Education

In this blog I would like to talk about hunter education. For someone that has no knowledge about guns and hunting is highly recommend to take a hunter education course. Many people have not had experience with guns or hunting, yet they say they are a horrible thing. Many of you would be in for an eye opener at one of these courses. I’m not saying one of these courses is going to change your mind, but you would certainly be more educated about the subject.

In a continued effort to reduce firearm accidents, the State of California requires all first time resident hunters, regardless of age, to complete hunter education training or pass a comprehensive equivalency test before purchasing a hunting license.

The California Department of Fish and Game conducts training throughout the state. Each year approximately 30,000 students complete the state’s ten-hour minimum hunter education course. Statistics show hunter education training is a success.

Hunting accidents of all types have declined substantially since the start of the program. The California Hunter Safety Program began on January 1, 1954 with the passage of the Davis-Abshire Hunter Safety Training Law. The initial law required all junior hunters to take a Hunter Safety Class prior to obtaining their first hunting license.

The course involves many different aspects of hunting and firearms including: learning about hunter responsibility and ethics, discover how firearms work and learn about firearm safety, improve your wildlife identification, game care, survival and first aid skills, develop firearm handling skills and hunting techniques, and increase awareness about wildlife conservation and management.

If these courses were mandatory for all our children to take we would certainly have fewer deaths by firearms. Statists show that these courses greatly reduce accidental death by firearms, but I feel it would also greatly reduce overall deaths caused by firearms.