wildlife research, and habitat conservation.

The PR Act gives hunters and shooters a voice when it comes to wildlife. We are able to influence conservation nationally, as our purchases fund so much. If the PR Act is gutted, we are left voiceless.

As a hunter, shooter, and staunch Second Amendment supporter, I proudly fund conservation. I know Wyomingites aren’t ones to freeload on a resource. Our purchases of firearms and ammunition fund conservation. Without PR, we face an annual $20 million void in Wyoming.

The RETURN act is an assault on Americans as hunters, shooters and conservationists. Stop this misguided bill and preserve our heritage of hunting, shooting and conservation.

Dan Fong

Cody