Outdoor Channel Pulls Production from Colorado

[jonconsiglio]

I searched and didn't find this. If it's a repeat thread, I apologize.

http://coloradosenatenews.com/Downloads/MichaelBane.pdf

From: Michael Bane

Date: Tue, Mar 5, 2013 at 4:09 PM

Subject: OUTDOOR CHANNEL Pulls Productions from Colorado

To: Steve King

Dear Senator King;

I met you yesterday after the so-called "public hearings" on the antigun bills; as I mentioned, I am an Executive Producer for OUTDOOR CHANNEL. I currently have four series in production, included GUN STORIES, the top show on OC, with several additional series in development. My series focus on guns, hunting, shooting and the outdoors.

This morning I met with my three Producers, and we made the decision that if these antigun bills become law, we will be moving all of our production OUT of Colorado. We have already cancelled a scheduled filming session for late this month. Obviously, part of this is due to our own commitment to the right to keep and bear arms, but it also reflects 3 lawyers' opinions that these laws are so poorly drafted and so designed to trap otherwise legal citizens into a crime (one of our attorneys referred to them as "flypaper laws") that it is simply too dangerous for us to film here.
I can give you chapter and verse on the legal implications if you need, but suffice to say that the first legal opinion was so scary we went out and got two others. Al three attorneys agreed.

We are relatively small potatoes in television, but our relocation of production will cost Colorado a little less than a million dollars in 2013.

Secondly, we have proudly promoted Colorado in our productions (and have been moving more and more production into the state); now we will do exactly the opposite. What does this mean for Colorado? The community of television producers is a small one. Last week I had lunch with a major network producer who was looking to locate his new reality series in Colorado. That producer is also a shooter, and the new reality series will now be based out of Phoenix. That lunch cost Colorado over a million in economic impact.

Thirdly, according to numbers I received from the National Shooting Sports Foundation (for whom I used to work) yesterday, hunting had an almost $800,000,000 impact on Colorado in 2012, driving as many as 8330 jobs. Next month I will be in Texas meeting with most of the top outdoor/hunting producers, and the Number One agenda item will be Colorado. Already, hunting organizations and statewide hunting clubs around the country are pulling out of Colorado, and we expect this trend to accelerate rapidly.
The message we will take to our viewers and listeners is that these proposed laws are so dangerous to hunters and any other person, be she a fisherman or a skier who brings a handgun into the state for self-defense, that we cannot recommend hunting, fishing or visiting Colorado. We reach millions of people, and, quite frankly, we have a credibility that Colorado government officials can no longer match. Colorado Division of Wildlife is already running ads trying to bring more out-of-state hunters to Colorado...in light of the flood of negative publicity about these proposed laws, I can assure you those ads will fail.

We estimate that as many as one-quarter to one-third of out-of-state hunters will desert Colorado in the next 18-24 months, which will quite frankly be a disaster for the hunting industry in Colorado and have a devastating effect on our western and northern communities (certainly like Grand Junction).

This is not a "boycott" in the traditional sense of a centralized, organized operation; rather, it is more of a grassroots decision on where shooters, hunters and other sportsmen are willing to spend their money. Look at the collapse of the Eastern Sports and Outdoor Show in February. That venerable multimillion dollar trade show chose to ban modern sporting rifles and standard capacity magazines, and with three weeks it collapsed as all vendors and sponsors pulled out.

Colorado is going to pay a huge price for laws that will do nothing.

Thank you, sir, for your support.

Best.

Michael Bane
OUTDOOR CHANNEL
mbane@outdoorchannel.com

[Safetyhit]

Not what anyone wants but surely for the better.

[sinlessorrow]

Good, first magpul now these guys..even Colt is talking of pullin out. Le them reap what they sew.

[Doc Safari]

I love everyone of these stories of some gun-related business bailing out of "California in the Rockies". Sad that the politicians chose to side against freedom, but "what's did is did."

Mr. O and Jumpin' Joe thought they had a sure-fire foothold in Middle America to show all those radical gun-toting Tea Party crazies that "common-sense" gun control can pass in the heartland of the Second Amendment.

