Wildlife Agents May Get Weapons Stripped

A bill in Congress could strip wildlife agents of their firearms. The Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association opposes the bill. The association says most reasonable people know that game wardens and wildlife agents routinely encounter hunters and others with weapons. In a press release, the union says agents and officers enforcing environmental laws are nine times as likely to be assaulted with a weapon than other law enforcement officers. The bill's sponsor. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) says wildlife officers use the current law to put violators in prison, but the law's authors intended it to be used only for civil penalties.