SB 298 - Crossbow bill rears its ugly head

[cgasner1]

Just a few days left to comment on this keep in mind they have no restrictions on the actual weapon with this.

 

[Mallardsx2]

OH. This makes things relevant and put things in perspective. Thanks.

 

[Elky Welky]

This is what I just sent:

Dear Commissioners,

It is with a heavy heart that I must email you about crossbows, an issue that has not only been decisively denied in the Montana legislature—repeatedly—and also denied by this commission in 2021, but also a preliminary injunction was denied by the Hon. Judge Dana Christensen in 2021 as well. This is the “ongoing litigation” referred to by the petition before you, for which Judge Christensen determined that “Plaintiffs have not shown that ‘the facts and law’ clearly favor them.” This was based upon the same, if only slightly modified, affidavits you have before you in this petition. I’ve attached the denial for your review, which was not mentioned at all in the petition before you.

Unfortunately for Montana’s bowhunting community, the individuals petitioning you have continued time and again to raise this issue with no new facts and arguments and we, as a community, have had to stand up and ask for you to deny them. No matter how many times the legislature, commission, courts, and Montanans say no, these few people just keep coming back.

For my part, I am an avid archery hunter and I have an injured upper bicep tendon that will one day make it so that I cannot draw a bow, at which point I will either apply for a permit to modify archery equipment, or, perhaps even better, teach my knowledge of the activity to a younger generation and accept my inability to draw a bow with dignity and grace.

Please deny this petition. At a certain point no means no, Montanans have spoken on this over and over again. I ask that you not be fooled by this backhanded attempt by only a few people to get what they, and only they, want.

Thank you for your careful consideration,

 

[bigsky2]

This is what I just sent:

Dear Commissioners,

It is with a heavy heart that I must email you about crossbows, an issue that has not only been decisively denied in the Montana legislature—repeatedly—and also denied by this commission in 2021, but also a preliminary injunction was denied by the Hon. Judge Dana Christensen in 2021 as well. This is the “ongoing litigation” referred to by the petition before you, for which Judge Christensen determined that “Plaintiffs have not shown that ‘the facts and law’ clearly favor them.” This was based upon the same, if only slightly modified, affidavits you have before you in this petition. I’ve attached the denial for your review, which was not mentioned at all in the petition before you.

Unfortunately for Montana’s bowhunting community, the individuals petitioning you have continued time and again to raise this issue with no new facts and arguments and we, as a community, have had to stand up and ask for you to deny them. No matter how many times the legislature, commission, courts, and Montanans say no, these few people just keep coming back.

For my part, I am an avid archery hunter and I have an injured upper bicep tendon that will one day make it so that I cannot draw a bow, at which point I will either apply for a permit to modify archery equipment, or, perhaps even better, teach my knowledge of the activity to a younger generation and accept my inability to draw a bow with dignity and grace.

Please deny this petition. At a certain point no means no, Montanans have spoken on this over and over again. I ask that you not be fooled by this backhanded attempt by only a few people to get what they, and only they, want.

Thank you for your careful consideration,

Well done

 

[MTGomer]

Imagine being as committed to making sure everybody knows you are a shitty archery hunter as Molnar is.

We all suck at something, but I’ve never seen anybody have so much dedication to broadcasting it so loudly.

 

[stoep]

Is it possible to comment not on zoom? I cant seem to find where to type a comment.

