MSSA President Gary Marbut on Governor Bullock and Hunting

Montana Shooting Sports Association President Gary Marbut recently sent a letter to Governor Steve Bullock regarding a fear that he might consider a moratorium on all hunting as part of his COVID 19 response.

Marbut spoke to KGVO News regarding his letter.

“I just cautioned the governor that it would be a very bad idea to limit or ban hunting for Montanans as a part of the response to the coronavirus,” said Marbut. “There are several reasons why that would be a really bad idea, so in case he and his staff are thinking about it, I wanted to go on record as saying ‘here’s a line in the sand, don’t cross it’.”

Marbut said hunting by its very definition is the original social distancing.

“First of all, it’s a nonsensical idea because it’s all about social distancing,” he said. “We all know that hunting is a solo activity by and large with exaggerated social distancing. In addition, the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks survives on hunter license revenue, and if the governor were to ban hunting, then FWP won’t starve, they’ll just go to the legislature and say ‘we need taxpayer money, we need general fund money, or it’ll be the end of the world as we know it.”

Marbut said another important reason for hunting is that is how many Montanans feed their families.

“It’s an important part of life in Montana,” he said. “A lot of hunters feed their families as a result of their hunting, and it is a constitutionally protected activity and it would be a mistake to try to interfere with it under the guise of preventing the spread of disease.”

Marbut said in his letter that an attempt to ban hunting could create disrespect for law and order and promote civil disobedience.