The United States Sportsmen’s Alliance (USSA) has spoken out against U.S. Representative Henry Waxman (D-CA) toppling Representative John Dingell (D- MI) as chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee.
A USSA statement said that “Rep. Dingell has been a tireless champion of sportsmen issues for decades, while Rep. Waxman has a long history of supporting the causes of extremist animal rights and anti-firearm groups. Given the recent call by President-elect Barack Obama for a broad and bipartisan approach to governing, this action raises serious doubts in the eyes of sportsmen.”
“Rep. Dingell understood and cared about sportsmen and their devotion to conservation,” said USSA Vice President of Government Affairs, Rob Sexton. “On the other hand, Rep. Waxman, an environmental activist, has consistently earned a 100 percent rating from the leading anti-hunting group in the country, the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), which has sought to use the Endangered Species Act to stop hunting.”
Beyond his strong support of anti-hunting legislation, Rep. Waxman has also been a consistent opponent of Second Amendment rights. According to Sexton, “He has voted for nearly all anti-firearm bills in Congress going back to the so-called ‘Assault Weapon Ban’ and the ‘Brady Bill.’ Both of those bills were punitive and designed to prohibit law abiding citizens from engaging in their constitutional rights.”
