We are proud that Safari Club International is leading the way to prevent the United States Department of Education from defunding scholastic shooting sports, high school archery programs, and hunter education.

Ms. Regina Lennox, Litigation Counsel for SCI, was the guest of Jim Strader on his podcast on Sunday the 13th of August. She did an outstanding job of explaining how the issue came to be and how SCI is working to fix it. You can listen to Ms. Lennox during the first hour of the show at this link - Jim Strader Outdoors 8-13-23 Hour #1.

If after you become familiar with the issue, you would like to take action, you can do so at this link - Safari Club Hunter Advocacy Action Center.

Your Kentuckiana Chapter of Safari Club International also took decisive action and sent the letter below to all our Kentucky Senators and Representatives. 

“The Kentuckiana Chapter of Safari Club International (KYSCI) is concerned that the overly broad language in the “Bipartisan Safer Communities Act of 2022” may result in an interpretation by the U.S. Department of Education that could negatively impact federal funding for hunter education, archery and shooting sports programs in our schools.

 Hunter education is vital to ensure that all new hunters are properly trained. The curriculum includes much more than archery and firearms training. It includes a great deal about wildlife, the funding for wildlife and fisheries, the values, virtues and ethics of hunting and the care for wild game after harvest. Our Nation and our wildlife benefit a great deal from hunter education programs. Our position is that hunter education should be expanded into all schools, not defunded.

The National Archery in the Schools Program (NASP) is an extremely successful sport at all levels. Some of our Olympic archers are graduates of NASP and a portion of those who participate see it purely as sport. KYSCI funds NASP programs for many reasons, but fundamentally we believe better trained children will grow up to be responsible hunters. Also, we have seen first hand how NASP has instilled confidence and pride in children that haven’t had the opportunity for that development through more traditional school sports such as basketball, soccer, etc. Our position is that NASP should be expanded into all schools, not defunded.

Shooting sports at the high school level are extremely popular. Clay target leagues for high school students are sponsored or hosted by groups like the NRA and 4H all over the country. Air rifle training and competitions are hosted by Junior ROTC at the middle and high school level in over 3,000 programs nationwide. These programs teach firearms training and safety first. In fact, high school JROTC Air Rifle is the safest high school sport on record. These shooting programs are vital stepping stones to college and Olympic level competition. Kentucky has a rich history of greatness in the shooting sports. In fact, University of Kentucky Graduate Will Shaner not only won the Gold in air rifle at the Tokyo Olympics, but also set an Olympic record score in the final round. Once again, we think these programs should be expanded, not defunded.

Finally, hunter education, NASP programs, and the shooting sports are gateways for our youth to become hunters, archers, and shooting sportsmen as adults. State wildlife and fisheries agencies rely on those groups to fund their work. Hunters fund wildlife conservation two ways (1) license sales and (2) excise taxes on their equipment and ammunition through Pittman-Robertson. Archers and shooting sportsmen contribute to wildlife conservation through Pittman-Robertson as well.

The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources (KDFWR) receives no general fund monies, zero. Over 50% of their budget comes through license sales and on average 20% through Pittman-Robertson. The KDFWR is the only agency responsible for maintaining our game and non-game species. The funding may come from hunters, fishers, and shooting sportsmen, but the work must be done on everything from bears to butterflies, bass to bumblebees. Reducing the opportunity for our youth to participate in these sports will have a direct negative impact on the future funding of the KDFWR.

In conclusion, please take swift and sure action to prevent the U.S. Department of Education from defunding these programs.

 Sincerely,

 Lowell Stevens III

President Kentuckiana Chapter SCI”

Your Kentuckiana Safari Club Legislative Affairs Committee is not an independent entity. We work for the leadership of the Chapter and our members. If you would like to contact us about issues that are important to you, please do so at this link - contact.

Yours in Solidarity,

Larry Richards

Chief Warrant Officer 2 (Retired)

Chairman of the KYSCI Legislative Affairs Committee