Missouri's Bailey among 24 AGs seeking to protect funding for hunting safety, archery
Twenty-four U.S. attorneys general believe hunter education, shooting and archery programs in public schools may be on the chopping block under the Biden administration.
Missouri's Andrew Bailey is among them.
They're concerned that the Department of Education's interpretation of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act signed last year could impact the federal funding of schools that offer outdoors and safety programs because they include weapons.
Bailey is among the two dozen attorneys general who recently introduced the Protecting Hunting Heritage and Education Act, which said it aims to stop Department of Education from threatening schools with the loss of funding because they offer "commonplace educational opportunities they have provided for decades."
Bailey said he wants to help preserve access to training that teaches children in Missouri schools not to misuse firearms or other weapons.
“I’m not going to let coastal elites who are ignorant of how Missourians really live rid our schools of these safety programs,” Bailey said “Hunting and outdoor shooting sports are a way of life in our state, and these courses are vital to giving students the knowledge they need to safely participate in these activities.”
The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which then-Missouri Republican Sen. Roy Blunt signed last year, was created to help prevent violence following a string of mass shootings. The bill's language also prohibited funds from the Elementary and Secondary Education Act to be used to provide anybody a weapon or training involving a dangerous weapon.
That language says "no funds under the ESEA may be used for the provision to any person of a dangerous weapon, as defined in section 930(g)(2) of title 18, United States Code, or training in the use of a dangerous weapon. (Dangerous weapon is defined in section 930(g)(2) as a weapon, device, instrument, material, or substance, animate or inanimate, that is used for, or is readily capable of, causing death or serious bodily injury, except that such term does not include a pocket knife with a blade of less than 2 1/2 inches in length.)"
The Protecting Hunting Heritage and Education Act wants to clarify the ban on federal funds for weapons training doesn't apply to training students in archery, hunting and other shooting sport.
Supporters of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act from both sides of the aisle, including Montana Democrat Sen. John Tester, have publicly said it was never intended to stop the funding of hunting and shooting programs.
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Tester was critical of the Department of Education's interpretation of the bill, which he had supported.
"Outdoor recreation is foundational to our Western way of life and any reduction of federal support for these educational programs is unacceptable," Tester said in a letter last month.
Several schools in southwest Missouri participate in The National Archery in the Schools Program — many of the rural schools have teams that compete in high-level competitions — which serves 1.3 million students in nearly 9,000 schools across 49 States. The International Hunter Education Association reports that hunter education courses train and certify more than 500,000 students annually.
Springfield Public Schools, the largest school district in Missouri, offers several outdoor courses for its students. SPS middle school and high school courses include a unit of instruction on hunter education and firearm safety, based on a course from the Missouri Department of Conservation.
SPS declined to comment on the matter.
"SPS will not take an official position on related advocacy or legislative action at this time," said district spokesman Stephen Hall.
Tennessee, Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi,, Montana, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wyoming also support the Protecting Hunting Heritage and Education Act.
This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Are archery and shooting courses under fire at Missouri schools?
