As an avid outdoorsman, a proud gun owner, and a member of the Congressional Sportsmen Caucus, one of my priorities in Congress is to protect our outdoors and public lands and to ensure that they can be enjoyed by all and for generations of Mainers to come.
We Mainers have a rich tradition of using our pristine lands for recreational use, whether it is hunting game in the Katahdin region or angling in the Kennebec River. I believe that it is critical to protect these lands in our State and our citizens’ rights to use them, as we have for centuries.
Under current law, there are several federal agencies, including the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), that have the authority to unilaterally implement policies that can restrict citizens’ rights to the recreational use of federal lands. These agencies even have the ability to limit and attack our Second Amendment rights.
This week, the U.S. House of Representatives will vote on a very important piece of legislation to support our hunting, fishing and sportsman rights. The SHARE Act is a bipartisan bill that contains several key provisions to protect our fishers, hunters, outdoorsmen and women and their rights.
This bill removes intrusive regulations from federal agencies, greatly increases the opportunities for Mainers to use federal lands recreationally, and puts in place safeguards to protect law-abiding citizens’ Second Amendment rights.
As Maine’s Second District Congressman, I know how important it is to protect our sportsman tradition in Maine. In Congress, I will continue to support our citizens’ rights to using our land responsibly. I will also always stand firmly against any attack on our Second Amendment rights.
That is why this week I will proudly cast my vote in support of the SHARE Act when the House brings it up for consideration.