Crossbows and New York. With the 2013 legislative session over and Assembly Bill A293B held in committee, we are left with crossbows once again being excluded from use by all but a handful of New York Sportsmen or women*. While the bill passed the Senate with an overwhelming majority, we did not have the same success in the Assembly. However, we do have significant support by Assemblymembers in the Majority and Minority parties which we continue to build upon and will only help us moving forward. Throughout the 2013 session, many of the organizations that support crossbow expansion met with members of the Governors staff, and from the meetings I had, the consensus is the Governor would sign the legislation if it makes it to his desk. That is where we all come into the picture. People ask why, what seems to us to be a no brainer, are we having to go through so much to close the deal. It comes from 30+ years of misinformation, half truths and twisted facts spread by a few people that feel that what they choose to hunt with should be good enough for everyone else. With nothing to counter the claims, many people buy into their rhetoric. The reality is most people that are opposed to crossbows have never held or shot one; they only know what they have been told and base their opinion on the emotional arguments, not fact. Many legislators are not hunters. They dont know many if any hunters and their only perspective is what they have been told. Things like how superior a crossbow is based on its draw weight, how it is similar to a firearm based on a visual comparison and how deadly accurate they are because they can be mastered in shorter time than vertical bows. So how are we ever going to accomplish our goal? What we need is for everyone to talk to their own legislators. Be sure to thank those legislators that are already onboard and are cosponsors of S1699B or A283B. Dont take their support for granted, as the anti crossbow crowd will also be talking to them asking they pull their name off the bill. They need to hear that their support is important to their constituents, people who they represent and who can help keep them in office. We need to stay positive and stay away from the negativity. Now if your legislator is not a cosponsor, ask them to please consider becoming one. If they resist, politely ask for their reasons so we can make sure we get them information that helps educate them and counters their preconceived perceptions of crossbows. You may be surprised at some of what they have been told, and why they oppose crossbows. Many times its not that hard to present a case with supporting documentation to soften all but the harshest critics. It is almost July 1st, the next session will begin the first week of January, that gives us 6 short months to grow the support for these 2 bills. It is up to each and every one of us to help before the next session begins. Now is the best time to talk to your legislator, they are home for the rest of the year, they dont have to travel to Albany every week, and there are not as many issues pulling them in different directions. Lastly, we need to grow our numbers, especially our full membership. For those that have sent in your 2013 dues, we really appreciate it. There is a cost to running the organization. We undertook a large financial burden in 2013 when we hired a firm to represent us in Albany, and we need help to make our final payment. We also need to make sure we build our treasury for the coming year, as we will need to continue the efforts to see this through. So far this year we have given away 2 crossbows to our full members. We currently have a 3rd crossbow, a Parker Enforcer Package to give away. We had originally scheduled the drawing June 30th, but we will be delaying the drawing until July 28th. Being a full member is the only way to be included in the drawing. If your club, federation or association supports crossbow inclusion, ask that they become a sponsor of NYCC and put their support behind this effort. They will be recognized on our web site and have their name and logo added to our position papers. Sponsor applications are available on the web site. If you know of any businesses, archery shops, outdoor retailers or any business that believes in freedom of choice that supports crossbows, they can also help us as a sponsor. We ask our members to support those businesses that support us. I would like to thank everyone that made phone calls, sent letters and emails this past year. I can tell you, as frustrated as we all are, it did not go unnoticed. There are many people talking about how many people reached out in the last 2 weeks of session. We are now on the radar and must work to keep this on in everyones mind so we can make it a top priority for 2014. Together We Will Succeed! Rick McDermott rick@nycrossbowcoalition nycrossbowcoalition ( nycrossbowcoalition/ ) * The rules to qualify for a modified Crossbow permit are so stringent that only 36 of these permits have been issued since 2008.
Posted on: Sat, 13 Jul 2013 01:21:11 +0000
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