Shooting Blind
Texans are welcoming the blind into their duck blinds:
The blind would be able to go hunting if a Texas bill becomes law.
The bill would allow legally blind hunters to use a laser sight, or lighted pointing instrument, which is forbidden for sighted hunters, according to State Rep. Edmund Kuempel, who introduced it.
"This opens up the fun of hunting to additional people, and I think that's great," Kuempel said.
Not to worry, though. The law will be strictly enforced: "The hunter would have to carry proof he or she is legally blind." Meanwhile, elsewhere in Texas :
While other real estate agents are responding to the current buyers' market by offering extras like free appliances, televisions, or a weekend in a luxury hotel, one Texas agent is drumming up business by offering a free Glock pistol with any home purchase of at least $150,000 – if you're a police officer.
Editor's Note: As of February 29, 2024, commenting privileges on reason.com posts are limited to Reason Plus subscribers. Past commenters are grandfathered in for a temporary period. Subscribe here to preserve your ability to comment. Your Reason Plus subscription also gives you an ad-free version of reason.com, along with full access to the digital edition and archives of Reason magazine. We request that comments be civil and on-topic. We do not moderate or assume any responsibility for comments, which are owned by the readers who post them. Comments do not represent the views of reason.com or Reason Foundation. We reserve the right to delete any comment and ban commenters for any reason at any time. Comments may only be edited within 5 minutes of posting. Report abuses.
Please
to post comments
So much for “don’t shoot what you can’t see” as the first rule of hunting…
So they are making it leagal for Cheney to hunt now, after the fact?
I think Governor Bush repealed that rule, which is why Dick Cheney comes down here to hunt.
If you can’t see, how does the laser help anyway? That’s a serious question.
The laser pointer allows the visually impaired person’s spotter to more acurately see where the rifle is pointed. A dozen other states already have similar laws. Not very effective for Duck hunting I would suppose, deer blind would probably make more sense.
The real estate agent is using a little of the money you gave her in the form of a ridiculous “buyer’s agent commission” and you come away thinking you got a present. Brilliant.
Reminds me of my last trap shoot outing.
If you get fatally shot by a careless sighted hunter, (s)he can be charged with manslaughter.
If you get fatally shot by a blind hunter with a careless sighted ‘guide’, who gets charged with manslaughter? The hunter, the guide, or no one?
Mike in FTW,
I have 20 15 vision and I am lucky to hit a duck, I want meet the blind guy who can hit one.
David,
Legally blind isn’t really very blind at all. An uncorrected 20/200 qualifies.
Not knowing much about what constitutes being legally blind or not, I can’t really comment on this.
I do know of at least one competitive rifle shooter in the Paralympics who is blind. Evidently she uses a system attached to the rifle that calculates which scoring ring the rifle is pointed at and changes a tone in a set of headphones. Break the shot during the right tone, and she gets a 10.
John, maybe being blind is an asset to duck hunting. I prefer dove simply because I like warm and dry better than cold and wet.
In nearby, Olney, Texas they host each year a “one-armed dove hunt” where the participants are amputees. A mix of war veterans and farming accident victims, a good time is reportedly had by all.
Mike,
I have only been duck hunting a couple of times, both in Kansas in December. God it was cold. I also hate sitting in the same place for hours on end. Given a choice I would take doves, qual or pheasants, but I can’t hit many of them either.
Not to worry, though. The law will be strictly enforced: “The hunter would have to carry proof he or she is legally blind.”
Like, say, a seeing eye dog?
Who gets sued? Why the maker of the laser sight, naturally.
Hmmm…growing up in Texas, it was the legally blind old farmers in their pickup trucks I had to watch out for. 😮
Mike in FTW: Did you miss the part about having to be a police officer to get the gun? I’d bet that the ‘offer’ draws a 1% increase in this guys sales, but less than 1% of those qualify by being paid thugs of the state. To bad this agent can`t summon the courage to make the offer to all his buyers. Also: on a 150,000 sale, the agent takes 4,500 to 9,000 (3% to 6%) commission, so a $600-$800 pistol is less than 10% of the commision. Nice deal, if you could qualify. (By the way, nice to see another FTW posting here).
Actually all it takes to be legally blind in some states is eyesight that can not be corrected to 20/20.
I don’t know what the standard in TX is though.
I prefer dove simply because I like warm and dry better than cold and wet.
Huh, you hunt dove? I just hit them with the car when they don’t get out of the way. Saves shot and powder.
I hope this blindness trick opens up the usage of new “gear” for hunting, like tracers and fully automatic weapons.
The NRA is just too lax on these issues for my taste, but I am a lifetime member. Not like Michael Moore, I bought my ownn membership.
You had to wait until comment #2 to make with the Cheney jokes? You guys are slow.
tracers
You know, I don’t know if tracers would be illegal to hunt with. If there are any states that allow you to shoot game with FMJ (non-expanding) bullets, I believe tracers would also be legal.
I hope this blindness trick opens up the usage of new “gear” for hunting, like tracers and fully automatic weapons.
If you need all that stuff, can you really consider yourself a “hunter”.
I’d guess the realtor’s program will be a lot more popular with his customers than paying a cop to live in a high-crime area.
And having several LEOs living in the development will be a good talking point for his other customers.
This makes for a funny headline, but isn’t blind hunting (legally blind, of course) already legal in TX with some assistance?