Instead, they may get to learn the lesson that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.

Although I worry that eventually there will be no ground left to make a stand, I find the fact that gun-related businesses are leaving Colorado faster than they would even if a nuke plant was leaking to be something to laugh about for sure.

[currahee]

Great, sad, but great

[nobody knows]

Good to hear,co makes a lot of money on gun related activities.so they a just screwing themselves.

[Magic_Salad0892]

I thought the Outdoor Channel pulled off all their gun related shows after Sandy Hook?

[NWPilgrim]

All of this moving out of state activity is the result of just the RISK of running afoul of the poorly written laws, and the insult to the 2A. Just wait until a couple of hunters are nabbed for a standard capacity handgun magazine found rattling around behind the truck seat during a F&W search or traffic stop. Then you will see Colorado become a pariah.

Colorado will become like Mexico (or New Jersey): don't even think of going there with a gun. If you want to be armed then go elsewhere. Not worth the risk.

[HES]

I thought the Outdoor Channel pulled off all their gun related shows after Sandy Hook?
Nope. Every Wednesday is "Wednesday Night At the Range" and its wall to wall firearms shows.

[Heartland Hawk]

This is so sad to hear. I always thought of Colorado as a possible great place to live... Not anymore

[ICANHITHIMMAN]

We have to do what we have to do to make people understand, "Shall not be infringed".

[kry226]

I thought the Outdoor Channel pulled off all their gun related shows after Sandy Hook?

I think that was an NBC outdoor sports channel which used to be Versus. Don't think I've seen a hunting show on that channel since, not that I give NBC the time of day anyway.

The other outdoor programming channels are GTG. This is also why I grow extremely disgusted when someone gets on M4C here and pops off about the, "Fudds this, and the Fudds that..." Completely moronic and ignorant statements. We're all on the same team.

[MountainRaven]

I think that was an NBC outdoor sports channel which used to be Versus. Don't think I've seen a hunting show on that channel since, not that I give NBC the time of day anyway.

The other outdoor programming channels are GTG. This is also why I grow extremely disgusted when someone gets on M4C here and pops off about the, "Fudds this, and the Fudds that..." Completely moronic and ignorant statements. We're all on the same team.

Generally, I don't think that people here have a problem with folk who are fond of plaid, shotguns, and scoped bolt action rifles (or unscoped 30-30s).

I think that the problem are the guys who like really expensive shotguns and that believe that no one has any business owning an AR-15 or any sort of handgun. Those who would totally agree with Uncle Joe's advice on using a double-barrel shotgun for home defense, that you don't need anything but a J-frame revolver (in 357, loaded with 357s) for personal defense on account of believing that if you cannot defend yourself with 5 rounds, you won't be able to do it with 10 or 15 or more. Those who will gesture at the AR-15s on the rack and say things like, "I always knew those things would get us in trouble."

[D. Christopher]

I keep seeing and hearing people say "we're all on the same team" but that's just not a realistic view of life on earth. Any time you have a group of more than a handful of humans there is dissent and disagreement. You can't name a group larger than 1 person that doesn't have this problem. There is no family, organization, church, religion, community, neighborhood, city, county, state, parish, nation, gender, special interest group, collective, or tribe that thinks as one on everything.

Working together because of common interests is a good thing, but every single individual has different beliefs and priorities of those beliefs, and those beliefs and priorities change over time and some people will say one thing and do another. Others will say they are in agreement with you while they are working behind your back to defeat you. We're not all on the same team, not even close. We never have been and never will be.

If you really believe we are then you should be prepared for constant disappointment and failure.

[kry226]

Generally, I don't think that people here have a problem with folk who are fond of plaid, shotguns, and scoped bolt action rifles (or unscoped 30-30s).

Excellent stereotype. Great job!


I think that the problem are the guys who like really expensive shotguns and that believe that no one has any business owning an AR-15 or any sort of handgun. Those who would totally agree with Uncle Joe's advice on using a double-barrel shotgun for home defense, that you don't need anything but a J-frame revolver (in 357, loaded with 357s) for personal defense on account of believing that if you cannot defend yourself with 5 rounds, you won't be able to do it with 10 or 15 or more. Those who will gesture at the AR-15s on the rack and say things like, "I always knew those things would get us in trouble."

