Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY) introduced legislation on Thursday to stop the Biden administration from blocking federal funds for elementary and secondary schools that have hunting and archery programs.
The Biden administration said in July that funding from the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) of 1965 was being blocked because of the administration’s interpretation of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA) — a gun control bill that was signed into law following a shooting in Uvalde, Texas, last year after Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) “expended two decades of political capital” to get it passed, according to the The Texas Tribune.
The BSCA included an amendment to a subsection in the ESEA about the prohibited uses for federal school funding, which included banning funds from being used to provide “training in the use of a dangerous weapon.”
The legislation introduced by Barrasso — known as the Allowing for Recreational Resources for Outdoor Wellness (ARROW) Act — clarifies that a section of ESEA “does not apply with respect to the use of funds for sports clubs, teams, training, or related activities for students.”
“The Biden administration continues its attack on our constitutional rights and Wyoming values,” said 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.”
Approximately half a million students participate in hunting and archery programs across the U.S. every year, leading to an estimated reduction in hunting accidents by more than 50%.
“They also connect our students to the long-standing heritage and traditions of America and the West,” he added. “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.”
Co-sponsors of this bill include U.S. Senators Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), John Thune (R-SD), Roger Marshall (R-KS), Dan Sullivan (R-AK), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), Jim Risch (R-ID), Steve Daines (R-MT), Rick Scott (R-FL), Mike Crapo (R-ID), John Kennedy (R-LA), Ted Cruz (R-TX), Roger Wicker (R-MS), Tom Cotton (R-AR), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Mike Braun (R-IN), Ted Budd (R-NC), Joni Ernst (R-IA), Deb Fischer (R-NE), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Pete Ricketts (R-NE), Mike Rounds (R-SD), Eric Schmitt (R-MO), Josh Hawley (R-MO), and Kevin Cramer (R-ND).