OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
A large bipartisan majority of Congress has ‘righted a wrong’ by passing new legislation aimed at ‘fixing’ a law last year that the Biden administration appears to have purposely misinterpreted.
The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which, in part, implemented modest gun control measures across the country, was used by the administration to prohibit the use of certain federal education funds for use in promoting and teaching hunting, archery, and shooting sports, the Columbus Dispatch reported.
“The U.S. Department of Education interpreted the law’s wording to mean the prohibition denied funds to schools for extracurricular programs such as hunting, archery and other shooting sports. Such programs have a lot of takers in some school districts, and the emphasis of such activities is in no small measure on safe use,” the outlet added.
That interpretation angered several lawmakers, many of whom questioned why the Education Department would make such a determination.
“I don’t know why they interpreted the legislation the way they did,” said Kevin Donohoe, a press aide for Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio). “The result brought significant bipartisan criticism.”
The significance of the misinterpretation was highlighted by the near-unanimous passage of the Protection Hunting and Heritage Act last month, the outlet noted. First introduced in the House on Aug. 1 by Rep. Mark Green (R-Tenn.), it rapidly attracted several co-sponsors. Brown was one of 13 co-sponsors in the Senate.
The legislation passed the House 424-1 late last month, and the Senate unanimously approved it a day later. Now, President Joe Bide is expected to sign the law, according to Donohoe.
“We appreciate the quick and decisive action taken by Congress to correct language that negatively impacted youth hunter education, archery and shooting sports programs in our schools,” Kendra Wecker, chief of the Ohio Division of Wildlife, said in an email to the Columbus Dispatch. “These are important education activities for Ohio’s students who have shown improved grades and school attendance when mentored in these programs.”
In a statement of praise regarding the wide bipartisan passage of the new bill, the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership pointed out that without the fix, “millions of students who participate in archery programs, hunter education classes, wilderness and outdoor classes, and school-sponsored target shooting teams” stood to lose access to the programs.
Tommy Floyd, president of the National Archery in the Schools Program, said in an interview with The Center Square: “When you see Democrats and Republicans coming together and the speed at which this legislation was crafted, supported, voted on, approved, and signed, I think it shows how many people in this country care about the outdoors, young people, shooting sports, and the future of conservation in America.”
North Carolina Republican Sen. Thom Tillis said after passage: “The Biden Administration’s partisan interpretation of BSCA to eliminate hunting education in schools is a slap in the face to millions of Americans, particularly in rural areas, and discourages bipartisan cooperation in Congress. Hunting education programs have wide bipartisan support in Congress, and I encourage my colleagues to quickly pass this legislation to ensure gun-grabbing Biden officials have no room for misinterpretation.”
Arizona Independent Sen. Kyrsten Sinema added: “School-based archery and hunting safety courses help Arizona students learn and grow while enjoying the outdoors. We’re ensuring the Administration follows the law we wrote so Arizonans can continue to benefit from these educational courses. The Department of Education wrongly interpreted the language of our Bipartisan Safer Communities law. We’re holding the Administration accountable and ensuring they follow our law so students can continue to enjoy school-based hunting and archery programs in Arizona and across the country.”
Texas GOP Sen. John Cornyn said: “Educational enrichment programs like hunting and archery are critical to our next generation’s development and well-being, and this legislation would ensure they remain available in schools across the nation.”