Why are laser sights illeagal for hunting in the first place? Seems to me that greater accuracy would lead to less animal suffering from poorly placed shots. Plus, they are super freaking cool looking.
I’ll buy someone with bad eyes _that can be corrected with lenses_ going hunting, but at some point, you gotta say, bad luck, the spirit may be willing, but the body’s just not up to the task at hand.
Reminds me of my last trap shoot outing.
Dude, maybe it’s the russian semi-auto with a 19″ barrel that’s holding you back… what’s the choke on that thing? If it’s the Saiga I’m thinking of, it’d make a decent house-clearing weapon, but I’d think any cheap pump gun with a 26″ barrel would be better for clay birds. I’m jus’ sayin…
I thinks tat ya’ll should allows them to be huntin’ wit using a fully automatic rifle and be shootin’ in every them there direction, that way you’s a gonna sure to git something.
I’m not sure how attractive a free glock would be to a cop, because the department pays for the duty and backup weapons anyway. Kind of like selling snow to an eskimo.
ellipsis
Actually, many PDs require officers to purchase their own gear. Including belts, handcuffs etc.
Just to make it more sporting, and for even greater equal opportunity hunting–can we allow the deer to shoot back? Or a ‘deer assistant’ who accompanies the deer? Also, does ‘blind’ include ‘blind drunk’?
“You know, I don’t know if tracers would be illegal to hunt with. If there are any states that allow you to shoot game with FMJ (non-expanding) bullets, I believe tracers would also be legal.”
All joking aside, my guess is it would be illegal as the compound in the base of the bullet that burns to create the trace would represent a fire hazard.
Plus tracers are spendy.
Isaac Bartram,
Ok, well apparently I live in an area that likes to live it up on the taxpayer’s dollar.
My brother in law is a cop, and he got his primary, backup, and cruiser carbine all with the badge.
I applaud the fact that some areas make you buy the equipment yourself. I’m sure they get to write it off on their taxes.
Joe, I will confess to being a barbarian but like many barbarians now and in history (excepting the 43rd President) I am literate. Emmajane, the deer are in fact free to return fire.
All joking aside, my guess is it would be illegal as the compound in the base of the bullet that burns to create the trace would represent a fire hazard.
Utah law is kind of interesting when it comes to tracer ammo.
You can legally purchase and posess them — they’re usually available at gun shows — BUT, you can’t legally fire them anywhere in the state except on military bases.
So in effect the only time they’ll be of use to you is during the Nuclear Apocalypse/Zombie Invasion/TEOTWAWKI.
I don’t know of any state where tracers are legal for hunting. They are full metal jacket rounds, and therefore are non-expanding, more likely to wound then kill, and therefore not very humane for hunting (expanding bullets, conversely, are considered too effective for use in warfare, and were banned by international treaty).
Luke, this, of course, makes New Jersey law, which prohibits the use of expanding ammunition, except in a number of limited circumstances, all the more ironic.
Is it New Jersey’s intention that criminals only be wounded? Or that non-expanding rounds, which have a tendency to over-penetrate, are sent zipping through a miscreant only to have an increased chance of striking an innocent bystander nearby?
Hey, they’re blind. Put them in a field with a safe backdrop hill to shoot at, and just tell them they killed something. More prey for the real hunters and fun for the blind wannabe hunters. Everyone wins.
According to my uncle (former pistol marksman on the Army pistol team and deer hunter), tracers are illegal in TN for hunting because they are not a fully jacketed bullet (the red comes out a hole in the back, unless you are acommie, then it is green) and I suspect there are other rules that he may not have mentioned or be aware of.
Grummun,
I don’t shoot trap with it to practice killing clays.
However, my in-service household defense tool is a Benelli Nova Pump, 18.4″ barrel, no choke, 6 shot magnum load.
In-service means chambered shell, not that “rack to let them flee” nonsense.
emmajane,
Nobody is stopping the deer from shooting back.
Also, nobody is stopping Greenpiece members from being the “critter assistant”.
“The hunter would have to carry proof he or she is legally blind.”
“No, really, officer – see? That’s a picture of me having sex with Bea Arthur!”
(sorry, Golden Girl.)
Also, nobody is stopping Greenpiece members from being the “critter assistant”.
Actually, given the proliferation of “hunter harassment” being passed by states that’s not entirely true.
Why are laser sights illeagal for hunting in the first place? Seems to me that greater accuracy would lead to less animal suffering from poorly placed shots. Plus, they are super freaking cool looking.
For one thing it’s impossible to find the little red dot in the woods at any deer-hunting range. Laser sights quite simply don’t work for hunting.
Just to make it more sporting, and for even greater equal opportunity hunting–can we allow the deer to shoot back?
Deer use the standard herd-animal prey defense: They produce more young than can possibly survive, with the excess to be used as food for preditors.
A herd of 100 deer on land that will support 100 deer will produce about 100 fawns every spring. By the end of winter about 70% of the fawns and 30% of the adults will die, one way or another. That leaves you back at the 100 deer that the land can support.
Actually this type of hunting is very rewarding for both the blind hunter and the sighted assistant.
I’ve been on several blind hunts in Michigan with both seasoned hunters and blind young people.
It’s about letting those people with disabilities enjoy the same activities that sighted people enjoy.
As far as safety goes, the folks I hunted with were probably more aware of the trigger, muzzle and hammer of the firearm as they use their sense of feel more than sighted people.
Just my .02.
Travis