The problem is that there is a preponderance of misinformation that thinks that hunters don't care just as long as you don't touch their shotgun. This is pure lunacy. Are there a couple out there? Well, sure. But these type of people are few because most realize and understand the slippery slope. Ever heard of Jim Zumbo? He popped off about ARs a few years ago. How did that go for him?

You see, ARs have overrun the hunting community and outdoor television. I see DPMS, DD, and LMT as sponsors of hunting shows all the time. Please don't add to the ignorance. I am a lunatic hunter and run in many hunting circles. I don't know any people of which you speak.



I keep seeing and hearing people say "we're all on the same team" but that's just not a realistic view of life on earth. Any time you have a group of more than a handful of humans there is dissent and disagreement. You can't name a group larger than 1 person that doesn't have this problem. There is no family, organization, church, religion, community, neighborhood, city, county, state, parish, nation, gender, special interest group, collective, or tribe that thinks as one on everything.

Working together because of common interests is a good thing, but every single individual has different beliefs and priorities of those beliefs, and those beliefs and priorities change over time and some people will say one thing and do another. Others will say they are in agreement with you while they are working behind your back to defeat you. We're not all on the same team, not even close. We never have been and never will be.

If you really believe we are then you should be prepared for constant disappointment and failure.

So, what's your point? We're not all a bunch of robots. Good. Things still get accomplished, so there's enough unity that matters. Sure there are different beliefs within the NRA, but right now, the organization is probably single-handedly keeping our 2A rights alive. Sure, there's still a big fight ahead, but where would we be without them?

[djegators]

Thank you to Outdoor Channel for sticking to principles.

[Iraqgunz]

Here's the issue plain and simple. I do not hunt and I am against hunting because I like animals. I also recognize that people eat the meat and that the hunting of animals helps to facilitate animal control.

I also don't care for bolt action hunting rifles and 28" shotguns. But, I don't begrudge those who do. Unfortunately they don't have the same feelings when it comes to my AR's, "high capacity" magazines, suppressors or other commando gear. This is why those of us with a penchant for EBR's get upset when they "the Fudd crowd" talks down our stuff.

And for the record I met a handful or so of people who had that exact same opinion. In fact the President of the range (a female) would not allow machine guns to be fired at the range and felt they shouldn't be allowed in private hands. This was in the heart of Fudd country. The Midwest.


I think that was an NBC outdoor sports channel which used to be Versus. Don't think I've seen a hunting show on that channel since, not that I give NBC the time of day anyway.

The other outdoor programming channels are GTG. This is also why I grow extremely disgusted when someone gets on M4C here and pops off about the, "Fudds this, and the Fudds that..." Completely moronic and ignorant statements. We're all on the same team.

[J-Dub]

Here's the issue plain and simple. I do not hunt and I am against hunting because I like animals. I also recognize that people eat the meat and that the hunting of animals helps to facilitate animal control.

I also don't care for bolt action hunting rifles and 28" shotguns. But, I don't begrudge those who do. Unfortunately they don't have the same feelings when it comes to my AR's, "high capacity" magazines, suppressors or other commando gear. This is why those of us with a penchant for EBR's get upset when they "the Fudd crowd" talks down our stuff.

And for the record I met a handful or so of people who had that exact same opinion. In fact the President of the range (a female) would not allow machine guns to be fired at the range and felt they shouldn't be allowed in private hands. This was in the heart of Fudd country. The Midwest.

Hmmm where to start on this awesome post. Well I'll hold back as I dont want to be banned again for voicing an opinion.

I happen to be very fond of traditional shotguns, I would love love to have a nice 16ga Parker, or better yet a 28ga. The craftmanship that went into making quality firearms back in the day is something I can appreciate. I dont wear plaid shirts or wool coats, but I do hunt upland birds behind pointing dogs. I also own bolt action hunting rifles to hunt four legged fury animals that I like to eat. Hell Im about to get into bow hunting.

