Some hunters are targeting Colorado’s important tourism dollars by urging a boycott of the state because of its recently approved gun control legislation.

“It’s a question of principle,” Chris Jurney, vice president of the Colorado Outfitters Association, a group that represents many of the guides and outfitters that cater to out-of-state hunters, told the Los Angeles Times. “It’s a real threat; people are tired of having their rights infringed upon.”

Last week, Colorado became the first Western state to approve gun control measures, including an expansion of background checks for prospective buyers and a limit on the size of ammunition magazines. Other states, such as New York, have taken tougher steps in response to deadly attacks by lone gunmen in Newtown, Conn., and Aurora, Colo.

Congress is expected to debate a package of restrictions when it returns from spring break.

But as a Western state with a strong history of guns, Colorado carries a special status, and hunters are concerned.

“Ultimately we didn’t support any of the bills as they were presented,” said Jurney, a registered outfitter and guide. “It gets back to a basic infringement of the Second Amendment rights, and that’s principle enough so sportsmen will act.”

Jurney said he and others have received emails from sportsmen’s groups urging members to boycott Colorado. Michael Bane, a freelance producer for the Outdoor Channel, said he would no longer film his four shows in Colorado, according to the Gazette in Colorado Springs, which first reported on the boycott.

The impact of any boycott will be hard to measure for a while. The laws go into effect in July and hunting season for rifle doesn’t start until the late summer and early autumn.”

 


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