Republicans recoil after Biden blocks funding for hunter education

Last month, the U.S. Department of Education revealed the funding would be held back as dedicated under the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act of 2022, legislation the president touted as containing the most significant gun safety reforms in decades. The law broadened the definition of licensed gun dealers to require more of them undergo background checks, and it expanded access to mental health services and violence intervention programs.

Another part of the act amended the Elementary and Secondary Act (ESEA) of 1965 to prohibit federal funds from going toward “training in the use of a dangerous weapon.”

The letter (read below) Kennedy and other senators sent Aug. 11 to President Joe Biden said cutting off money from hunter education programs will have a detrimental effect on safety. More than 500,000 students participate and are certified through hunter education courses annually, the senators said. Such training has decreased hunting-related accidents 50% since the program was started 50 years ago, their letter stated.

In Louisiana, archery is a competitive sport at the middle and high school level. Ed Pratt, spokesperson for the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, said 113,921 students in the state have participated in archery classes over the past seven years, including about 19,000 last school year.

Louisiana’s hunter education courses have trained 74,707 fourth-grade through high school students since 2016, he added.

State officials are aware of the federal funding loss, and the matter will be presented Sept. 7 at the next Wildlife and Fisheries Commission meeting, Pratt said.

The Biden administration is aware of the concerns from Republican senators, some of whom supported the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act.

An official told the Florida Phoenix the U.S. Department of Education recognizes the current language in the bill “limits” specific “enrichment opportunities with ESEA funding.”

“We are happy to provide technical assistance on legislative language to address this issue and restore allowability of ESEA funding for valuable enrichment opportunities for students, such as archery and hunter safety programs,” the official said.

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