I also own an AR, Glocks, ect. (I'd like to own more but the craze has put a stop to that). I train monthly (sadly im better with my pistol than wingshooting). Most of the guys I work with are the same, hunt and enjoy tactical style weapons/gear.

I dont know why some people must bitch about another group that likes different types of firearms, who gives a shit. And that goes towards both the gear queer tactical guys and the elmer fudds. Who gives a shit?

Most hunters I know have zero problems with "tactical" gear. But then again I dont live in a tree hugger state, where most people get queasy at the thought of killing what you eat.

The "i love animals so I dont kill them" part cracks me up. Ya YOU dont kill them, but I bet you eat them. I love animals too. I respect them, but I have no problem taking their life to further my own. Personally I think those that hunt have more respect in general towards wildlife than any of the "enviroMENTALS".

But hey, Im just an evil hunter that apparently hates black guns....:rolleyes:

[Iraqgunz]

I fail to see where anything I said would have caused you to get "banned". I said that I don't hunt and I don't. I also said that I have no problem with hunters and I understand that many of them eat what they kill or donate it. They also contribute to preserving the environment- which I believe that I stated as well.

My personal feelings about bolt actions and shotguns is just that. I never belittled them nor did I say that they shouldn't own one.

But, I have met plenty of hunter types that do not feel the same way about the firearms and stuff I like. You can disagree or say I am wrong, but the facts don't support.

I would be willing to bet right now if we took a poll right here and now you would see that those who like military styled weapons are much more tolerant than the hunter or "Fudd crowd" is. If you feel I am wrong, please point out specifically where I said something wrong.

ADDED: The range location is not where I currently reside but rather in the midwest where lots of firearms related stuff is located.


Hmmm where to start on this awesome post. Well I'll hold back as I dont want to be banned again for voicing an opinion.

I happen to be very fond of traditional shotguns, I would love love to have a nice 16ga Parker, or better yet a 28ga. The craftmanship that went into making quality firearms back in the day is something I can appreciate. I dont wear plaid shirts or wool coats, but I do hunt upland birds behind pointing dogs. I also own bolt action hunting rifles to hunt four legged fury animals that I like to eat. Hell Im about to get into bow hunting.

I also own an AR, Glocks, ect. (I'd like to own more but the craze has put a stop to that). I train monthly (sadly im better with my pistol than wingshooting). Most of the guys I work with are the same, hunt and enjoy tactical style weapons/gear.

I dont know why some people must bitch about another group that likes different types of firearms, who gives a shit. And that goes towards both the gear queer tactical guys and the elmer fudds. Who gives a shit?

Most hunters I know have zero problems with "tactical" gear. But then again I dont live in a tree hugger state, where most people get queasy at the thought of killing what you eat.

The "i love animals so I dont kill them" part cracks me up. Ya YOU dont kill them, but I bet you eat them. I love animals too. I respect them, but I have no problem taking their life to further my own. Personally I think those that hunt have more respect in general towards wildlife than any of the "enviroMENTALS".

But hey, Im just an evil hunter that apparently hates black guns....:rolleyes:

[kry226]

The only thing I find interesting it that I probably know more hunters than any two "shooters" on here put together, and I have yet to come across any Fudds that are consistently described here. Due to perpetually moving, I have hunted in many states, including the midwest, mid and deep south. Still don't see it.

Of course there's a few outliers like Iowa in a sea of Red. But by and large, the hunting community is not the AR's enemy. Quite the contrary.

[glocktogo]

The only thing I find interesting it that I probably know more hunters than any two "shooters" on here put together, and I have yet to come across any Fudds that are consistently described here. Due to perpetually moving, I have hunted in many states, including the midwest, mid and deep south. Still don't see it.

Of course there's a few outliers like Iowa in a sea of Red. But by and large, the hunting community is not the AR's enemy. Quite the contrary.

