Posted on 12/11/2006 11:28:47 AM PST by Snickering Hound
AUSTIN A state lawmaker wants to make sure no Texan is left out when it comes to hunting, even if the hunter is legally blind.
Rep. Edmund Kuempel, a Seguin Republican, has filed a bill for the 2007 legislative session that would allow legally blind hunters to use a laser sight, or lighted pointing instrument. The devices are forbidden for sighted hunters.
Blind hunters would also have to have a sighted hunter along with them, but they could hunt any game that sighted people can hunt in the same seasons and using the same weapons.
"This opens up the fun of hunting to additional people, and I think that's great," Kuempel said.
Visually impaired people are able to shoot with the aid of a sighted person, he said.
"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."
The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, which regulates hunting in Texas, currently does not have a definition of what constitutes a legally blind hunter. Kuempel's bill would give the agency until Jan. 1, 2008, to come up with a definition so that the law could be enforced.
The hunter would have to carry proof that he or she is legally blind.
Kuempel's bill would amend the Texas Parks and Wildlife Code.
Under existing law, the use of laser sights, spotlights and headlights is strictly prohibited in all Texas hunting.
The Texas Legislature convenes Jan. 9 for its 140-day session. Lawmakers have been busy since November filing proposed legislation on an array of subjects. The Legislature meets every two years in regular session.
Hold muh beer and sun glasses and watch this......
Oh, man. Get out the popcorn this one's going to be fun.
ping
Blind hunting: a bad idea whose time has come.
Does Dick Cheney need one?.......
I don't think I would be 'snickering' there Hound, if you know what I mean....LOL
Myopia Hunt Club
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myopia_Hunt_Club
Damn it, I thought I would get in with the first Dick Cheney joke.
Mine was going to be that they would be less likely to hit somebody than the VP.
Why not! The Legally Blind Can VOTE...which is potentially much more harmful....bullets can only kill one or two...but Pols can wreak much more havoc!
/sarcasm off
It's called the "Dick Cheney" permit.
Bill would allow legally blind Texans to hunt
There's a Dick Cheney joke in here somewhere, but I guess I'm too blind to see it...
Coming next - Blind NASCAR Racing!
ping
This is why I chose my user name.....
I remember the story of a blind man that worked all hours in his carpentry shop; the neighbors were very worried because he would work at night with no lights on. He finally relented, turned the lights on and the neighbors felt better.
Can't tell if he's trying to make a mockery of the hunting laws, he's trying to make a mockery of the laws relating to the disabled, or both.
If legally blind judges can rule, its only fair that blind hunters can hunt!
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