Just off the FishWire - Not Good:

[JohnR]

Special Alert!

Yesterday, the Massachusetts House released their proposed budget (found at www.state.ma.us/legis/04budget/house/frame.html for Fiscal Year 2004 (which starts July 1, 2003). It would drastically affect gun owners and sportsmen in two different ways.

Here's what you need to know:

Outside section 280 would repeal the Inland Fisheries And Game Fund and the Wildland Stamp Land Acquisition accounts;



Language contained in budget sections 462 and 465 would divert some of those funds to a health care program. This is a clear violation of federal regulations regarding the disposition of Pittman-Robertson Act and Dingell-John son Act funds. Roughly translated, the state will LOSE about 4.6 million dollars a year from this move - roughly 60% of the DFW budget!

WHAT YOU CAN DO:

GOAL urges you to contact your state representatives IMMEDIATELY, but in any case no later than Friday afternoon. Ask them to sign on to the Straus-Peterson Amendment to fix this Fund issue. Not sure how to contact your representative? Go to www.state.ma.us/legis/citytown.htm to find a listing of representatives by city and town.

Here's the second way in which the budget would affect gun owners and sportsmen:

Outside sections 305 through 311 would quadruple the fee for FID Cards or Licenses to Carry a Firearm from $25 to $100!

Unfortunately, complicated rules on proposed financial budget amendments would require that any proposed loss of revenue be made up. In other words, if we wish to retain a licensing fee at $25; House rules require us to come up with the "missing" $75. It will be some time before we can create an amendment to deal with this issue.

WHAT YOU CAN DO:

Contact your state representative and tell them why you think $100 for a license every four years is excessive. You will be laying the groundwork for a future call when a more specific amendment is offered.

Now this is the first I've seen this bit - if anyone has additional ifo - that would be great...

I'm not a gun owner so I can't speak for the repercussions there other than often dovetail with those of us anglers...

[surf fishing IN R.I.]

charging $100.00 for a license to carry they just want people to stop carring guns they want to make it harder i used to pay $10.00 now i pay $25.00 we better start saving its just a money racket they want the crooks to be the only ones with gunes and they dont care if it goes to $100.00 a year just makeing harder next a saltwater license start outwith $10.00
five years from it will coast $2000.00 a month


ONLY IN AMERICA THINGS LIKE THIS HAPPEN

[redlite]

Thanks for the heads up. I just renewed my LTC a few weeks ago. My pops has been in constant contact with our local rep over past issues. I will pass the word about this new issue on to him so he can have a chat with our local rep about this. Nothing like taxing the law abiding citizens.

[redlite]

And if they are going to up the prices, the least they could do would be to make a license that fits in the wallet....

[TheSpecialist]

I heard it is not going to stop there, other increases may include higher registration fees for boats, pwc's, and atv's.
If they would stop giving away all the damn taxes I pay, they would be all set.

[Squid Hound Bob]

It's time for another Boston Tea Party!

[Slipknot]

ya,if we don't have the money to eat, we can just be outlaws and not pay the inflated fees so the fatcat polititions can have royalty everywhere including their paychecks.

[Slipknot]

ya see Bill, this is Romneys thing to get the budget back in order without supposedly raising taxes, he just inflates fees and stuff to astrinomical proportions and cuts back on all services. I can't believe I voted for him or should I say I voted to not get that other choice in. Money mismanagement. These polititions need to take some Economics courses instead of becoming lawyers first.

[Jon G]

I was just at the DMF web site and noticed they have already raised boat reg's as of March You watch everything will be giong up in Mass.

[redlite]

The fee issue is much like joining the National Guard for free tuition to any state school. For where I went, school was about $9k a year. Of that, only $2k was actual tuition, the rest was all fees and the guards only pay for the tuition portion of it. But they do offer the benefit of a trip to some foreign country for activation. All just to have your college "tuition" paid for.

[fishweewee]

p-o-l-i-t-i-c-i-a-n-s

[redcrbbr]

oh...i am so sure all the increases will come right back down once the deficeit gets under control... YEAH RIGHT!!!!!!

[TheSpecialist]

To be honest with you, it does'nt matter if it was Romney, Swift, Finneran, Kennedy, Markey, Jaques, Kerry, Klinton, or any one of a million others. Bottom line is the middle class in this country finances everyone else. My taxes have bought more Beemers, Benzes, and Caddies than I care to count. I am sick of it. I am sick of working in the ghetto only to see people with 5/hr jobs, 5kids, on food stamps, and buying houses at cut rate prices, all coming out of my fricken pocket...