Rick Karlin reports in the Times Union that hunting groups are criticizing Rep. Elise Stefanik for a bill she's co-sponsoring that would repeal a decades-old excise tax on firearms. The gun tax funds wildlife conservation and other environmental protections. “There wasn’t any consultation with sportsmen’s or sportswomen’s groups,” said Kaden McArthur, the government relations representative for Backcountry Hunters and Anglers. The bill is more political theatre, than reality right now, as Democratic majorities in Congress are unlikely to pass the measure. Shortly after Democratic Rep. Don Byers of Virginia introduced a bill to impose a 1,000 percent excise tax on assault-style weapons earlier this year, Republicans introduced the Repealing Excise Tax on Unalienable Rights Now, act. “I am proud to join my colleagues in introducing legislation to eliminate this harmful tax that infringes on Americans’ ability to exercise their Second Amendment rights,” Stefanik said. “Make no mistake, I will not allow the government to tax the constitutional right of hardworking Americans by marking up the price to exercise one’s Second Amendment rights.” The tax dates back to 1937, and generates $18 million annually for New York state and more than $400 million since 1939 for a range of wildlife habitat protection and restoration efforts as well as hunter safety programs. The Howl for Wildlife group, the National Wildlife Federation, the National Wild Turkey Federation, and the Sportsmen’s Alliance are among the group's in opposition to Stefanik on the issue. Stefanik represents the 21st Congressional District that will include Rensselaer County beginning next year. Read the full story in the Times Union.