Sen. Barrasso and 24 GOP Cosponsors Move to Save School Archery, Firearm Safety Programs

Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY) and 24 of his GOP colleagues introduced legislation Thursday to end President Biden’s attacks on firearm and archery safety programs in elementary and secondary schools around the country.

On July 28, 2023, Breitbart News reported that Biden was blocking funds from schools that had hunting and/or archery programs. The Biden administration claims the gun control passed in the summer of 2022, the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, gives them the authority to deny the funds for schools with hunting and/or archery courses.

On August 12, 2023, Breitbart News noted that a group of 19 Senators, led by Sen. Barrasso, sent a letter to Biden criticizing the attempt to use the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act to justify withholding funds from schools that have such programs.

Today, Sen. Barrasso and his 24 co-sponsors put forward the Allowing for Recreational Resources for Outdoor Wellness (ARROW) Act to end Biden’s attacks on the hunting and archery programs in elementary schools. The hunting courses include firearm safety instruction.

Sen. Barrasso commented on the need for him and his colleagues to intervene, saying, “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. These valuable programs decrease firearm-related injuries and accidents. They also connect our students to the long-standing heritage and traditions of America and the West. 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.”

Mark Oliva, National Shooting Sports Foundation managing director of public affairs, spoke with Breitbart News and praised the legislation. “The time for legislation to reassert Congress’s authority in the matter is now, and Senator Barrasso’s leadership at this moment is critical,” he said. “President Biden is representing only the special interests of antigun and anti-hunting groups. Senator Barrasso and Congress are representing the will of America’s voters who overwhelmingly disapprove of this heavy-handed overreach. Congress must put aside partisan politics and pass this legislation to protect education programs in the schools that are crucial to teaching true firearm safety and building self-confidence and self-esteem to today’s youth.”

The Arrow Act’s 24 Senate co-sponsors are Sens. Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), 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), and Josh Hawley (R-MO), John Thune (R-SD), and Kevin Cramer (R-ND).

AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio and a Turning Point USA Ambassador. He was a Visiting Fellow at the Russell Kirk Center for Cultural Renewal in 2010, a speaker at the 2023 Western Conservative Summit, and he holds a Ph.D. in Military History, with a focus on the Vietnam War (brown water navy), U.S. Navy since Inception, the Civil War, and Early Modern Europe. Follow him on Instagram: @awr_hawkins. You can sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com.