I really just don't think you get it. The left is using divide and conquer tactics because they work. They say "we'd never come after your hunting guns, just those evil assault weapons". Like it or not, personal experience notwithstanding, they ARE out there. Some of us in serious shooting circles have personally seen the elitist attitude of "what I have is fine, but you have no business with that thing". I have a LARGE circle of friends all over the country, and even some other countries who have trouble with fudd hunters or shotgunners in their AOR.

I could care less what type of gun anyone has. I have a lifetime hunting license in my state and I've killed more than 10 men's share of critters in my lifetime. I also think some of those 5 figure shotguns are pretty neat. Its only when some asshat looks down his nose at me and mine that I get indignant. That's all anyone here is saying. It appears to be you who has made a borad generalization, not us. :rolleyes:

[Safetyhit]

But, I have met plenty of hunter types that do not feel the same way about the firearms and stuff I like. You can disagree or say I am wrong, but the facts don't support.

I'm a lifelong hunter and agree with you 100%.

[kry226]

I really just don't think you get it. The left is using divide and conquer tactics because they work. They say "we'd never come after your hunting guns, just those evil assault weapons". Like it or not, personal experience notwithstanding, they ARE out there. Some of us in serious shooting circles have personally seen the elitist attitude of "what I have is fine, but you have no business with that thing". I have a LARGE circle of friends all over the country, and even some other countries who have trouble with fudd hunters or shotgunners in their AOR.

I could care less what type of gun anyone has. I have a lifetime hunting license in my state and I've killed more than 10 men's share of critters in my lifetime. I also think some of those 5 figure shotguns are pretty neat. Its only when some asshat looks down his nose at me and mine that I get indignant. That's all anyone here is saying. It appears to be you who has made a borad generalization, not us. :rolleyes:

I haven't made broad generalizations. And I acknowledged that there are a few weirdo hunters out there who don't care about ARs. And you should get indignant when someone looks down on you or how you live your life or what you shoot. I got it, I really do. Yet, not one of you can point to anything not circumstantial (i.e., a study) to base your Fudd argument on. All I've gotten is, "I've met a lot..."

I think there is SOME truth to the divide and conquer, but if you think the "we'd never come after your hunting guns, just those evil assault weapons" comments are wholly directed at hunters, you're sorely mistaken. Those comments are mostly directed at the non-hunting, non-shooting community. People who don't really hunt and/or shoot, but basically believe in the fundamental right to do so, AKA: sheep, which by all accounts is most of the country. Convincing the sheep that the 2A is about hunting rights makes it just that much easier to attack ARs, and win their banning.

Goes right along with trying to turn our Republic into a Democracy.

[THCDDM4]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/27/hunters-begin-boycott-ove_0_n_2962729.html?icid=maing-grid7%7Cmain5%7Cdl10%7Csec3_lnk1%26pLid%3D289934

From The Article:
Colorado last week became the first Western state to ratchet back gun rights in response to mass shootings at a suburban Denver movie theater and an elementary school in Connecticut. Opponents warned that the gun controls would hurt hunters, especially an expansion of background-check requirements to apply to personal and online gun sales.

Republican opponents of the new background-check law said it would make criminals of hunters lending each other weapons for weekend hunting trips. In response, Democrats changed the bill to give people a 72-hour grace period to share guns without triggering background-check requirements. Republicans then said the bill would imperil weeklong hunting trips.

Gun rights advocates who said hunters would boycott Colorado in protest say they are following through on their threats.



Even The liberal/progressive rag HuffPo is taking notice of the mass Boycott of Colorado by the nations hunters. Surprised they are reporting it even.

This is good news! I hope my state is dessimated from the back lash due to these new laws. I hope it brings this state to its knees and they see the light finally- it would be a great thing for the rest of the nation to see as well ...

Wait till they find ou tit isn't just hunters, but anyone who values liberty is boycotting this state for the idiot legislations/Governors poor decisions to ignore constiuents to further their political power/cache with teh like of Bloomberg, Biden & the Obama administration.

I hope our tourism is hit hard this year.

Tell everyone- "STAY OUT OF COLORADO, DO NOT BUY ANYTHING MADE IN COLORADO UNTIL THEY BRING BACK REPRESENTATION & OUR CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS"