Rusk on HB 372, HB 551

by Kris Killorn, President, Outdoor Heritage Coalition

Rep. Rusk’s excuses for voting against HB 372 are out of balance considering all that has changed in 20 plus years since the Constitutional Amendment C-41, Article IX, Section 7, passed in 2004. His claims are not valid, or totally true. 

Central among those changes are judicial interference and NGO (Non Governmental Organization) ballot initiatives attempting to restrict or ban hunting, trapping, and fishing. 

Article IX, Section 7, of our Montana Constitution preserves the opportunity, not the right, to harvest wild fish and game. 

Having only an opportunity places a heavy burden on sportsmen to defend against a ban, court decision or initiative. The defeat of HB 372 now will only embolden the anti-hunting, anti-trapping groups to restrict those activities through continued ballot initiatives and legislation. 

HB 372 would have prevented statutory ballot initiatives and activist judges from decreeing unwarranted hunting, trapping, and fishing bans of specific species like lions, wolves, and bears. 

Rep. Rusk voted no on HB 372, the Right to Hunt, and no on HB 551, a Right to Keep and Bear Arms Constitutional Amendment. 

Rep. Rusk is a typical politician. When it’s an election he will tell you anything, but when the vote counts, he is nowhere to be seen. 

We need to re-elect Senator Theresa Manzella to continue to vote in favor of hunting and gun rights as she did in support of HB 372 and HB 551. She is someone with a consistent voting record protecting and genuinely safeguarding our traditions these bills would have achieved.