Michael Bane letter to legislators

[sniper7]

From: Michael BaneDate: 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

[Rooskibar03]

That is awesome. Not that any of them will actually read it or listen.

[Goodburbon]

That letter was read in the Senate yesterday. Deaf ears.

[bogie]

Good for them. But I'm also afraid it may well fall on deaf ears.

[ChunkyMonkey]

It was being read along with the money being requested by DOW to promote Colorado Outdoor activity... Like many have said yesterday..lefty would probably say 'GOOD, dont come here'

[Kraven251]

Now that is a letter, and it speaks to things to come if they pass this shit.

[Kraven251]

It was being read along with the money being requested by DOW to promote Colorado Outdoor activity... Like many have said yesterday..lefty would probably say 'GOOD, dont come here'

They must think the Colorado economy runs on government cheese.

[Goodburbon]

Not only was it read, the key points were restated at least 2x. The dems were playing with their ipads and bullshitting on the benches.

[battle_sight_zero]

My brother in law owns Colorado based http://www.outdooredge.com/ . He has a couple of TV shows such as Love of The Hunt. He brings about 6-7 million into the economy each year. He belives there will be ramifications for the Colorado hunting industry as well. He could be boycotted as well, he says he will stick it out but how could he if lost one third of his business. I guess the pot tourism will make up for Magpul and losses for Outdoor Edge and the Outdoor Channel -not-

[nzachman]

Sad deal.