AB 411. Eliminating the age requirement for hunting

While the 'blaze pink' topic is being beaten to death this legislation is barely getting a peep here on LL. This bill will eliminate the 10 year old age requirement completely, if that in itself is ignorant enough, it also allows more than one weapon to be carried between the hunter and the mentor. Who comes up with this stuff?

So to Tims point we really have two separate issues that are related to hunting. We have our mentored hunting issue(s). And then we have our hunting parents with a tiger/soccer mom attitude trying to force kids through the system. Is the answer to the hunter safety too young problem making it a two tier cost system? It wont deter all parents, but aome parents are not going throw money at this if they know in the back of their heads that their kid is not ready and they are going to burn an extra 100 by trying to send their kids through hunter safety earlier than 10. It's not discimanatory since hunter safety is not required for mentored hunting. And by the time a child can hunt alone they would be in the cheaper age bracket?

I have not had any ADA issues come up in classes. I think you are referring to a minimum age requirement? Can't have one as it would be age discrimination and since there are federal dollars in use for Hunter Safety (Pittman-Robertson) there can be no minimum age. (I know. When most of us took Hunter Safety, you had to be 11 1/2 or whatever but that's changed for the above reason.) As for "outside interests", of course there were! Sportsmen's Alliance, The Congressional Sportsmen's Caucus, I'm sure there are more. The written test is what usually trips up the younger students. It's simply not geared towards those under 11. Sure, there are some who are 9 who have passed it with flying colors but for the most part it's tough for someone that young to get past the written portion. The hands-on field test portion is different. I can't recall anyone ever failing that. We try to note anyone who we think may not pass the written test and make sure they get their test graded before we take them out for the field test. Saves us the time of testing someone who has already failed the written portion. The possibility of re-writing the test gearing it towards younger students is highly unlikely IMHO. All states are pretty much inline with others as the certificate is good in almost all of North America. This comes around to the crux of my main issue with this legislation. (I must admit that I am a recently renewed member of The Sportsmen's Alliance) My problem is that when the Mentored Law was passed, all of a sudden Dad felt it was needed to send 10 year old Junior or Missy thru Hunter Safety even though it isn't required. Since that law passed, we have had our only fails. We do our best to talk Dad out of it but we cannot deny anyone admission to our classes. If this passes, I foresee a whole new wave of too young to pass students coming thru. That's why I am against it. Tim

I think there is some confusion here. Just so everyone is clear; hunter education is not a requirement of the existing mentored hunting laws, and it is not required for the proposed changes. So how do you create a physical, and reading requirement without violating ADA? You just cannot apply a reading, or physical ability requirement without breaking federal law, and creating conflict with numerous state laws. If you are against this due to "emotional" state arguements keep in mind that an arguement like that opens the entire population to risk of hunting rights forfeiture. The DSM 5 is so broad, and liberal in applying mental defect to the population that pretty much by legal definition the whole population has an "emotional" state condition.

The vast majority of hunter safety attendees younger than 12 do extremely well in the class. There is a lot of reading in advance. I believe the parental involvement in hunting and hunter safety shows that when all are involved, child and parent that the results show. (It is not a school problem in Milwaukee and some districts. If families were able to be together and engaged a lot of problems go away). Hunter safety is sensitive to the needs of every student and using the EDOC system of teaching (educate, demonstrate, observe and coach) on every topic improves retention. Over the 12 +/- class hours, a lot is learned about a little, resulting in 50 years lowering the accident rates to all sot 1/100,000 vs greater than 40/100,000 50 years ago. This safety does also coincide with blaze orange (now pink) requirements. Testing can be a problem for some and this is addressed by instructors offering separate read to testing for those who may have a challenge comprehending written exam. The biggest issue is student size and size of firearm and subsequent safety. Most of the hunter safety sets are adult size 870, 1100 etc. we also have a single shot 20 gauge and 22 in each set. The course requires handling of all but the smaller 22 and single shot are lighter, shorter and safer for those small in stature. Having hunted for almost 50 years, there is no doubt young kids can shoot. BB guns at tin cans x 1000s of shots at our cabins has proved that. There are serious questions beyond these issues about every Hunter. Kids are young and prone to the mistakes of the young. A lot is on the mentor and all we can do is hope and pray that the mentor will provide a safe, ethical and learning environment for the mentee. Is every mentor safe? Hunter safety stats would say so, BUT why do they also have to carry a gun? In mentored season, this is not an issue. In regular season this is an issue. Why not create a progressive environment if this is going to move forward. Mentees less than 10, only 1 firearm between mentee and mentor (if regular season, mentor can hunt but uses mentee's firearm) Mentees 10-11, both can carry a firearm during regular season. ( a progressional learning step forward for both) Young hunters 12-13 must still hunt within verbal and visual sight of a guardian. Hunters 14+ May hunt alone in addition, it should be required that every mentee, should be required to wear a safety harness if hunting from an elevated stand

Have ADA issues come up for teachers of Hunter Safety classes ?? What do the teachers think of having 10 year old's in your class ?? What challenges to the learning environment do 10 year olds bring ??

I took hunter safety with our daughter. There was plenty of required reading material. Are we now in a position where it must be rewritten so it on the level of a 10 year old ?? This law creates expense for rewriting old material that is beyond the reading level of young hunters.

My understanding is that the only requirement is: The parent or guardian says they are old enough.

We have special rules for the disabled, and hunting. My question still stands, how do you apply reading, and physical ability requirements on children without also falling foul of the ADA?

Pretty sure there are still physical and literacy requirements of some sort for getting a driver's license...even with the ADA. Seems like common sense to me.

Trouter, So what you're saying is that there should be a physical requirement? A reading requirement? How do you apply those requirements without falling on the wrong side of the ADA?