A bombshell new report from Fox News Digital reporter Thomas Catenacci shed light on the Biden administration’s continued war on hunting.
The latest attack involves the Department of Education (DOE) nixing school archery and hunting program funding. DOE confirmed it’s withholding federal funds under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) of 1965 citing passage of the “moderate” gun control bill known as the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA).
ESEA ensures “public school systems and individual public schools are held accountable for monitoring and improving achievement outcomes for students and closing achievement gaps.”
"This prohibition applies to all ESEA funds," a Department of Education spokesperson told Fox News. "The prohibition went into effect immediately on June 25, 2022 and applies to all existing and future awards under all ESEA programs, including [21st Century Community Learning Centers]. The Department is administering the bipartisan law as written by Congress."
While the Biden administration is responsible for enacting this policy, the blame also falls on all Congressional Democrats and Republicans who voted for the BSCA. How many Republicans? 15 Senate Republicans and 14 House Republicans joined all Democrats to support this legislation.
In November 2022, DOE issued guidance on the new law pertaining to the use of “dangerous weapons” (Question D-1) to be allocated under Stronger Connections Grant funds. The provision in question - Section 13401 of the BSCA amended Section 8526 of the ESEA - is being interpreted to not only prohibit funds for firearms, but also archery equipment.
“Section 13401 of the BSCA amended Section 8526 of the ESEA to prohibit the use of ESEA funds, including those under Stronger Connections, to provide to any person a dangerous weapon or training in the use of a dangerous weapon. The term “dangerous weapon” means a weapon, device, instrument, material, or substance, animate or inanimate, that is used for, or is readily capable of, causing death or serious bodily injury, except that such term does not include a pocket knife with a blade of less than 2½ inches in length,” the document reads.
ESEA funding for hunter education courses will reportedly be nixed, as well. The International Hunter Education Association (IHEA) reports 500,00 students complete basic hunter education programs annually.
This is, sadly, what happens when one gives an inch on gun control - regardless of how “moderate” the proposal sounds.
Senators John Corynyn (R-TX) and Thom Tillis (R-NC), two BSCA backers, wrote to Secretary Miguel Cardona that he’s “misinterpreting” the BSCA. Now those 15 Republicans, joined by moderate Sens. Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ), Joe Manchin (D-WV), and Jon Tester (D-MT), appear to have buyer's remorse now.
Archery isn’t a dangerous activity. Contrary to popular belief it’s the most inclusive school program available to students today, per the National Archery in the Schools Program (NASP). NASP has 1.3 million students between 4th to 12th grade enrolled in 9,000 schools across 49 states. In response to the change, some schools have announced their intention to cancel programs ahead of the 2023-2024 school year.
"It's a negative for children. As a former educator of 30-plus years, I was always trying to find a way to engage students," NASP president Tommy Floyd said to Fox News. "In many communities, it's a shooting sport, and the skills from shooting sports, that help young people grow to be responsible adults. They also benefit from relationships with role models."
The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), the firearms and ammunition trade association, was neutral towards the BSCA but grew skeptical over the law’s implementation and subsequent interpretation by DOE.
“While NSSF was neutral on the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, there were several provisions we did support including enhancing school security. We have become increasingly concerned by the Biden administration’s implementation of the law,” said Lawrence Keane, NSSF Senior Vice President and General Counsel, in a statement to Townhall.com. “For example, the Department of Education and Secretary Cardona are blatantly misconstruing the law to withhold funding from schools that choose to teach beneficial courses like hunter safety and archery. Congress must hold Secretary Cardona and the department accountable for violating the letter and spirit of the law to unilaterally deny America’s student access to these valuable programs as part of the administration’s attack on the Second Amendment. Stopping hunter education courses that teach safe and responsible firearms handling makes our communities less, not more, safe and diminishes our ability to pass on to the next generation our nation’s cherished hunting and shooting sports heritage.”
Given the fallout from this decision, House Republicans want to restore funding to school archery and hunting programs. Reps. Mark Green (R-TN) and Richard Hudson (R-NC) just introduced a bill, the Protecting Hunting Heritage and Education Act, to reverse the damage.
Should it pass, this legislation would clarify ESEA fund restrictions don’t apply to weapons for “training in archery, hunting, or other shooting sports.”
This attack on school hunting and archery programs isn’t an isolated event. It’s part of a wider campaign by the Biden administration and their preservationist environmental allies to undermine true conservation practices.
The Biden White House has repeatedly weaponized government agencies - namely the Department of Interior, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Forest Service, Commerce Department, and the Bureau of Land Management - against true conservationists by enacting lead phaseouts on public lands, limiting access to prime offshore fishing locations, closing millions of acres to public land hunting opportunities, and restricting target shooting opportunities on forest service lands, for instance.
Let’s set the record straight: The BSCA is extreme and doesn’t "promote safer, more inclusive, and positive school environments.” Period.
Like incremental gun bans, “moderate” gun control bills yield unintended yet disastrous consequences on the safety and well-being of Americans—school children included.
America’s outdoor heritage is at risk of going extinct. Misguided bills like BSCA exacerbate the problem.