Tennessee U.S. Representative Mark Green (R-TN-07) filed legislation on Tuesday that would reverse the Biden Administration’s recent decision to defund school archery and hunting programs
“Washington bureaucrats are out of touch enough when it comes to our children,” Green told The Tennessee Star. “They shouldn’t be the ones deciding what elective classes our kids take. But that is exactly what’s happening now. Preventing students from learning how to handle bows and firearms safely does a disservice to communities that cherish this tradition.”
Earlier this week, Fox News Digital reported that the Biden Administration confirmed it is withholding funds for elementary and secondary schools nationwide with hunting or archery programs in their curriculum.
The Department of Education, according to the outlet, said that its funding decisions were “based on the plain text interpretation of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA), which Congress passed and President Biden signed last year after a string of mass shootings.”
The education department’s interpretation of the law “means funding for shooting sport activities earmarked under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) of 1965 will be blocked across the country,” Fox News noted.
If enacted, Green’s bill, the Protecting Hunting Heritage and Education Act (H.R.5110), would “amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to clarify that the prohibition on the use of Federal education funds for certain weapons does not apply to the use of such weapons for training in archery, hunting, or other shooting sports.”
Our children should be free to partake in extracurricular sports, including shooting sports, without the heavy hand of the Biden administration telling them no. @RepRichHudson https://t.co/SB20z3LwSk pic.twitter.com/T4I8HFewnb
— Rep. Mark Green (@RepMarkGreen) August 1, 2023
Green added that the classes being defunded “aren’t only about hunting and archery, they are about teaching young Americans how to respect nature and to focus on a goal.”
“If schools in liberal enclaves don’t want to teach their students these skills then fine, but forcing those views on communities that cherish this tradition is wrong,” Green continued.
U.S. Representative Richard Hudson (R-NC-09) signed onto Green’s bill as an original cosponsor.
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network.
