In late July, I wrote that the Biden administration was taking aim at key federal funding earmarked under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) of 1965 for schools with hunting and archery programs. The goons overseeing the program decided that school hunting and archery classes were precluded from receiving federal funding.
After that post, I encouraged everyone interested in maintaining these programs to contact their congressional representatives and voice their concerns and ask for the decision to be reversed.
I began taking archery because learning new things is a wonderful way to stay young….even if it is young in spirit. However, I have picked up many valuable life lessons over the past year. Perhaps the most important is the following: You can’t win if you don’t take the shots.Therefore, as we head into what will be a very intense election season where we will be confronted with media and political power brokers doing everything to undermine our determination to effect change, we have to continue to be willing to show up and take the shot. We might miss the mark. However, there is no victory unless the arrow is nocked, the aim is taken, and the bowstring is released.
We took the shots. . . and won!
The White House confirmed Thursday that President Biden is planning to sign legislation that explicitly reverses his own administration’s decision to defund school shooting sports courses nationwide.A White House spokesperson told Fox News Digital that Biden supports the Protecting Hunting Heritage and Education Act which ensures elementary and secondary school hunting and archery programs continue to receive federal funds after the Department of Education began withholding funding earlier this year. The spokesperson further pointed to a statement from Stefanie Feldman, the director of the White House’s Office of Gun Violence Prevention.”The President supports a legislative solution to ensure ESEA funding can be used for valuable school enrichment programs, such as hunter safety and archery,” Feldman said this week.
The support for the reversal was overwhelming in the House of Representatives.
In a 424-1 vote, the House approved the Protecting Hunting Heritage and Education Act with 216 Republicans and 208 Democrats voting in favor, and just one lawmaker, Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-Texas, voting against. Rep. Mark Green, R-Tenn., introduced the bill on Aug. 1, days after a Fox News Digital report in late July revealed the Department of Education was withholding funds for school hunting and archery courses.”Hunters and fishers are the best conservationists,” Green told Fox News Digital after the vote Tuesday. “Hunting, whether it be with a firearm or bow, is one of the most effective ways to control wildlife populations, protect our beautiful lands, and connect with nature. My Protecting Hunting Heritage and Education Act is critical for our children.”
There was bipartisan support in the Senate, with Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz) joining Sens. John Cornyn (R-Texas) and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) in introducing the Protecting Hunting Heritage and Education Act in an effort to clarify language in existing law that the Biden administration has curiously interpreted to exclude extracurricular programs such as hunting, archery, other shooting sports.
“School-based archery and hunting safety courses help Arizona students learn and grow while enjoying the outdoors,” Sinema said on Monday. “We’re ensuring the Administration follows the law we wrote so Arizonans can continue to benefit from these educational courses.”
A big thanks to all who joined me in this effort.
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