Mediated Rough Draft

Should Children Under the Age of Eighteen Be Able to Hunt?

In many states it is illegal for children under the age of eighteen to go hunting. Only recently did South Carolina change this law for its youth. Currently there are eighteen different states that have altered their hunting restrictions regarding youth hunting ages and thirty states have no minimum age requirement. People throw out many reasons for not allowing children to hunt before the age of eighteen, but I believe that it is every individual’s choice. Officials should make compromises that will allow today's youth to hunt, yet still ensure their safety. Steps that can be implemented as compromises and in some instances have already been taken in order to allow today's youth to hunt include adult guidance, obtaining a hunting licenses, safety and information courses, and other enforced guidelines that will promote youth hunters safety. If these negotiations are met then children should be able to hunt prior to turning eighteen.

Recently Oklahoma and South Carolina implemented new mentoring programs concerning hunters under the age of eighteen. The bill that was signed in both states that youth hunters under that age of sixteen will be permitted to hunt small game without first taking the required hunter safety course, given that the hunter is with a licensed hunter over the age of twenty-one. The same law also allows hunters who are between the ages of sixteen to thirty-five to hunt all game without first taking a hunter safety course but they must be accompanied by a licensed hunter over the age of twenty-one. (Remington 16)

The state of South Dakota is also making progress in this area. They are currently lobbying for a new bill called the HB1305. This bill would allow children who are at least ten year of age to hunt any size game as long as they were accompanied by a licensed hunter. Originally representatives had proposed that there be no minimum age requirement, but many felt that a drop from a minimum age of twelve to none at all was to drastic. That is when Representative Tom Deadrick purposed the current bill HB1305 for approval. Deadrick says, “This is a big step for the state of South Dakota to go form a minimum of twelve to no minimum whatsoever, we can do it in stages and see how it words.” A law such as this would support my negotiations for lowing the hunting age for minors if they have a licensed hunter while at the same time ensuring their safety. Steps such as this would allow law makers to set up a system that could be tried in order to see what worked and what did not so that the proper adjustments could be made. (Pierre 3)

There is also substantial testimonies given considering if children under the age of eighteen are physically and mentally mature enough to participate in the sport of hunting. Numerous gun-safety instructors have testified against bills such as the previous one I have presented. An experienced instructor by the name of William Cooper stated, “Many youngsters are not physically capable of carrying rifles and shotguns, and many are not mature enough to be trusted with weapons.” (Pierre 3) However, NRA lobbyist Darin Goens felt that hunting digression should be left up to the parents. Statistics were gathered that showed that of the thirty states that have no age requirement for hunters have better hunting safety records than the twenty states that have the age requirements. Goens says, “If parents are making bad decisions, where are the accidents?” (Pierre 3) This too offers a good point that if lower the age requirement is so awful then why is there not more accidents in the states without age requirements. However, this was only the findings of one report and should not necessarily be trusted. When coming to a census of this argument it was decided that based on the evidence most children probably were not physically nor mentally mature enough to carry a firearm alone. As a compromise in this we was decided that perhaps if a safety course was completed and a certified instructor signed off on a waver supporting that a child was physically and mentally stable enough to carry a firearm then only under those circumstances would they be permitted to do so.

Having specified days for children to hunt would also be a compromise for hunting age requirements. Days such as these would allow a child to gain experience, while at the same time decreasing the danger for both the child and other hunters. In addition to this, child hunting days would be like an introduction to the sport. It would also familiarize them with the rules, regulations, and expectations of the experience, making it safer for everyone. Statics also have proven that child who are introduced in to hunting wild game at a younger age are better able to develop positive hunting skills such as responsibility and the proper conduct when participating. According to the associated press a child who is introduced to hunting before the age of eighteen is less likely to be involved in an accident than a child who is not allows to gain experience prior to turning eighteen. (Hart 45) This compromise allows both sides to ultimately get what they want. First children who are not of age are able to hunt, but that the same time they are going about it in a safe manner. We have agreed that based on statistics that have been published that this is a reasonable compromised. The reason for this consensus is due to the accident rates that decreased as well as the fact that the child is accompanies by a licensee adult. This way the child is able to gain experience and learn but at the same time the child does not oppose a threat neither to other hunters who may be in the area nor to themselves. This allows for both sides to make compromises to obtain what they want while still providing a safe environment for all parties involved.

Allowing children under the age of eighteen to hunt with a licensed hunter is also a way of negotiating the age requirement for minors. According to Davidson, hunters must obtain a hunting license at the age of sixteen. Requiring hunters to obtain a hunting license game management officials are able to better regulate who is legally allowed to hunt on game management land. In order for a person to obtain a hunting license one must first complete and pass a hunter’s education course. The course consists of a classroom portion with a written test as well as a field test. The field test includes sections such as following blood trails and other skillful activities. Then the person must fill out somewhat extensive paperwork and in most states if a person has ever been convicted of a felony then they are not legally permitted to carry a firearm arm. This means that they will not be able to obtain a hunting license because they cannot hunt due to not being permitted to carry a firearm. (Davidson 216) Requiring hunters who accompany minors while hunting to obtain a hunting license can aid the supervision of the child and hopefully reduce the risks presented to both the child and other hunters. However, we conclude that there was not enough evidence to prove that this was a valid negotiation simply because all hunters accompanying a minor are required to have a hunting license. It was concluded that this should only theoretical reduce the risk opposed by minors being allowed to hunt wild game, but that it was still a solid idea to keep in place because the hunting education class is informative and it prevents convicted felons from accessing a firearm and using it in the presence of children.

Children who are eighteen should be allowed to hunt wild game prior to the age of eighteen if certain requirements are met. These requirements include: completion of a safety course, designated youth hunting days, they are found to be physically and mentally capable, and are accompanied by a responsible adult. Only under these special circumstances should the age requirement law for hunting be negotiated.

Source Cited:

Remington, Tom. "Oklahoma Eases Age Restrictions, Required Hunter
Safety." South Carolina HuntingToday 12 (Dec. 2007): 16. 16 Apr. 2008
.

Pierre, S D. "Bill Will Reduce Minimum Hunting Age To Ten." Sioux City
s 8 (Feb. 2007): 3. 16 Apr. 2008
.

James, Hart. Hunting Laws For Experienced Hunters. New York: Associated Press, 1989.

Davidson, Tyler. Common Restrictions For Hunting. Utah: University Press, 1980.