Campus protection bill tentatively approved by House

David A. Diaz, Valley Town Crier

Without opposition, a measure that would increase protection at hundreds of rural school campuses against accidental gunfire from hunters and marksmen engaged in their sport on nearby properties was tentatively approved on Saturday, May 4, by the House of Representatives.

House Bill 801 by Rep. Sergio Muñoz, Jr., D-Mission, would require the Texas Department of Parks and Wildlife (TDPW) to include information in its mandatory hunter education program about a hunter's personal responsibility for discharging a firearm, awareness of school property and other surroundings and the danger of discharging a firearm across a school property line. This information also would be made available in any written or Internet-based material produced by TDPW for the hunting public.
Texas requires mandatory hunter education for every hunter, including those from out of state, or those born on or after September 2, 1971. Annually more than 30,000 youth and adults become certified under the program operated by the Texas Department of Parks and Wildlife.

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