New Legislation Blocks Biden’s Attack on School Hunting, Archery Programs

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, M.D. joined Senator John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) in introducing the Allowing for Recreational Resources for Outdoor Wellness (ARROW) Act to stop the Biden administration from blocking funding for elementary and secondary schools with hunting and archery programs.

This legislation would ensure that the Biden Administration cannot threaten school funding over access to programs involving hunting and archery skills. In America, there are over 500,000 students involved in these programs that teach proper safety training and, in result, lead to less hunting  accidents. 

“Learning to hunt at an early age is a right of passage back home,” said Senator Marshall. “The Biden administration’s latest stunt to block funding for hunter education courses and archery programs in schools is not only an attack on our Second Amendment rights but an attack on our Kansas values. This move by the administration has made it even more abundantly clear that the liberal bureaucrats in Washington have no clue about the beauty of the great outdoors and the Kansas way of life. I am proud to support this legislation that fights back against the Biden Administration to protect our schools’ hunting and archery safety curriculum.” 

“The Biden administration continues its attack on our constitutional rights and Wyoming values,” said Senator Barrasso. “Now, President Biden’s Department of Education is blocking funding for schools with hunter education and archery programs. These important programs help students learn proper firearm instruction and archery safety. These valuable programs decrease firearm-related injuries and accidents. They also connect our students to the long-standing heritage and traditions of America and the West. Our legislation will stop any attempts to block funding for schools with hunter education and archery programs and keep Washington politics out of Wyoming’s schools.”            

Additional co-sponsors of this bill include U.S. Senators Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), John Thune (R-S.D.), Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), Jim Risch (R-Idaho), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), John Kennedy (R-La.), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Mike Braun (R-Ind.), Ted Budd (R-N.C.), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.), Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.), Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), and Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.).

Background:

Senator Marshall signed and supported a letter led by 18 Republican colleagues to President Biden urging the administration to withdraw any plans to block funding for schools with hunting and archery programs. 

Every year, more than 500,000 students participate and are certified through hunter education courses. These programs have decreased hunting accidents by over 50 percent. 

According to the National Archery in Schools Program (NASP), 1.3 million students in over 8,000 schools across the country participate in archery programs each year. Nearly 40 percent of these students who participate have reported being more engaged in the classroom.

Full text of the legislation can be found here.

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