Why It Matters: Hunters are the backbone of conservation and to continue carrying that banner, new sportsmen and women must be exposed to the woods and fields. However, as fewer folks dress themselves in camouflage and orange, there are fewer to pass on our time-honored outdoor traditions to new generations. Allowing schools to instruct safe firearm handling practices and safe hunting practices is an opportunity to fill that void and spark a lifelong passion.
Highlights:
- In Michigan, Caucus Co-Chair Senator Jon Bumstead authored Michigan Senate Bill 58, and in Illinois, Sportsmen’s Caucus Co-Chair Neil Anderson introduced Illinois Senate Bill 1210.
- Both of these bills would allow schools in their respective states to offer firearm safety courses, including instruction on hunter safety.
- Implementing hunter education in schools is a state-level policy priority of the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF), which will support the passage of these bills and others like them throughout the country.
Michigan Senate Bill 58 is a reintroduction of legislation that passed the Senate 32-1 in late 2024 and had significant bipartisan support in the House. Introduced by Michigan Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus Co-Chair Senator Jon Bumstead and co-sponsored by fellow Co-Chair Senator John Cherry, the legislation would mandate that the Michigan Department of Natural Resources collaborate with the Michigan Department of Education to adopt and make available to schools a model program of firearm safety instruction. The course would both count as an elective credit and qualify as the classroom portion of Michigan’s hunter education requirement.
Illinois Senate Bill 1210, introduced by Illinois Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus Co-Chair Senator Neil Anderson, would allow school districts to offer an elective firearm safety course to 9th through 12th graders and may include hunter safety instruction. Like the Michigan bill, firearms would not be brought into the classroom.
The courses established by these bills would instruct students on proper firearm handling, safety, storage, and maintenance, while exposing students to hunting and the numerous benefits that it provides to conservation and society at large. However, it is also worth noting that both bills simply require the development of the curriculum, allowing school districts to make their own decisions about offering such courses. Introducing younger generations to hunting, especially those that may not have friends and family members equipped to do so, is paramount to protecting and advancing hunting, and therefore, wildlife conservation. CSF is proud to support the passage of these bills and will work to do so at each stage of the legislative process.
