From Fox News:
Illinois passes bipartisan law to allow hunting education classes in school curriculum
Wedged in among the basics of science, math and English, a new bipartisan measure in Illinois now gives school districts the option to build hunting safety education into the daily curriculum.
The legislation, signed Friday by Gov. J.B. Pritzker, a Democrat, and put into immediate effect, aims to bolster hunter and gun safety for students.
The House and Senate in Illinois are under Democrats’ control, and the bill was initially introduced in February by downstate Democratic state Rep. Monica Bristow.
“Hunting in Illinois is still very popular, and students can learn about hunting as a sport. Hunters have respect for guns,” she told Fox News, underscoring that the legislation stirred no opposition. “If people have to do the education course to obtain a hunting license anyway, why not be able to do this in school?”
Yes, absolutely, that makes total sense. It should be like drivers ed.
Bristow said there is no minimum age for obtaining the license. She said neither guns nor ammo will be allowed in classrooms, but students will have the option to visit shooting ranges on their own time.
I figured as much.
Sen. Jason Plummer – a Republican from Edwardsville and a sponsor on the bill – said “students who are exposed to lessons in hunting safety have a greater chance of respecting firearms and using them properly for the rest of their lives.”
“As the law is shifting to emphasize the importance of safe handling, adopting legislation like this could make for an accessible path for students to learn these methods in-depth, early on in their lives.”
This is also 100% accurate. This seems like a great way to encourage more youth engagement in shooting sports.
Del Wilber, an Illinois-based hunter, firearms instructor and former police officer, said such courses typically entail teaching about firearms safety, the laws governing ownership and transportation, and ordinances to ensure that students will be in compliance when working with or otherwise involved with hunting.
According to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources Safety Education Division, participants also learn responsibility and ethics, first aid, wildlife conservation and bowhunting.
In Wilber’s view, it is also crucial to separate the rural pockets of the state from the high levels of gun violence experienced in the state’s largest city, Chicago.
“Sadly, young people in Chicago and other inner-city areas simply aren’t exposed to guns for anything other than using them in crimes,” he said. “But hunting has been a part of life in rural Illinois. It isn’t about just killing poor animals; it is also an integral part of wildlife control.
Everything about this law seems to be good news, especially that is was bipartisan.
I hope it is implemented up in the Chicagoland area as well as down state. I know where I lived on the edge of the Chicago bubble in Aurora/Plainfield/Naperville/Oswego there were a number of sportsman clubs that had skeet and trap ranges. So there are shooters in the area.
Demystifying guns for kids who grow up in the city as something used by law-abiding people for sport, and not just criminals is a good idea.
I don’t know how many more states have similar programs but this is the kind of thing that we gun owners and sportsmen should ask our legislature to do.
Good job, Illinois.
50% of ALL FFL’s in the state have closed down in the wake of the Illinois firearm dealer license certification act. Which passed in January of this year and took affect like two weeks ago.
That means that the state has actually destroyed on purpose 1171 small businesses in the state. In basically the course of a month. How are children going to get involved if no one can actually buy a gun anymore?
Illinois being openly hostile to small businesses by excessive taxing them and regulations is nothing new but I think that’s a record in terms of numbers and the time it took.Glad I got the hell out of there almost 20 years ago. Now they’re trying to ruin my state. It’s an uphill battle but with all the transplants from California and Illinois it’s only really a matter of time.
“I know where I lived on the edge of the Chicago bubble in Aurora/Plainfield/Naperville/Oswego there were a number of sportsman clubs that had skeet and trap ranges. So there are shooters in the area.”
Still are. The trap/skeet thing hasn’t really grown but there are new ranges opening up all the time. They just opened up a huge new range in Joliet, and have the one just outside it in Plainfield. An even bigger one opened in Orland Park last year, not to mention the several little ones still around in gunshop basements. One of my customers is a company that does maintenance on shooting ranges, and the frequency of their ordering report forms has gone up every year for the last 3. Most out here just seem to want to reside int he background and not be noticed. Considering the amount of a$$holes out there, not always a bad thing to do.
Fantastic? Well, maybe “good” is a better word.
Although Governor Prickster signed the bill, he and the democrat House and Senate are well aware that implementation is dependent on local school board adoption of the programs. Speaking as a current, elected member of a Lake County school board, adoption is less than certain, especially in the Chicago collar counties.
I’m estimating that it will take the ISBE at least one year to create programs. Then, another year to have the state’s ~725 school districts vote on the proposed content (which I believe is required) and another one or two years for districts to adopt and implement a curriculum. Of course, that’s IF the school boards will be in favor of the programs. Downstate counties, both Republican and democrat, are much more likely to be in favor. Chicago collar counties? Good luck.
If I was still living in Will County, I’d run for school board to get this implemented.