Wvw, Hoban To Decide Wvc Championship

Adele Jancik 
Feb. 11, 1994 
Adele Jancik, Of Third Avenue, Kingston, Died Friday In Summit Health Care 
Center, Wilkes-barre.

By GEORGE SMITH; Times Leader Outdoors Editor
 Sunday, February 13, 1994 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 17A QUICK WORDS: STATE'S AFFINITY FOR
FIREARMS ROOTED 





The tradition of firearms ownership in Pennsylvania is linked closely with
hunting. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 And, hunting with firearms goes back to the state's early history, when
gunners clad in buckskin slipped through the woods hoping to bag game with
smoky flintlock rifles. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; There was a time in Pennsylvania's not-too-distant past when a firearm was
a necessity in every cabin. The weapon was used to put meat on the table and
to discourage anyone -- or anything -- with less-than-honorable intentions. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Black-powder weapons such as the ones used by Pennsylvania's pioneers have
become obsolete, and it's arguable whether firearms are a necessity in this
day and age, but one thing is clear: A strong hunting tradition remains. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 While subsistence hunting has all but disappeared, the act of taking game
survives as a recreational activity and an important game-management tool. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 1,170,602 people purchased
licenses that granted them the right to hunt in the Keystone State in 1992. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 In total numbers of hunting licenses sold, Pennsylvania was second in the
nation that year. Only Michigan sold more -- 1,171,721, or 1,119 more than
Pennsylvania. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 That kind of strong, traditional interest in hunting spawned the formation
of the Pennsylvania Game Commission, the state agency that approves and
enforces hunting regulations and manages the state's wild game. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 That kind of interest also generates big dollars. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Hunters and fishermen need only a sportsman's permit to carry a gun to and
from their activity. The sportsman's permit is available along with hunting
licenses at the county Treasurer's Office and costs $6 for five years, as
opposed to $12.50 for a permit to carry a concealed weapon. There is no
waiting period and no background check. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 U.S. Fish and Wildlife records indicate that hunting licenses cost state
hunters $27,525,501 in 1992. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Virtually all of that money funded the Pennsylvania Game Commission and its
enforcement programs and wildlife-management programs. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Pennsylvania's early pioneers may have hunted game indiscriminately to fill
hungry bellies. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 But now it is the gun-toting hunter who supports the state's conservation
efforts and game-management programs.

State's Affinity For Firearms Rooted In Its Hunting History 
Old Habits Die Hard. As 
In Days Gone By, When Every 
House Had A Gun -- For Food 
And Protection -- The Thrill 
Of The Hunt Is Still Alive For State Residents

State's Affinity For Firearms Rooted In Its Hunting History Old Habits Die Hard. As In Days Gone By, When Every House Had A Gun -- For Food And Protection -- The Thrill Of The Hunt Is Still Alive For State Residents