Final Vote On Sportsmen’s Act Of 2012 Expected Today (Updated)

The Senate Calendar for today lists S.3525 as the first act of legislative business for today.

The National Shooting Sports Foundation has released another alert that the bill is coming to a vote and urging support for it.

What makes this alert a little different is that they acknowledge indirectly GOA’s opposition to the bill. I know this will put me on the other side of the fence from some of my readers but I think NSSF has it right on this. I have heard criticism of NSSF’s support for S.3525 as “consider the source”. This assumes that NSSF only cares about lead ammo and shooting ranges and not Federal confiscation of land. Frankly, I think this improperly denigrates both NSSF and the gun manufacturing community as “unAmerican” and only looking out for themselves.

UPDATE: The Senate voted 50 yea, 44 nay, and 6 not voting on a substitute amendment by Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV). The amendment is described as “Motion to Waive all Applicable Budgetary Discipline Re: Amdt. No. 2875; In the nature of a substitute.” The amendment failed as it required a 3/5 majority. Every Republican except the lame duck Sen. Olympia Snowe (RINO-ME) voted nay on the amendment.

 According to today’s Senate calendar, S. 3525, is being placed on the Unanimous Consent calendar to:

1.—Ordered, That S. 3525, a bill to protect and enhance opportunities for recreational hunting, fishing, and shooting, and for other purposes, be returned to the Calendar status quo; provided, that at a time to be determined by the Majority Leader after consultation with the Republican Leader, it be in order for the Majority Leader to resume consideration of S. 3525. (Nov. 26, 2012.)

Where this leaves the bill in terms of scheduling, I’m not sure.

UPDATE II: The NSSF released this statement regarding S. 3525 yesterday. They still hope it will be brought to a vote in this lame-duck session.

NSSF today expressed disappointment with the results of last evening’s procedural vote in the U.S. Senate that has delayed action on the Sportsmen’s Act of 2012 (S.3525), but pledged to continue working in a bipartisan fashion, along with a coalition of more than 45 other leading sportsmen’s and conservation groups, to advance the historic package of bills before the adjournment of the 112th Congress.


“It is clear there is broad bipartisan support for the policies contained in the Sportsmen’s Act, which contains our industry’s top legislative priorities” said Lawrence G. Keane, NSSF senior vice president and general counsel. “While we are disappointed by Monday’s procedural vote, we will continue to work in a bipartisan manner to address budgetary concerns raised by senators in time to ensure a vote on the Sportsmen’s Act before the end of the lame-duck session.”