2020-02-11 Game Management Advisory Commission Minutes

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Hawaii Game Management Advisory Commission Meeting Minutes – February 11, 2020 hand gun – like the loaning firearms to another person ban – maybe it might prevent you from doing hunting/camping trips. You’re an instructor teaching a firearms class – you can put that down – that you have to borrow firearms from other people and you can’t do it if this bill passes. So put your experiences down – legislators want to hear that. You can also call their offices. On the website there’s a directory of your legislators, very important to talk to them – for example one of them was Buena Ventura, I believe she’s the legislator for the Puna District and during one of the committee hearings for the loaning of firearms bill she actually was very concerned about it because she says she’s a hunter and it would prevent people from taking hunting camping trips – so she was very concerned about that and I guess some people in her district called her about that too, earlier – to let her know. TN: Teresa from District 8– Nani our chairperson has written a support for SB 2417. She sent everyone an email so it’s in your email members. So SB 2417 Nani has already put a written support of that bill. Thank you. GD: Yeah, George – District 9 – that one recognizes game birds and mammals as a sustainable food source. AA: Yeah, so we going touch about the legislative part for us commissioners later on in that section. TY: So, just some additional tips – when you’re submitting your testimony if you run a business, club or organization – you want to put your letterhead on it because that attracts attention. Whenever a legislator sees – have a big stack of testimony – some of these bills could get like hundreds of testimonies from people – they can’t go through all of them so usually they look at government departments testimony first – like DLNR – then they look at clubs and organizations and stores – so that’s why it’s important to put your letterhead – it grabs their attention on it – you know big block letters could be STAN’S GUN STORE or HAWAII HUNTING CLUB – attracts attention, include charts, news stories, pictures in your testimony. Legislators only have a few seconds to glance over your testimonies and pictures and charts stand out to them, proposed amendments – if you oppose or support a bill you can suggest amendments that would make it better. Like for the loaning of firearms ban – you could put exception for hunting in there. Ask them to put exceptions for that. In person testimony count a lot – so, well, if you live here it’s very expensive to fly to Honolulu on short notice to attend a testimony hearing – but it affects their vote a lot when you’re looking them in the face and telling them how it affects you, so, you might want to look at hunting clubs, you know, on Oahu to provide that testimony for you – to relate your message through them, you know, talk to legislators ahead of time – educate them – they’re kind of like myself – most of them don’t hunt - they don’t know anything about hunting so you have to teach them basically and just build your relationships with clubs and stores – that’s what I’ve been doing because 13