Why it Matters: Today’s youth are the next generation tasked with carrying our time-honored traditions forward. Introducing them to the outdoors helps build the foundation needed to sustain those traditions into the future. Hunter safety education in schools programs play a key role in this effort by instilling a strong conservation ethic, teaching essential hunting safety skills, and encouraging youth to support the “user pays – public benefits” structure that is the American System of Conservation Funding through the purchase of sporting licenses.
Highlights:
- On January 22, Senate Bill 1857 (SB 1857) was introduced by Tennessee Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus (Caucus) Co-Chair Senator Paul Rose. SB 1857 was followed by the House companion bill introduced on January 23, House Bill 2067 (HB 2067), which is sponsored by Caucus Co-Chair Representative Chris Todd.
- SB 1857 and HB 2067 would allow schools to offer students in grades 5–12 a hunter education course as part of the student’s physical education, health, or safety instruction curriculum.
- Both bills are currently awaiting committee assignments.
Hunters and many other conservationists across the nation are continually developing new methods to promote hunter recruitment, retention, and reactivation (R3) efforts. What better way to recruit new hunters than bringing these efforts into local school districts?
In what seems to be an increasingly digitized world, less screen time and more time spent outside is generally always welcome and encouraged by both parents and school administrators. SB 1857/HB 2067 would allow students to receive school credit and complete the mandatory hunter safety education curriculum required of all hunters to head afield. This curriculum would be offered as part of a student’s physical education, health, or safety instruction curriculum in grades 5 – 12.
Not only do students check two boxes at one time by opting to take an in-school hunter safety education course, but they also receive safety training that is an essential tool required of all hunters. Additionally, by recruiting new hunters at a young age and encouraging them to continue our hunting traditions into adulthood, they would eventually contribute to the “user pays – public benefits” structure that is the American System of Conservation Funding (ASCF) through the purchase of hunting licenses. Building the foundational knowledge needed to understand the basics of hunting ethics and conservation is critical to ensuring the next generation of sportsmen and women and the sustained future of the ASCF.
The Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) commends Caucus leaders for taking the initiative to introduce this important piece of legislation in the Volunteer State, and we look forward to working with the Caucus and our partners to advance this initiative.
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