Thank you to Susan Gordon for bringing Michael Moore’s
views re hunting to our attention. It caused us to write the letter
below. You will find much more detail on the issue of guns in the
city in this issue of the C.A.S.H. Courier.
Letter to Michael Moore, his e-mail e-mail address
is media@michaelmoore.com ..
Dear Michael,
I was disheartened to find that you are “all for hunting.” Perhaps
an understanding of how hunting in the woods affects people’s lives
in the cities will cause you to change your mind:
Excise taxes on firearms (including handguns) and ammunition
pay into what’s called “The Conservation Fund.” The fund is used
to promote more use of those items via hunting. The taxes on bullets
and guns that are used to kill or injure people in the suburbs and
cities also pay into the Conservation Fund. I believe it was Hillary
Clinton who, years ago, tried to tap into the Conservation Fund so
that a portion of the Fund could be used for victims of gun violence.
She wasn’t able to accomplish her goal because of strong resistance
from firearms interests.
On the other hand, the General Fund (that which benefits
the public) must contribute a 25% matching amount to firearms excise
tax revenue raised by the state. Public taxes that are handed over
to the Conservation Fund are used to promote more hunting and so
more gun use. The actual dollar amount in NYS is about four million
dollars. Consider that that’s four million dollars that can’t be
used for our senior citizens’ health care, children’s education,
or anything else that would benefit the public.
Wildlife management agencies whose job is to promote
hunting are the towel boys for the firearms industry. They contribute
nothing to the General Fund. Rather, they directly siphon off 25%
from the General Fund. They are operating what is tantamount to a
private business out of government offices. In that respect, the
Bureau of Wildlife further uses up public dollars by having their
printing, office help, legal aid, postage, etc., paid for with public
tax dollars while only functioning on behalf of a 4% special interest
group.
You may also have noticed in your research for the
film that many of the young people who massacred their classmates
and teachers were either hunters or the children of hunters and had
easy access to firearms. They witnessed violence to animals or came
from families that cared nothing for the lives of the hunted. It’s
not such a big jump from a warm blooded mammal about the size of
human man or woman to humans.
If compassion for animals isn’t part of your make up,
then at least stay consistent in your compassion for people and your
concern about firearms. Hunting has got to go for everyone’s sake.
Best,
Anne Muller
Wildlife Watch/Committee to Abolish Sport Hunting
845-256-1400
Wildlife Watch and C.A.S.H. send out many letters on
hunting and trapping throughout the year.
