Today, the House passed H.R. 2406, the Sportsmen’s Heritage and Recreational Enhancement Act (SHARE Act), with a bipartisan vote of 242-161.

“We’re seeing abusive federal restrictions for anglers and hunters on federal lands. Close to a million acres once used for target shooting are now padlocked to taxpayers due to unilateral executive edicts,” Chairman Rob Bishop (R-UT) stated. “The SHARE Act protects Second Amendment rights and ensures reliable access to recreation on federal lands for future generations.”

Over the decades, presidents have used the Antiquities Act to unilaterally close 885,273 acres of federal lands for target shooting, according to the Bureau of Land Management.

The SHARE Act, introduced by Rep. Robert Wittman (R-VA), protects the rights of sportsmen by removing government roadblocks and burdensome regulations that prevent fishing, hunting, and shooting on federal lands. Sportsmen’s Conservation groups and Angling and Hunting Conservation groups support the bill.

“Hunters and anglers were among the first to recognize how essential wildlife conservation is to preserving federal lands in public trust, and since that time, outdoorsmen have done more to protect and preserve our national resources than any other group,” Rep. Wittman stated. “The SHARE Act supports those efforts by expanding access to federal lands for sportsmen and –women.  It protects outdoor recreationalists from arbitrary efforts by the federal government to block federal lands from hunting and fishing. This important legislation will safeguard natural resources and habitats for generations to come.”  

Vice-Chairman Cynthia Lummis (WY-At large) addressed passage of an amendment that reissues the 2011 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service decision to delist the gray wolf in the Western Great Lakes and Wyoming from the Endangered Species Act and allows state management of wolf populations.

“The science speaks for itself and even the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service agrees: the gray wolf is recovered in the Western Great Lakes region and Wyoming,” Lummis said. “Our bipartisan amendment led by Rep. Reid Ribble received bipartisan support on the floor and moves us one step closer to claiming the recovery of the wolf as the conservation victory it is and returning management to the capable hands of the states.”

Click here to learn more about the SHARE Act.