House Passes Measure to Protect School Hunting Programs
The House Overwhelmingly Passes Resolution to Protect Hunting and Gun Safety Courses in Schools
The House of Representatives took a decisive stand on Tuesday night, voting 424–1 in favor of a resolution that aims to reverse the Biden administration’s attempt to block federal funding for hunting, archery, and gun safety courses in schools nationwide.
The resolution, known as H.R. 5110, received bipartisan support, with the sole dissenting vote coming from Rep. Veronica Escobar (D-Texas).
This bipartisan move was prompted by a recent amendment to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) of 1965, which added a provision that deemed activities involving dangerous weapons or training ineligible for federal education funding.
This amendment was part of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA), a gun control package introduced in October 2021 and enacted after a series of tragic shootings, including one that claimed the lives of 19 children and two teachers in Uvalde, Texas.
The intention behind the amendment was to transfer federal funding for armed school security personnel from the ESEA, the primary education funding mechanism, to another federal law. However, the U.S. Education Department interpreted the provision as a ban on federal funding for school-based hunting, shooting, and archery programs.
“This prohibition applies to all ESEA funds,” stated an Education Department spokesperson in July. “The prohibition went into effect immediately on June 25, 2022, and applies to all existing and future awards under all ESEA programs. The Department is administering the bipartisan law as written by Congress.”
Championing Change
Senator John Cornyn (R-Texas), a key sponsor of the BSCA, has written a letter to Education Secretary Miguel Cardona, urging a reinterpretation of the amended language.
“We ask that the Department interpret the language as Congress intended and no longer require educational entities to seek alternative funding sources for programs that align with the goals of the ESEA—supporting student achievement and well-being,” wrote Senator Cornyn in a letter dated September 5. He was joined by a group of 17 Senate colleagues, including eight Democrats and one independent.
Another group of 18 Republican senators, who voted against the BSCA, also sent a letter (pdf) demanding that President Joe Biden cease the “purposeful misinterpretation of the gun control bill” and restore funding for hunter education and archery programs.
“Hunting and archery are deeply rooted in America’s traditions and heritage. This unwarranted overreach is an assault on hunters and outdoor recreation that must be rectified,” they emphasized in their letter written in August.
The Education Department’s interpretation also faced significant backlash from Second Amendment advocacy groups.
Mark Jones, the national director for hunter programs at Gun Owners of America, argued that this interpretation serves the Biden administration’s “ultimate goal” of reducing participation in hunting and shooting sports.
“For the past 58 years, hunter education programs in our schools have educated millions of children about hunter safety, ethical hunting practices, wildlife management and history, gun safety, and archery,” wrote Mr. Jones. “Even in communities where these programs are administered by private entities and community partnerships outside of schools, they still rely on schools to recruit participants.”
He added, “A large number of our children only have access to these programs through schools.”
If H.R. 5110 is also passed by the Senate and approved by President Joe Biden, it will amend the ESEA to clarify that the law does not prohibit funding for school programs that offer archery, hunting, or other shooting sports as courses or extracurricular activities.
The original ESEA outlined six categories for which federal funds cannot be used in public schools, including school facility construction and repairs, transportation, programs that “promote or encourage sexual activity,” age-inappropriate sex education, and the distribution of contraceptives or “legally obscene materials.”
How do hunting and gun safety courses in schools promote responsible firearm use and education?
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A Bipartisan Effort
The House resolution, H.R. 5110, is a direct response to these calls for action. It affirms the importance of hunting, archery, and gun safety courses in schools, stating that these programs promote responsible firearm use and education, instill values of conservation and outdoor skills, and provide students with valuable learning opportunities.
The resolution also highlights the bipartisan nature of the support for these programs, with members from both sides of the aisle recognizing the benefits they bring to students and communities. It emphasizes the need to protect these programs from being defunded and ensures that federal education funding continues to be available for hunting, archery, and gun safety courses in schools.
A Matter of Safety and Education
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