Michigan is experiencing a drop in hunting participation, especially among the youth demographic. A Northern Michigan lawmaker has unveiled a bold initiative aimed at countering this trend by advocating for gun safety education targeted at young people, including those who may not have plans to hunt.
The initiative has received support from both sides of the aisle, which is uncommon in the state legislature, particularly for measures related to firearms and educational institutions.
State Rep. Parker Fairbairn, an avid hunter, has joined forces to support House Bill 4285.
“In generality, it allows for schools and school districts to be able to have an elective course, which would be a hunter safety course,” Fairbairn said. “So these kids would be able to go through and take a hunter safety course throughout the school, you know, a semester and get a hunter safety certificate and would be able to purchase base licenses and hunting licenses.”
To obtain a hunting license, completing a hunter safety course is mandatory. Fairbairn suggests that offering young hunters the chance to complete the course during school hours could be a pivotal step in reversing the trend of declining license purchases.
According to Fairbairn, the Department of Natural Resources has prepared a curriculum that can be transformed into 45-minute lectures suitable for high schools and middle schools.
The legislation promoting this educational integration has successfully cleared the House and is now moving on to the Senate, where Fairbairn is optimistic about its smooth progression.
