Michigan Action Alert - MI hunting age.

[Barbara]

Senate committee won't have time . . .
Tabor wonders why?

State Rep. Sue Tabor expressed her disappointment today that HB4225, a bill which would lower the firearm deer season minimum age from 14 to 12 years old would not be voted on in the Senate Natural Resources committee this week.

"I was told by a staff person of Senator Patty Birkholz that there will not be enough time for the Senate committee to vote on HB4225 this week."

Tabor said "they went ahead and posted a meeting for other bills but did not give any consideration to include HB4225 on the agenda," even though Tabor had previously requested it. "Apparently the Chair of the senate committee does not think this bill is important enough to add it to their agenda."

Tabor says there is plenty of support for the bill from parents, various sportsmen's groups and hunter safety instructors. Michigan now has one of the highest minimum hunting ages in the nation. "Our kids are passing hunter safety classes at a younger age and going to other states where they can fully participate in the hunt instead of right here at home" Tabor said.

"The excuse of not having enough time just doesn't make any sense" said Tabor. I believe we have the votes to get the bill out of committee - so what's the holdup?"

She also adds that it is important to keep the legislation moving, because firearms deer season begins next month. "Many parents and their young hunters were very excited about having the change take place this year. Now I'm not sure we will be able to get it through the full Senate and to the Governor in time for her to sign it into law before November 15th. Not only am I disappointed, but the kids are too."

Rep. Tabor urges supporters of the legislation, including young hunters, to contact Senator Patty Birkholz at (517) 373-3447 with their comments and ask for her support of HB4225.

 

[Barbara]

Grrrr!

http://www.record-eagle.com/2004/oct/100604.htm

(The rest of the article is at the link above.)

Tabor is standing tall for pre-teen gun rights
Kudos to state Rep. Susan Tabor and the National Rifle Association. Fresh from victory in their righteous quest to put Michigan's dastardly mourning doves in the line of fire, Tabor and the gun manufacturers' lobby are turning the crosshairs to another target, another potential market: Kids.
Tabor, R-NRA, thinks it's a grand idea to put rifles, shotguns, muzzleloaders, assault weapons - you name it - in the hands of kids as young as 11 and shoo them camouflage-clad into the woods. Once there, they'd ostensibly bag big game like bear, deer and elk to feed their family and carry on "our hunting heritage."
Who could argue with that? Swishy liberal media types, perhaps, but certainly not good Americans. And quite frankly, we're so anxious to be viewed as good Americans we'd rather see Tabor's initial scheme, uh, plan, come to fruition - putting weapons in the hands of all kids, regardless of age.
After all, Davy Crockett killed him a bear when he was only 3. Why not Michigan kids? Aren't they tough enough?
Under current Michigan law, hunters must be a near-graybeard 14 before they're allowed to slay bear/deer/elk with firearms. And that's just wrong, as Tabor and her NRA masters rightly point out.
There are constitutional issues here. Read the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution closely and you'll clearly see that it's the right of all

 

[jefnvk]

Hmm...

What they fail to mention is that firearm hunting is already legal for small game. You trust a kid with a shotgun for squirrels in southern Michigan, but you don't trust that same kid with a shotgun shooting deer. They also forget to mention that kids under 17 can't hunt without an adult with them.

Then again, I would believe that most fathers interested in getting their kids involved in hunting would have let them shoot one under their tag before they were 12.

 

[SteveS]

Then again, I would believe that most fathers interested in getting their kids involved in hunting would have let them shoot one under their tag before they were 12.

I think this is a fair assumption , though it would be nice if it were legal.

 

[halvey]

Then again, I would believe that most fathers interested in getting their kids involved in hunting would have let them shoot one under their tag before they were 12.

You mean some kids actually have fathers? That's why hunting is in real trouble. Less and less fathers involved in their kids lives.