Dear Editor,

What do you call a person who makes a living off the sportsmen but is constantly fighting against sportsmen’s rights? I can think of quite a few but hypocrite is one that comes to mind. David Deen is that person. He is a professional fishing guide in southern Vermont, however his anti-sportsman history leaves much to be desired.

In February of 2007, David Deen, the current chairman of the Vermont House Fish, Wildlife, and Water Resource Committee held hearings in the middle of the worst snow storm Vermont has seen in years.  Many committee members were absent and many sportsmen groups were not invited to speak.  The bill pertaining to the hearing was H.59 titled :An Act Relating to Hunting with a Firearm While Under the Influence of Alcohol or Drugs:.  This bill would make it a felony violation if you’re caught hunting while on prescription drugs or have a blood alcohol content of .08.  This felony would also prohibit a person from possessing a firearm or ammunition for the rest of their lives.  It takes three convictions of driving under the influence to make it a felony.  Why is this bill so severe when no people have been killed by an intoxicated hunter?  Does Deen believe this is a fair and just law?  He must!

During the 2005-2006 legislative session, David Deen tried to amend H.447 :The Shooting Range Protection Bill”.  This amendment would have made the bill useless causing even more fish and game clubs to be shut down.  His amendment was so bad he couldn’t get five cosponsors to agree with it.

In 1998, there was an amendment on the House floor to make it illegal for Vermont law enforcement to do the Brady background checks.  David Deen killed it by a procedural move.

During 1987-1988, David Deen was a Senator from Windham County.  He introduced two bills, which thankfully, never saw any action.  The first one was S.276 titled “An Act Relating to Purchase of Handguns”.  It outlined some very anti-gun ideas.  For instance, you would need permission from the state to buy a firearm!  There would be a 7-20 day waiting period before obtaining written approval.  Your name, age, address, height, weight, eye color, hair color, occupation, social security number, birth place, and any information pertaining to the gun would be recorded and kept by the state instead of just the gun dealer.  This included PRIVATE sales, too.  There would be a $1000.00 fine for all noncompliance.

The second bill was S.!9 “ An Act Relating to the Illegal Use and Purchase of Firearms”.  This was almost exactly the same as S.276 but included long arms and had a provision that children under the age of 16 could not be in possession of a pistol or revolver.  How can Vermont’s future sporting generations expect to enjoy the great outdoors with someone such as David Deen trying to kill the ideals and traditions of Vermont’s past generations?  Why is he the chair of what is suppose to be a pro-sportsmen committee when his actions show otherwise?  Please call Speaker of the House Gay Symington at 800-322-5616 and ask to have him removed from his position as chairman.

Also, please keep in mind when choosing a guide from Orvis:  who would you like to support that supports you?

Remember- friends don’t let friends use anti-sportsmen fishing guides.

Sincerely,
Ilse