Assemblyman Ken Blankenbush (R,C-Black River) and Assembly Minority Leader Brian M. Kolb (R,I,C-Canandaigua) today hosted the Third Annual “Sportsmen & Outdoor Recreation Legislative Awareness Day” in Albany. The event, which featured keynote speaker Wayne LaPierre, Executive Vice President and CEO of the National Rifle Association, drew nearly 1,000 outdoor sports enthusiasts.

“Outdoor sports are especially important to our region in the North Country and represent a huge boost to our tourism economy, which I am always eager to support and promote,” said Blankenbush. “Many residents and visitors in my district use outdoor activities to connect with their families, and, year after year, they come back to hunt in our vast open spaces and fish in our lakes and streams. It’s a wonderful tradition worthy of support and protection.”

Blankenbush recently stood up for sportsmen by voting against a micro-stamping provision on firearms that is expensive, unproven at preventing gun violence, and would drive employers and jobs out of the state. Blankenbush is, instead, focusing on legislation that would promote hunting and fishing as he fights to ensure that license fees are used for their intended purpose of conserving public spaces for outdoor sports and recreation.