Butt out, Ms. Frush

Michael A. Sawyers
Cumberland Times-News

February 10, 2008 12:00 am

— Here we go, again.
Barbara Frush needs a hobby, something other than harassing hunters, which is illegal in Maryland, by the way.
Thing is, Frush does her harassing from her seat as a Maryland delegate where she represents Anne Arundel and Prince George’s counties.
During the years, Frush has always tried to stop hunting in some form or fashion. Again this year she is attempting to terminate Maryland’s bear hunt, introducing House Bill 657 for that purpose.
But here is the one I want you to know about. It’s called House Bill 655 and its purpose is to keep Marylanders from hunting until they are 13 years old.
According to a recent article from the Associated Press, Frush said that children under 13 have no business handling high-powered guns in the woods.
What if such a law had already been in effect when this past deer season came around?
Had that been the case, some of the young people whose deer hunting photographs we published in Rod & Gun on Jan. 30 would now be criminals.
Had such a law been in place, Frush could now go to her local post office and see wanted photos for people such as Matthew Martin, 9, Grantsville; Tristen DeValk, 11, Friendsville; Noah Hewitt, 10, Mount Savage; and Jacob Howard, 9, also of Mount Savage.
These youngsters all bagged deer and were proud of their accomplishments. Howard, for example, was hunting with his grandfather. Hewitt got his 9-point on family property. DeValk too was hunting with his granddad. Martin was in the woods with his father.
Matthew’s dad is Heath Martin. Let me print for you a little from the note that Heath sent the Times-News when he submitted the photo of his son.
“These photos record one of the greatest days of my life, the morning my son shot his first white-tailed deer. Thank you for considering these photos, as this was an extremely important event for Matthew and me.”
Special note to Delegate Frush and her co-sponsor, Delegate Virginia Glagett of Anne Arundel County: Do you two ladies realize what you are messing with here? You may want to quietly withdraw HB 655. You don’t even have to say “I’m sorry.” Just start minding your own business instead of attempting to bring to an end a lifestyle that sustains families such as the Martins of Grantsville and thousands of others across Maryland.
Here is something you two ladies might want to do. Get in touch with the Maryland Natural Resources Police and ask them if hunters younger than 13 are a legitimate danger when they “handle high powered guns in the woods.”
You will find that they are not. Do you know why? Do you even care? Or is this bill simply political posturing for what you perceive as your suburban voting base?
Not only have the young hunters successfully passed a course that educates them about safety, they are afield with older hunters who monitor them. You wouldn’t know about this because you don’t understand hunting and the firearms that are associated with the lifestyle, but no one is more tuned into every move an armed youngster makes than the father or mother or uncle or aunt or grandparent who accompanies that new hunter into the deer woods. It is an awesome responsibility to supervise a young person in such a setting. It is a responsibility to be enjoyed, but not to be taken lightly.
I will guarantee you that an adult is on high safety alert when supervising a loved one or even an acquaintance while in hunting mode.
HB 655 had its first reading in the Environmental Matters Committee on Feb. 1.
Let’s hope that HB 655 is more about Frush and Clagett showing their voters what they think those constituents want to see, than it is about actually keeping young people from hunting. But if it is not, if somehow this thing takes on a life of its own or grows wings then you need to know the phone numbers and e-mail addresses of your delegates who walk the same hallowed political halls as do Frush and Clagett. Here they are:
• Wendell R. Beitzel, 1-800-492-7122, Ext. 3435; cell phone 301-616-6951; weekends 301-387-6950; wendell.beitzel@house
.state.md.us
• Kevin Kelly, 1-800-492-7122, Ext. 3404; local phone 301-777-9000; kevin.kelly@house.state.md.us
• LeRoy E. Myers, 1-800-492-7122, Ext. 3321; local phone 301-722-0926; leroy.myers@house.state.md.us
The only other thing I can think of is to ask the Maryland Natural Resources Police to see if Frush’s annual efforts to stick her nose into other people’s perfectly legal business constitutes hunter harassment. In my opinion it does.
Oh! Wait a minute. There is something else.
Here you go.
• Barbara Frush, 1-800-492-7122, Ext. 3114; local phone 301-572-4042; barbara.frush@house.state.md.us
• Virginia Clagett, 1-800-492-7122, Ext. 3211; local phone 301-858-3386; virginia.clagett@house.state.md.us
Babs, Ginny, take up tole painting or needle point or wine tasting or something.
Contact Michael A. Sawyers at msawyers@times-news.com.

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