Students could soon hit the books to learn about hunting safety under a measure sponsored in the Illinois Senate by Senator Jason Plummer (R-Edwardsville). House Bill 3462 would give school districts the option to include hunting safety classes in their curriculum as a unit of instruction on hunting education.
“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,” said Sen. Plummer. “As the law is shifting to emphasize the importance of safe handing—adopting legislation like this could make for an accessible path for students to learn these methods in depth, early on in their lives.”
The plan would require the State Board of Education to prepare and distribute instructional materials that may be used as guidelines for development of a unit of instruction on hunting education.
Current Illinois law requires anyone born on or after Jan. 1, 1980 to present a valid Hunter Education Certificate of Competency issued by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Safety Education Division or another state before being issued a hunting license.
Many states are now requiring adult hunters to furnish evidence of having completed a Hunter Education Course prior to issuance of a non-resident license. An Illinois Hunter Safety Education certificate is accepted by all other states.
The plan unanimously passed out of the House of Representatives and is currently on 2nd reading in the Senate having passed in committee. You can follow further action on this bill on ilga.gov.
More information and resources can be found on Sen. Plummer’s new legislative website at senatorjasonplummer.com and on Twitter @jasonplummerusa.