The Biden administration has continued its efforts to target hunters by cutting funding from public schools that offer hunting and archery programs to students.
Last year, Congress passed the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA), a response to the number of mass shootings that occurred across the country. The BSCA was designed to promote a “safer, more inclusive and positive” school environment. The BSCA amended an existing law, The Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) of 1965. The amendment was intended to ensure ESEA funds weren’t used to train someone “in the use of a dangerous weapon.”
However, the Biden administration has announced that it will interpret the BSCA as permission to block funding for hunting education and archery programs in schools. This decision will have a direct effect on thousands of schools across the country that offer hunting programs to students.
The backlash from pro-hunting organizations immediately followed the federal government’s targeting of hunting education. Tommy Floyd is the president of the National Archery in the Schools Program, an organization that has enrolled over 1.3 million students in archery courses across the country. Floyd criticized the government’s decision to reduce funding, stating that it is a negative for children who are utilizing these skills to become responsible adults.
“You’ve got every fish and wildlife agency out there working so hard to utilize every scrap of funding, not only for the safety and hunter education, but for the general understanding of why stewardship is so important when it comes to natural resources,” Floyd explained. “Any guidance where it’s even considered a ‘maybe’ or a prohibition for shooting sports is a huge negative.”
The International Hunter Education Association has reported that since 1949, almost 40 million students have completed hunting programs that educate on firearm safety, responsible hunting, and more. Experts have also noted that since these programs have gone into effect, there has been a substantial decrease in the number of hunting-related injuries.
Despite this, the Department of Education declared In a statement to Fox News Digital that it, “continues to implement the law as developed by Congress” but that it “recognizes the limits this language may place on certain enrichment opportunities with ESEA funding.”
