Vandalia, IL… Legislation sponsored by State Senator Jason Plummer (54th District) was signed into law on Friday, July 26. House Bill 3462 gives school districts the option to include hunting safety classes as part of their curriculum.
“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 handling—adopting legislation like this could make for an accessible path for students to learn these methods in depth, early on in their lives.”
The new law allows the Illinois State Board of Education to prepare and distribute instructional materials as guidelines for development of a unit of instruction on hunting education.
Current Illinois law requires anyone born on or after January 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 new law takes effect immediately. You can follow further action on this bill on ilga.gov.
The 54th Senate District is comprised of all or parts of the following counties; Bond, Clinton, Effingham, Fayette, Madison, Marion, Washington and St. Clair.
More information and resources can be found on Sen. Plummer’s legislative website at senatorjasonplummer.com.