4 year olds with guns

[shoots-straight]

If everyone is worried about additional pressure on the special permits...why not amend said bill make it 12 yrs. of age, and have a hunters ed. course to apply for special permits... wait a minute...that is way to easy......

Tjones and I discussed this very thing today. We believe that it's in statute that a "YOUTH" is considered 12-15 years of age.

So kids younger would have to wait until general season opens, and no youth opportunities like the older kids.

 

[Elkwhisper]

Passed the senate and on to the house...... still not sure how I feel about it yet. My daughter is ready and will hunt if this passes for sure.... but i don't think all kids her age are ready and was OK with the law as written.

 

[huntme]

I think that Buzz's reply makes some sense, but I would like to tell my situation.

Last year (two seasons ago) I shot a bull with my daughter. She was 18 months old. The year before I almost shot a cow with her (so close). She's out with me all the time. I hope she enjoys it.

I heard about ID's mentor program a few weeks ago and started wondering, how young is too young? I finally decided that the decision is not up to me to make, the state has done it for me. This legislation lets me decide, based on my child's desires and abilities. If my children WANT to hunt I would gladly give up being the shooter myself so that I can focus on packing meat. My house can only eat one elk a year and I would be happier watching my child have the trill of bagging an elk over doing it myself.

well said,now i give my oppinion,by all means,teach your kid to hunt,teach him how to track a deer,elk,moose,bear,goat,cat,mouse,turkey,dog,pig,what ever you want to hunt that is leagle game,that is 99% of hunting,the tracking,waiting,and learning,and no one should be able to tell you that you can not teach your son or daughter how to do those most important things,but we do have the right to set age limmits on what age a young person should carry a high powered rifle,i have said it before,and i will say it again,the maturity level of a 7,8,9,10,or 11 year old is low,heck when i was 9 or 10 i could drive a car,or truck,better than most people,and my father taught me how to drive at a young age,so should i have ben able to go get my drivers licence at age 9 or 10 or even 11?
the answer is no,and why should the answer be no,i could drive good,i could read all the signs,follow the trafic laws,my feet could reach the brake,gas peddal,so why should i not be allowed to drive my fathers 74 dodge 4x4 pu around town,and to grade school?
now take your time and ponder on my question for at least a min,and remember i could drive well,because my father taught me all the basic things i needed to know.
6000 pounds of truck,driving down the road at 60 miles an hour,missing the turn,hitting the house that you and your family are eating dinner in,truck goes through house,killing wife,maybe son or daughter,the family dog if you have one.
i am to young to be put in jail for murder,so i walk away free,with a slap on the wrist.
my second point,young boy or girl,high powered rifle,tired,from being out in woods all day,on accident,fires a bullet from a high powered 30-06 rifle,into your window,or door,killing your wife,daughter,son,or even your family dog,because he or she is tired,and not mature enough to even know what just happend.
i sure hope you all get the point?:W:

 

[huntme]

huntme, you didn't answer my last question about the age limit if it were moved up to 21.

And, BTW, the Second Amendment doesn't have any age restrictions in it, and if the liberals have their way, it won't make any difference regardless. We won't have any rights left, no matter how old (or young) we are!

you are right,the second ammendment does not have a age limit,and so i will answer your question,at 18 society considers you a young adult,you can go to war,you can vote,you can legaly have intercourse with someone one who is allso 18 or older,so if you can kill for your country,do the wild thing legally in your country,then you should be able to own a high powered rifle,pistole,shotgun,tank,machine gun.
and yes i do think the drinking age should be 18 years old,not 21!if you can kill for your country,then by all means you should be able to drink in your country.:hump:

 

[1_pointer]

well said,now i give my oppinion,by all means,teach your kid to hunt,teach him how to track a deer,elk,moose,bear,goat,cat,mouse,turkey,dog,pig,what ever you want to hunt that is leagle game,that is 99% of hunting,the tracking,waiting,and learning,and no one should be able to tell you that you can not teach your son or daughter how to do those most important things,but we do have the right to set age limmits on what age a young person should carry a high powered rifle,i have said it before,and i will say it again,the maturity level of a 7,8,9,10,or 11 year old is low,heck when i was 9 or 10 i could drive a car,or truck,better than most people,and my father taught me how to drive at a young age,so should i have ben able to go get my drivers licence at age 9 or 10 or even 11?
the answer is no,and why should the answer be no,i could drive good,i could read all the signs,follow the trafic laws,my feet could reach the brake,gas peddal,so why should i not be allowed to drive my fathers 74 dodge 4x4 pu around town,and to grade school?
now take your time and ponder on my question for at least a min,and remember i could drive well,because my father taught me all the basic things i needed to know.
6000 pounds of truck,driving down the road at 60 miles an hour,missing the turn,hitting the house that you and your family are eating dinner in,truck goes through house,killing wife,maybe son or daughter,the family dog if you have one.
i am to young to be put in jail for murder,so i walk away free,with a slap on the wrist.
my second point,young boy or girl,high powered rifle,tired,from being out in woods all day,on accident,fires a bullet from a high powered 30-06 rifle,into your window,or door,killing your wife,daughter,son,or even your family dog,because he or she is tired,and not mature enough to even know what just happend.
i sure hope you all get the point?:W:

Thanks for that rediculous argument. Next time add some punctuation and capital letters so my eyes don't bleed while reading your post.

