I just sent this email to my legislators:
HB 1199 claims to be a bill promoting hunting safety among our young hunters. In reality, it is a solution looking for a problem. It is another case of changing the rules so that someone can feel like they are doing something for safety while there is no evidence of any real problem.
I have been discussing this at length with representatives of WDFW and they have claimed two main reasons for proposing this legislation:
1) Increased safety for young hunters (i.e. hunters under 14 who may be hunting alone).
2) Increased access to hunters education classes by charging a fee to dissuade people from signing up from classes and then not showing up.
Neither of these are real issues.
For the first issue, WDFW has not been able to present any evidence of an actual incident that would have been prevented by this incident. For most people, they remember the 2008 incident of a young bear hunter shooting a hiker. It must be remembered that however tragic that incident may be, the hunter in question was 14 and this bill would have had no impact on that incident.
From WDFW's own statistic, they youngest hunter involved in an accident in 2011 (the latest results available) was 16. Outside of the range of this bill.
Please take an analytical look at WDFW's accident statistics shown here:
http://wdfw.wa.gov/hunting/huntered/hunting_incidents.html These statistics show that for 10 to 19 year olds, there have been 150 accidents over the last 30 years. That averages to 5 per year, but remember that this bill only addresses those incidents where the hunter was under 14. We must also view the chart showing that the accident rate now has fallen to one quarter of what it was 30 years ago. This means that we are averaging less than one accident per year for hunters in the 10 to 19 year age range.
In the mean time it adds costs to introducing our children to our traditional activities. This bill would require the adult accompanying the youth to be licensed for hunting. This would mean that for me to take my child out for a youth only hunt I would need to have my own license as well. While I do purchase a hunting license annually, I oppose any unnecessary barriers being put in the way of our hunting activities.
The bill also sets an arbitrary minimum age to take the hunters education class. This is unnecessary because successful completion of the class depends on passing a test at the end. Rather than picking an arbitrary age, let the test perform its function. If the test does not weed out people who do not understand the material, the test should be fixed. Why let a 9 year old pass who does not grasp the material pass under a bad test and block a younger child who does because of an arbitrary age restriction. If there is a problem, and the falling hunting accident rates indicates there is no problem, address the test.
Clearly, the youth hunter safety aspect is a solution looking for a problem. Perhaps you have heard the term "nannying" before. Here we have another fine example. There is no evidence of a problem, but the state is proposing layering on "safety" rules none the less.
For the second issue, this problem has already been solved. If you review the hunter education classes currently being offered you will find that several of them already charge fees that are only refundable if you do not show up for the test at the end. The mechanism for deterring people for signing up for a class, blocking someone else from taking the class, and then not showing up is already in place.
The only thing this addresses is funneling more money to WDFW.
This is a poorly thought out and unjustified bill. It is a solution looking for a problem. Please oppose it and take a stand against nannying.
