EDITORIAL: Bill to lower hunting age misses target | Wausau Daily Herald

June 12, 2009

State Sen. Jim Holperin of Conover wants to get more kids away from their televisions and computers and out enjoying the great outdoors.

At the same time, he wants to breathe new life into one of Wisconsin’s biggest industries: hunting. The annual nine-day rifle season alone is calculated to pump as much as $1 billion into the state’s economy every year.

Both are laudable goals. But his strategy for addressing them is off the mark.

Holperin has introduced legislation, already passed this week by the Senate, that would allow 10-year-old children to hunt in Wisconsin. That’s two years younger than current regulations allow.

Holperin says his legislation is “just replete with safety requirements,” but we’ve read the bill through several times and safety requirements are about as scarce as 30-point bucks.

True, the proposal requires a 10-year-old hunter to be accompanied by a mentor — an adult who holds a hunting license and always must be within “arm’s reach” of the student hunter. And the pair can share only one gun between them.

But that’s about it.

The bill doesn’t require the 10-year-old or the adult hunter to complete a hunter’s safety course. Nor does it restrict the type of weapon the 10-year-old can carry — a .22-caliber plinker, .30-06 high-power rifle or .44 magnum pistol all are allowed.

Under current law, a 12-year-old is allowed to hunt with adult supervision — the parent or guardian must be within visual range of the child — and the child must pass a hunter’s safety class.

The state should not allow 10-year-old learners to hunt without proof they’ve been taught proper firearm handling by a certified instructor.

Furthermore, there’s scant evidence that reducing the legal hunting age will achieve the underlying goal of the bill.

We’re an increasingly urban society, and many kids who already have the option of going outdoors to enjoy nature, get fresh air and exercise choose instead to play video games or chat with friends on the computer. Lowering the hunting age isn’t likely to change that. The Department of Natural Resources estimates that about 9,000 additional hunters will take to the woods if the bill is passed — but that’s a tiny fraction of the more than 650,000 who already hunt here every year.  Click Link Below for Full Story!

via EDITORIAL: Bill to lower hunting age misses target | wausaudailyherald.com | Wausau Daily Herald.