President Obama is using Colorado as a backdrop Wednesday as he pushes Congress to pass gun control measures in the wake of last year鈥檚 shootings in Aurora and Newtown, Conn.
Much of the proposed legislation in Washington is losing momentum, with . And the recent passage of gun bills in Colorado , to say the least.
There's also the fallout. Magpul, a manufacturer of gun magazines is leaving because of the bills. Organizers of an annual shooting competition on the Western Slope havethat would have brought hundreds of people to Montrose.
On top of that, hunters across the country say they鈥檙e planning to boycott Colorado this season.
"We get emails every day. And there have been several outfitters that have had direct cancellations," says hunting guide Chris Jurney. He owns in Craig, and serves as vice president of the Colorado Outfitters Association.
鈥淢ore of it is the promise of not coming to Colorado," said Jurney. "We got one yesterday from a Colorado resident who says he will no longer buy hunting trips in Colorado, and he鈥檚 gonna go to Wyoming and Montana.鈥�
"Anytime people decide they're not going to hunt in Colorado, that could have an impact," says Randy Hampton.
The numbers are small at this point, but it鈥檚 still a concern since hunting and fishing bring in roughly for Colorado. Any drop in revenue from a hunting boycott could hinder the state鈥檚 ability to manage and protect wildlife, says spokesman Randy Hampton.
"Anytime people decide they鈥檙e not going to hunt in Colorado, that could have an impact," he says. "We rely on hunting for the revenue that protects all of Colorado鈥檚 wildlife species. We, as an agency, are not funded by the general fund. We receive our funding for wildlife management from people who hunt and fish."
Right now, Hampton says his biggest obstacle is trying to combat misinformation about the bills.
"The reality is -- there is nothing in the new law that changes the hunting regulations in Colorado. There鈥檚 nothing that changes a person鈥檚 ability to hunt in Colorado," said Hampton. "This is people that are frustrated with a political decision that they disagree with. And they鈥檝e chosen, then, to say 鈥業鈥檓 going to take out my frustration with a boycott of Colorado,鈥� whether that鈥檚 hunting or fishing or golf or skiing 鈥� whatever else that we鈥檝e heard people might boycott. But because there鈥檚 a natural nexus between hunting and firearms, we鈥檙e tending to hear the loudest cry."
Chris Jurney says the problem isn鈥檛 just the new gun restrictions themselves 鈥� it鈥檚 a growing perception that Colorado is now becoming unfriendly to hunters. And with a boycott, they鈥檙e taking a stand, he says.
"I don鈥檛 believe anybody really thought that gun owners and sportsmen and hunters would be this united on a front," Jurney adds. "I don鈥檛 think that legislators, unfortunately when they were passing this misguided legislation, thought there would be any ramifications. And there鈥檚 still people wanting to water it down and whatnot鈥� but it鈥檚 not an issue that鈥檚 not going to go away."
Jurney says they won鈥檛 really know until the end of the season how any backlash against Colorado鈥檚 gun legislation has impacted business for hunting outfitters like his.
Randy Hampton says a boycott may not be entirely negative for the Division of Parks and Wildlife. Because Colorado is a prime destination for big game such as elk, a boycott could provide an opportunity for those who have been waiting for a hard-to-get tag.
Update 6:15 am: Despite the call for a boycott, many people are still apparently excited to hunt in the state. The Denver Post reports applications for big game hunting licenses Monday and Tuesday that the online processing system crashed temporarily.
The deadline to apply was Tuesday.