 

[MTelkHuntress]

You can email the commissioners:

REGION 1

Patrick Tabor - Commission Vice Chair

[email protected]

406-407-4222

Whitefish, Montana

REGION 2

Jeff Burrows

[email protected]

406-375-6503

Hamilton, Montana

REGION 3

Susan Kirby Brooke

[email protected]

406-613-8562

REGION 4

KC Walsh

[email protected]

406-599-9556

Martinsdale, Montana

REGION 5

Brian Cebull

[email protected]

406-860-7416

Billings, Montana

REGION 6

Lesley Robinson - Commission Chair

[email protected]

406-301-0787

Dodson, Montana

REGION 7

William Lane

[email protected]

406-981-0048

Ismay, Montana

 

[MThuntr]

I sent an email to all the commissioners though not as eloquent as above and have received several responses thanking me for my comments. They are getting them and they are reading them so keep it up

 

[Straight Arrow]

Dear Fish & Game Commission,

Crossbows are already approved for hunting during shoulder seasons, the general season and before and after in Weapons Restriction Areas, thus a long season of opportunity is available for crossbow hunters.
Physical limitations of disabled hunters allow those hunters to acquire a Permit to Modify Archery Equipment to let them modify conventional archery equipment to hunt during the Archery Only Season. In fact, Montana Bowhunters Association assists disabled bowhunters in modifying their archery equipment and going afield to hunt.

Crossbows are more closely akin to rifles than archery bows. Crossbows shoot a short metal bolt, rather than an arrow. Crossbows, much like firearms, are mechanically cocked, then fired pulling a trigger. Crossbows employ a sighting system much like a rifle and often are equipped with optical scopes. The crossbow is much easier employed as a hunting weapon and, if allowed during the Archery Only Season, would significantly transform the challenging aspect of "archery" hunting.

No problem now exists regarding opportunity for crossbow hunting. Please don't exacerbate an already contentious issue by expanding crossbow hunting.

Respectfully, Straight Arrow

 

[bigsky2]

You can also submit written comments by emailing [email protected] until midnight on the 6th.

 

[TheTone]

Doesn’t this kinda say it all and straight from the manufacturer

 

[Elky Welky]

View attachment 295399
Doesn’t this kinda say it all and straight from the manufacturer

Please tell me you sent this to the commission.

Because by petitioners' logic: if it looks like a rifle, shoots like a rifle, then it's a bow!

 

[TheTone]

Please tell me you sent this to the commission.

Because by petitioners' logic: if it looks like a rifle, shoots like a rifle, then it's a bow!

I didn’t. I’m not a Montanan just someone that cares…

 

[Elky Welky]

I didn’t. I’m not a Montanan just someone that cares…

Fair enough. If I hadn't already sent out my comments, I would have added this as an attachment. Judge Christensen also made a great point in his order, basically saying that this request for accommodation is more akin to making the holes on the golf course bigger as opposed to accommodating the players. It changes the game entirely. To anyone else on here interested in commenting, there's another angle there!

 

[cgasner1]

Fair enough. If I hadn't already sent out my comments, I would have added this as an attachment. Judge Christensen also made a great point in his order, basically saying that this request for accommodation is more akin to making the holes on the golf course bigger as opposed to accommodating the players. It changes the game entirely. To anyone else on here interested in commenting, there's another angle there!

That’s a pretty good what to put that honestly

 

[Wind Gypsy]

I wish you luck in MT. MN has no conservation community with a voice remaining on this topic. Only folks who want it to be hard as possible for a deer to survive.

 

[bigsky2]

Last day to comment!

 

[cgasner1]

Good to go till midnight guys get them in

 

[Flynarrow]

My comment to commissioners

Again and again Molnar shows up in favor of crossbows. He is tenacious for sure. Some time ago I, representing Montana Bowhunters, put on a series of workshops across the state to introduce handicapped to opportunities to use the Permit to Modify Archery Equipment right after it was approved. I was accompanied by a one armed archer who shot a longbow very accurately. There was no handicapped person that showed up to the workshops that could not be accommodated by PTMAE with the equipment we had at the time. More and more adaptive equipment has been developed.

During the last legislative session, I testified against Molnar's bill, and highlighted that most states legalizing crossbows (after failing to contain application of "handicapped"), soon had more big game killed with crossbows than bows during archery seasons. Imagine even higher numbers of elk killed during archery season.

Please reject Molnar's proposal

xxxxxxxxx(80 yo and still shooting a longbow).

 

[MTGomer]

Good story on how not to be a pussy.