Two Republican lawmakers introduced new legislation allowing schools to fund firearm safety, hunting, and archery programs as tensions regarding gun violence run high.
Tennessee Rep. Andy Ogles and Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul introduced the Educating Responsible Future Hunters Act. This seeks to amend federal law to programs that aim to teach proper safety and training with a "dangerous weapon."
Republicans Encourage Schools To Fund Firearm Safety
The Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 currently prohibits funds under the law's jurisdiction for "the provision to any person of a dangerous weapon" or training in using a dangerous weapon.
During an interview, Ogles said that the federal government has no business in imposing federal restrictions on local schools that offer programs to educate students on firearm safety and the skills required for hunting and archery.
The Republican continued to say that the Educating Responsible Future Hunters Act permanently removes that provision and ensures that the administration's baseless attack on his state and American values ends at the federal level, as per Fox News.
Ogles said that he was pleased to be able to join Paul in the latter's effort to push back against United States President Joe Bidnen's administration and its efforts to block federal funds for schools that offer such extracurricular courses.
In a statement, the Kentucky senator said that the Biden administration is using the same provision he fought to have stripped from the gun control bill. He said the president wrongly justified its assault on Kentucky students' hunting and archery programs.
The Director of Federal Affairs for the Gun Owners of America (GOA), Aiden Johnston, said that Sen. Paul and Rep. Ogles deserve praise for stepping into the fray and calling out the Biden administration's ridiculous plan of blocking school funds.
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Tensions Over Gun Safety
He added that this is simply one of the many poor policies that have resulted from Sen. John Cornyn's alleged compromise on gun control that Congress should never have enacted last year. The situation comes as Republicans are worried that the Biden administration is wrongly interpreting the bipartisan gun safety law, according to Penn Capital Star.
The provision in the law that is in question is a bipartisan effort to curb gun violence that established new criminal offenses, and it also expanded background check requirements and the scope of existing restrictions.
The Department of Education has interpreted the provision to justify its efforts to defund school archery and hunting programs across the United States. Despite a score of Republican criticisms regarding the situation, there is little evidence that any programs have been affected.
On the other hand, protesters rallied in North Carolina after a fatal shooting that left a faculty member dead and scared students at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. It has galvanized gun safety advocates and local Democrats.
There were roughly 600 students who were seen holding protest signs on a large lawn in the heart of campus and bowed their heads during a moment of silence, said the Associated Press.
