KPAX: Tester discusses passage of ‘Defending Hunters Education Act’ in Missoula

U.S. Senator Jon Tester was in Missoula on Friday, October 27, 2023, to discuss the signing of his bipartisan bill to protect hunter safety classes into law.

The “Defending Hunters Education Act” was introduced in September after working with the White House, Democrats and Republicans — in both chambers of Congress — and Montana stakeholders to find a comprehensive solution to the problem.

Sen. Tester championed his bill to reverse the decision by the Biden administration to prohibit public schools from using federal funding for archery, gun safety, and hunter education programs.

“Hunting is a tradition passed from generation to generation in families in this state. It’s part of who we are, it’s part of our heritage,” Sen. Tester said. “And teaching people to use guns safely, teaching them how to hunt ethically is really, really important. It doesn’t come without previous generations doing the right thing and making sure we have that habitat today.”

Sen Tester’s bill was endorsed by the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Boone & Crockett Club, National Wildlife Federation, Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation, and Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership.