The Scorpion & the Frog

[hso]

Much like the tale of the Frog and the Scorpion, moderates of both parties are "stinging" from the current Administration's defunding scholastic shooting sports and firearms safety courses. The excuse used?

Bi-Partisan Safer Communities Act​

Read more: https://www.nraila.org/articles/202...back-with-treacherous-overreach#ixzz8Ar9cU3kb


Moderate members of both political parties are criticizing the Biden Administration for its recent move to defund longstanding scholastic archery and hunter education programs under a recently passed gun control law.

The programs, which have no demonstrable connection to crime or violence, are the latest innocent victims of the misnamed Bi-Partisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA).​

The episode reinforces two critically important lessons that any pro-gun legislator should remember. One: there is no such thing as harmless gun control. Two: Moderates who join forces with anti-gun extremists will eventually be embarrassed by the partnership.

The latest issue arises out of an obscure provision of the BSCA that amended the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA). That act is the “primary source of federal aid for elementary and secondary education” and is meant ““to strengthen and improve educational quality and educational opportunities in the Nation’s elementary and secondary schools.”

The BSCA amendment prohibited use of funds under ESEA for “the provision to any person of a dangerous weapon, as defined in section 930(g)(2) of title 18, or training in the use of a dangerous weapon.” While the provision did not gain much attention, it was commonly understood to impose a ban on using ESEA funds to arm and train teachers or other school personnel in the use of firearms as a counter-measure to armed attacks on schools.

the Biden Department of Education — which administers grant programs under ESEA – publicly announced that the language also prohibited the use of funds for archery, hunting, and any other firearm-related program in schools

Supporters of the BSCA on both sides of the aisle have pushed back against the Department of Education’s interpretation of the law in letters and public statements. Legislation has also been introduced to clarify the language at issue to ensure it cannot be read to “prohibit the use of funds … for purposes of training students in archery, hunting, or other shooting sports.

So what do we do? Write, phone, email, visit your Congresscritters and demand that the Education Department stop violating the intent of the BSCA and that specific language exempting these programs amend the BSCA and the Ed Department's funding legislation.

 

[doubleh]

In the case of any of my representation any contacting would be a complete waste of time. They do what they are told to do by their party leaders and ignore the citizens. I can't comprehend why my state continues to send these total wastes of oxygen to Washigton but we do although I have no part in it.

 

[12Bravo20]

I can't comprehend why my state continues to send these total wastes of oxygen to Washigton but we do although I have no part in it.

While in the Army, we called people like that "astronauts in training, just taking up space"

There are quite a few poison pills in the Safer Communities Act. In a recent thread in Legal, there are some FFL's that are making people 18-20 wait 10 business days before they can take possession of a firearm. The Safer Communities Act only states "UP to 10 days if further investigations of juvenile records is needed.

The current administration is using every poison pill in the Safer Communities Act to stymie gun rights.

 

[hso]

In the case of any of my representation any contacting would be a complete waste of time.

No, because this was a bipartisan effort you can phrase it as a misunderstanding by the bureaucrats that don't undestand that "responsible gun ownership" is part of what's taught in school and needs to be protected.

 

[Basura Blanca]

Much like the tale of the Frog and the Scorpion, moderates of both parties are "stinging" from the current Administration's defunding scholastic shooting sports and firearms safety courses. The excuse used?

That question isn't adequately addressed in that ammoland bit. So what exactly is it that's being misinterpreted according to Cornyn? The new law is 32 pages of changes to a ton of ancillary US code. On page 26 of this there's a tiny blurb regarding an amendment to ESEA funding that reads: ‘‘(7) for the provision to any person of a dangerous weapon, as defined in section 930(g)(2) of title 18, United States Code, or training in the use of a dangerous weapon.’’

I'll take a wild guess the language of the last phrase is what this is about but I don't know how it reads in the context of the law it references. Not saying the department of education is right, but there's some evidence they are indeed trying to apply the law as written.

And fwiw, the game of denying funding in education is one played by all parties and many administrations. The ESEA is just NCLB's new name and an iteration of others before it back half a century. What's crappy about this is that all these decades of amendments are constantly used as bludgeons to promote various evolving agendas. In other words, this is normal behavior.

 

[Coyote3855]

Total hypocrisy. Let's defund the programs that teach young people firearms safety. The kids in 4-H and Boy Scouts or taking Hunter Safety classes are probably not doing drive shootings or jacking cars.

 

[hso]

evidence they are indeed trying to apply the law as written.

I agree. They Dept of Ed is applying the language as written, but they could have gotten clarification as to intent vs. literal application and decided academic shooting programs were not the intent of the language.

The fault very much lies with the authors of the bill and those that voted for it for not critically reviewing the language and anticipating this.
Now Congress needs to amend the bill to clearly exclude shooting sports and hunting/shooting safety classes.

 

[Speedo66]

Half the time the legislature is given a bill and told to pass it, with no time to read what’s in it.

”You can read it after you pass it” was what Cuomo used to tell them in NY, which is how the “Safety Act” was passed In the dark of night.

 

[LocoGringo]

Total hypocrisy. Let's defund the programs that teach young people firearms safety. The kids in 4-H and Boy Scouts or taking Hunter Safety classes are probably not doing drive shootings or jacking cars.

Not hypocrisy when the goal is to end private firearms ownership and competency. The government doesn't want private citizens to own guns, period. When you look at it from that perspective, any program that teaches or encourages competency with firearms is a block to what they want to accomplish, the government will get rid of the program.

It's not about making society safer. The powers that be in government don't give a rat's a*s about safety. All they care about is power and how to achieve all of it. Too many in the firearms community don't understand this. A private citizenship with private arms is a HUGE obstacle to that goal. That obstacle must be eliminated, however long it takes.