Wisconsin ban

[Halliday]

I recieved this in an e-mail from APG.

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PPMA (www.paintballassociation.com) Alert

Wisconsin law to outlaw paintball on public land

Media Contact: Jonathan Bernstein, (877) 993-9944
jonathan@paintballassociation.com

WISCONSIN BAN ON PAINTBALL IS 1 STEP AWAY

[From the State of Wisconsin -- Proposed: NR 45.04(3)(q) Paint balls. No person may use paint balls, paint ball guns or any other type of paint ball equipment on department lands.]

Wisconsin is about to ban paintball totally on more than 1,000,000 acres of forests and lands administered by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. A paintball industry rep has contacted the chairperson of the State Natural Resources Committee, who refuses to set a hearing for the paintball community to educate the lawmakers, to try to get the
wording modified so that it's less restrictive. There is no exception to this ban, no way to get a permit, this is a total ban.

The hearing has to be set now - DECEMBER 18 - or paintball will be banned on the lands.

The only thing that stands a chance of changing this would be a flood of calls or emails from Wisconsin residents. Paintball players or business owners in Wisconsin, and ALL paintball supporters, can use the list below to tell the legislators to set a hearing so the paintball community can be heard:

¤ You're asking the committee to set a hearing, so they can learn why the paintball community wants them to block or make major changes to NR 45.04(3)(q), which is unfairly restrictive to the sport of paintball and does not reflect input from the paintball community.

¤ You're a Wisconsin resident -voter -businessperson (whichever is true).

¤ You may suggest that the committee members, at a minimum, confer with representatives of the Paintball Products Manufacturers Association on this regulation.

If you know anyone who's a paintball player and/or business owner in Wisconsin, please pass this on to them.

And if you're not in Wisconsin yourself, you can write or call - let
them know where you are from, and that the paintball community wants and deserves to be heard.

If you don't act, not only does this have a strong negative impact in Wisconsin, but it sets a precedent that could be followed by other states.

Below is the list of people to contact -- and remember, be polite, but be firm.

You have power. Use it wisely.



State of Wisconsin, House of Representatives, Natural Resources
Committee

Chairperson DuWayne Johnsrud

Vicechairperson Scott Gunderson

Representatives on the Committee:

Neal J. Kedzie;
Judy Krawczyk;
Dan Meyer;
Alvin Ott;
Mark Pettis;
Michael Powers;
Barbara Gronemus;
John Lehman;
John P. Steinbrink;
Mark Miller;
Martin Reynolds

Phone numbers, for their capital and their home office district, are on the web - http://www.legis.state.wi.us/assembly/asmhomepages.html -
look up the person to find the phone numbers and addresses. Best bet is to both write and call.

Rep.Johnsrud@legis.state.wi.us
Rep.Gunderson@legis.state.wi.us
Rep.Kedzie@legis.state.wi.us
Rep.Krawczyk@legis.state.wi.us
Rep.Meyer@legis.state.wi.us
Rep.Ott@legis.state.wi.us
Rep.Pettis@legis.state.wi.us
Rep.Powers@legis.state.wi.us
Rep.Gronemus@legis.state.wi.us
Rep.LehmanJ@legis.state.wi.us
Rep.Steinbrink@legis.state.wi.us
Rep.Miller@legis.state.wi.us
Rep.Reynolds@legis.state.wi.us

APG would appreciate being cc'd on any correspondence on this, for a report. editor@actionpursuitgames.com

www.warpig.com will have updates on the situation

[Halliday]

Again, copied from APG e-mail.

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UPDATE FROM THE Paintball Products Manafacturers Association
re Wisconsin Legislation

Progress has been made regarding NR 45.03(3)(q) banning paintballon Wisconsin State land -- the committee chair has agreed to have the Department of Natural Resources review the proposition in the light of information being provided by the paintball industry.

TWO IMPORTANT NOTES TO EVERYONE IN PAINTBALL FROM THE PPMA:

(1) THANK YOU to all paintball media, businesses and players
for your letters and calls to committee members.

(2) PLEASE, PLEASE do not use profanity or rudeness in any
further letters or calls. Some did so and that actually hurts
our cause. We understand and appreciate your passion for paintball, but we have to "work within the system" and that means being as diplomatic as possible.

It probably isn't necessary, in fact, to continue the writing and
calling at this point. PPMA staff and a Wisconsin lobbyist are
teaming up to take it to the next step. We'll let you know if
more public help is needed, and how this all turns out. Hopefully
we win this particular tourney.

[mr. lobster]

why is everyone so upset about this? I live in wisconsin and this law hasn't affected me a bit.... it's not banned entirely like people are saying, only on goverment owned land, and we shouldn't be playing on government land anyway. So I would say I definetly support the law. People shouldn't be calling asking them to not ban paintball in wisconsin, because then we will just look dumb and give a worse name to the sport, because the aren't banning it in wisconsin!

[sosoguy01]

i agree w/ the guy above. I live in wisconsin and nothing has changed. If you are playing paintball on government land, you have a problem. I dont know anyone who has played on it, they must have had a problem with it because they banned it.

[kdneo]

also gotta agree, I play on private land owned by a nice old man who gave un permission to play on it. That way there is no possiable way to get in trouble

[Halliday]

Whenever I play outlaw ball, it's always with permission of the land owner. I wonder how many people were playing on state land in WI?

[automagdude]

duuuuuude there are alot of people that play on government land. That is including hunting land. It doesn't effect me that much but still people hunt on the land why can't people paintball when there is not a hunting season going on. Paintball is almost like hunting but in a different way. You can't get killed. And the person is hunting you too. I don't really get it. Sometimes i go up north and paintball up there and we have an island and 3 or 4 areas of land that we paintball on. The 3 or 4 areas we own and we own some of the island the rest a guy owns but he can't sell it because no one can bluid on it soo we paintball on and try not to hit boats. Usually that is not a problem. Back to the topic. Up north we have government owned land and i don't see why it is a problem if people paintball when there is no hunting going on.
And i go to outdoor adventures alot it is in freemont! there is a league going to be there this summer. My friend and i are making it!! You can email at paintballer@pbreview.com for more info if you like to

[dillboy_2001]

anyone know if any southern wi teams are recruting i live in kenosha county