Lawmaker aims to allow the blind to hunt
Tue Dec 12, 2006 10:40am ET

AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - A Texas lawmaker is aiming to allow the blind to hunt. Texas State Representative Edmund Kuempel has introduced a measure that would allow blind people to hunt any game that sighted people can currently pursue.

He hopes it will be passed after the legislature reconvenes in January though he does not expect it to come into affect until 2008.

"This opens up the fun of hunting to additional people, and I think that's great," Kuempel told Reuters.

The bill may find little resistance in Texas, where politicians of all stripes endorse hunting, which is wildly popular in the state.

Under the bill, blind hunters would be required to have a sighted hunter with them and would be allowed to use laser sights and other devices that are currently not allowed.

"A blind person can shoot a rifle by mounting an offset pistol scope on the side of the rifle instead of on top," said Terry Erwin, the Austin-based Hunter Education Coordinator with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.

"This allows their companion behind them to peer over their shoulder and help them sight it, but the blind person can pull the trigger," he told Reuters.

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Funny, but I'm kinda worried

I know having a person who can see removes a lot of the danger, but it still sounds stupid to me..
But it does increase the potential for practical jokes..I'm picturing a blind guy with two sticks mounted above his mantel because his friend told him he bagged himself a big one..

Didn't they already do that with Cheney?

Oh, I thought he wanted to hunt the blind...

Combine this with the new braille on the beer cans and you have big trouble.

Blind, drunk, and got a gun. All legally. Now if we can just get them some pit bulls to hunt with....

Boy, will they be surprised when they try to take the game away from pitt bulls. This could be fun.

Yeah, I bet the animals all have a good time, hunting is just a barrel of laughs.

And what about the fact that blind hunters would have to get out in the wild, where there are things like rocks, logs, sticks, bushes, and holes in the ground to navigate around, not to mention things like marshy ground, tree limbs at face height, and just plain ole uneven ground........

I had to help my legally blind mother around for years, and it was not much fun even in a shopping center.


edited for spelling!!!!

Thats a good point!

I don't think this is funny. It's not funny at all for sportsmen who are legally blind but still want to enjoy the outdoors but can't right now. You don't need to worry either, they are legally bound to hunt with another person for safety reasons. I've given some of my time to a local group that aids in disabled sportsmen and the time they get out of being outside in the outdoors instead of stuck in their home or unable to do anything they want to do is really a great thing.



That'll teach them to taste soo good.

A disabled person who cannot enjoy his hobbies is indeed not funny but letting the blind hunt sure is! That's what happens when you go blind. You can't enjoy some of the things you used to, such as hunting. If Kyle Petty went blind and wanted to get back into racing, it wouldn't happen. Just because they can't hunt doesn't mean they are not allowed outside. Whats wrong with a nice hike or long walk to get rid of that cabin fever? But hey, if they really want this then I can care less. I'm just going to sit back and watch Darwinism run its course on our species.

That's a pretty bad comparing of examples to racing to hunting. But I'll work with what I've got...

If Kyle Petty wanted to race then using this example for the hunting, Kyle would be able to press down on the accelerator but he wouldn't be able to fully drive the car... Just like a legally blind person isn't going to be sighting in the animal/target on their own but they would be pulling the trigger.

There's a guy out at that club I've worked at that is legally blind. He was out this year for hunting with a buddy, he had a good time out in the woods.

You don't hunt do you? There's a big difference between taking a hike to hunting.

Yes, Krytos, there is a big difference between hunting & hiking. My dad wasn't able to hunt the last 5 or 6 years of his life. And like most hunters, it was something he had learned to do as a small boy. He missed it so much that anytime he got together with old huntin' buddies they reminised a lot!

Note: He had to give up due to COPD not sight.

Thank you for stating the obvious.You can still enjoy the outdoors without having to hunt such as going on a hike, a long walk, camping trip ect. Taking up fishing would be a good idea also and wouldn't require much help if any at all.

Interesting... The topic is about hunting so I referring to hunting.

Got nothing against the disabled pursuing certain activities, but just hope that they are lead by a responsible marksman.