 

[hobbes]

I quit reading this thread several pages back, so maybe this was posted. The bill passed second reading in the senate (34 -16) on the 14th with a few amendments. The apprentice hunter must be at least 9 yrs old and can't have more than three apprentice licenses, meaning that by 12 they will have to pass a hunter education class. They can't apply for limited entry permits and the mentor has been changed from 18 to 21 years old.

 

[Topgun 30-06]

Thanks for the update in case others aren't aware of those changes! I believe most states that have a program only allow a kid to have one apprentice license and then they have to take a hunters ed class and pass it to go out from then on with a gun. I think what HUNTME is missing is that for the most part the mentor would probably be carrying the rifle until it was time to set up for a shot, so the scenario he came up with regarding a young kid driving a car was a little far out! It sounds like this amended bill has a good chance of passing now.

 

[mtmuley]

Just what Montana needs to be doing. All the important issues this year, and years to come, and Helena is dickin around with stuff like this. mtmuley

 

[huntme]

Thanks for that rediculous argument. Next time add some punctuation and capital letters so my eyes don't bleed while reading your post.

well i guess we all have oppinions,just like we all have a hole between our cheeks,so we can take a dump,im sorry you have to act like the back end of a jack a$$ going south,1_pointer.

 

[huntme]

Thanks for the update in case others aren't aware of those changes! I believe most states that have a program only allow a kid to have one apprentice license and then they have to take a hunters ed class and pass it to go out from then on with a gun. I think what HUNTME is missing is that for the most part the mentor would probably be carrying the rifle until it was time to set up for a shot, so the scenario he came up with regarding a young kid driving a car was a little far out! It sounds like this amended bill has a good chance of passing now.

you were right topgun,i did not find that statement about the mentor carring the said firearm for the young person.
that would change my oppinion about this bill.:hump:

 

[Kerryt38]

If you are worried about the sport being all about the killing then take a personal vow not to shoot any more game. you want to punish good kids for what others that they don't even know are possibly going to do. Sounds to me like the same mentality of the gun ban people. I'm a hunter education instructor and age doesn't determine how safe, honest or ethical someone is. Just because someone determined you shouldn't hunt until you were 12 don't take it out on the kids.

 

[Pierre]

I just can't buy the argument that parents should be able to decide. How responsible are we as a nation? Do you decide when they are old enough to drive, vote, serve our country, drink, and on and on. We draw lines all the time. Its the best we can do.
The part I really hate is the avoidance of hunters safety. Bypassing the program seems to say little about a program I have always thought to be excellent. Proponents claim it is too long and hard. So lets let them off the hook on all training. You parents can do better. Fact is some of you probably could do a good job. Fact 2, most parents these days seem to exaggerate their children's abilities. I say take them along on hunts, take them shooting, teach them, send them to Hunter Safety class at 12, then take them on their hunt. There will be no one hunting on my place unless they have had hunters safety first!

 

[mtmuley]

I took my daughter to the initial hunters safety meeting in our area. I talked to a few of the parents while there. It did nothing to change my mind about how I feel. Some of the parents seemed to need the course just as bad as the child. mtmuley

 

[1_pointer]

well i guess we all have oppinions,just like we all have a hole between our cheeks,so we can take a dump,im sorry you have to act like the back end of a jack a$$ going south,1_pointer.

You're welcome. Thanks for the comma's, they help some. Work on periods next. I will need an address for further advice so as to get it to my billing department.

 

[shoots-straight]

These guys will fit in the mentoring camp!

http://fwp.mt.gov/news/newsReleases/enforcement/nr_0134.html

 

[noharleyyet]

....stellar citizens.Only in Montana.

 

[thecrittergitter]

How responsible are we as a nation?

Look who our "responsible" nation voted into office........that should answer itLOL

I'd say this nation is more irresponsible now than it every has been since the beginning of time...

 

[jabber]

These guys will fit in the mentoring camp!

http://fwp.mt.gov/news/newsReleases/enforcement/nr_0134.html

If only the 15 year old had been younger than 12. Then none of this horrible incident would have happened because it would have been against the law to take him hunting...

 

[Eric Albus]

How difficult can this be.... make it so that kids can hunt w/ a parent/guardian at any age deemed by the parent....but still keep Hunter's Ed. MANDATORY @ age 12...... so if they want to hunt after age 11 they must have a Hunter's Ed. card....there, was that really so tough?
My son was ready to hunt at age 5, and I missed 7 years that I can not replace... he did accompany me, but when a kid can hunt it's a whole different experience....for the child and parent.

 

[Ben Lamb]

How difficult can this be....

There's 150 experts in Helena who think they know best.