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12/11/2006 09:07:25 PM · #1 |
ASSOCIATED PRESS
AUSTIN, Texas - A lawmaker in this firearm-friendly state wants to help more people get the chance to shoot live animals -- even if those people can't see.
A bill filed for the 2007 legislative session would permit legally blind hunters to use laser sights, or lighted pointing instruments.
"This opens up the fun of hunting to additional people, and I think that's great," said Republican Rep. Edmund Kuempel, the bill's sponsor.
Visually impaired people are allowed to shoot now with the aid of a sighted person, he said, a requirement that would continue if the sights were legalized.
"I've seen this on TV before, when they're taking target practice," Kuempel said. "When they aim the gun, the guide tells them, aim two inches higher or two inches lower and you're on the target, and you're off and running."
Kuempel's bill would give the state until Jan. 1, 2008, to come up with a definition of legally blind so the law could be enforced.
Under existing law, the use of laser sights, spotlights and headlights is strictly prohibited in all Texas hunting. The practice can have the effect of making animals stand still as the light shines on them. Hunters using sights under the proposed legislation would have to carry proof that they are legally blind.
The Legislature convenes Jan. 9 for its 140-day session.
Care to discuss?
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12/11/2006 09:10:18 PM · #2 |
I'll go along with that if part of the law stipulates that the legally blind hunters have to stand still for 2 minutes in a corral with an angry warthog (and survive) in order to receive their licenses...
R.
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12/11/2006 09:56:14 PM · #3 |
I wouldn't want to be anywhere near a legally blind hunter. Laser sight or not, if they can't distinguish what they are pointing at, it's a bad idea.
"Oops" isn't a good excuse. |
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12/11/2006 10:11:04 PM · #4 |
I'm legally blind and pretty darn accurate with a .22 at 50 yards.
I don't hunt, because it's early, it's cold and I don't want to go. But, I do like to shoot.
Message edited by author 2006-12-11 22:13:02.
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12/11/2006 10:16:44 PM · #5 |
The brother of a friend of mine is 100% blind; his boom stick has a modded scope that allows somone else to sight over his shoulder for him. He's a good shot.
A guy I used to work for is legally blind, each year he spends time at deer camp. When asked he gives the standard reply, "What happens at deer camp stays at deer camp." I don' know if that means he hunts or if he cooks, but either way he's near the woods. :) |
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12/11/2006 10:18:30 PM · #6 |
Originally posted by alfresco:
The brother of a friend of mine is 100% blind; his boom stick has a modded scope that allows somone else to sight over his shoulder for him. He's a good shot.
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Serious question....
What fun is hunting if you can't see and someone has to do all the work for you?
Good for him, though, getting out there.
Message edited by author 2006-12-11 22:18:48.
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12/11/2006 10:23:18 PM · #7 |
Originally posted by JRalston:
Serious question....
What fun is hunting if you can't see and someone has to do all the work for you?
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There's a bit more to a successful hit than just pointing it at the target. And, knowing you can do something that people think you can't (or shouldn't be able to) do is a big thrill in itself.
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12/11/2006 10:25:57 PM · #8 |
Originally posted by JRalston:
Originally posted by alfresco:
The brother of a friend of mine is 100% blind; his boom stick has a modded scope that allows somone else to sight over his shoulder for him. He's a good shot.
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Serious question....
What fun is hunting if you can't see and someone has to do all the work for you?
Good for him, though, getting out there. |
Seeing your quarry, albeit important, isn't the difficult part of hunting; shooting is the hard part. Really. I know sighted people who can't hit the ground.
The work is going, the actual doing. And I think it's better than staying inside doing nothing - you get to experience nature.
Then kill it. ;)
I'd say, speaking for him even though I've not met him (just his brother), he's never known it any other way - how could it *not* be fun for him? He doesn't know what it's like to hunt as a sighted person.
Message edited by author 2006-12-11 22:27:03. |
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12/11/2006 11:03:15 PM · #9 |
| I am all for it as long as "Republican Rep. Edmund Kuempel" has to spend several days wandering around the woods with antlers on :-/ |
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