[Reprinted from original]

The Minneapolis City Council will consider an ordinance banning all manufacturing and sales of fur-related items in the city.

A closer look at the push for the ban will bring you to a group called Fur Free Minneapolis - Furfreeminneapolis.org, an organization with a main goal to stop the production and sale of fur products. Fur Free Minneapolis describes itself as a “grassroots coalition of volunteers” and makes it seem as though only a few local Minnesotans got together to form a group. In reality this Fur Free Minneapolis is an extension of its well-funded anti-hunting, anti-fur, and anti-sportsmen “coalition partners” including the well known group PETA.

The point of this article is not to argue to one way or the other on sale and use of animal-based products, but to reveal this for what it is; an attack on hunting and trapping rights of Minnesotans by a broader group of “Coalition Partners.” It is a loss of rights for businesses and sportsmen alike, hidden by the disguise of “animal cruelty.”

Minneapolis is a stepping stone on the ultimate goal of these groups which is to ban the sale and manufacture of any and all fur and animal-related products in Minnesota.

I am concerned these restrictions are the tip of the iceberg and that we will continue to lose our hunting and trapping rights. I am concerned that the history and heritage of Minnesotans, and more so, Americans in general are at risk. I am concerned my children will not have the rights that I do as a sportsman today, and I hope you are too.

Northern Man Craft is a craft business based in McGregor. It is a small husband and wife team creating products from their home. Read more from them at Northernmancraft.com.