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Texas Lawmaker Wants To Let the Blind Hunt

Posted by kdawson on from the don't-shoot dept.

IHC Navistar writes with a story from Reuters Oddly Enough. A Texas lawmaker has introduced a measure that would allow blind people to hunt any game that sighted people can currently pursue. The article notes that the bill may have clear sailing in the hunting-besotted state of Texas. An education outreach person from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department explained it this way: "A blind person can shoot a rifle by mounting an offset pistol scope on the side of the rifle instead of on top. This allows their companion behind them to peer over their shoulder and help them sight it, but the blind person can pull the trigger."

4 of 647 comments (clear)

  1. Re:i can imagine... by Jeremiah+Cornelius · · Score: 0, Redundant

    Peppered in the face? Dick Cheney brand seasoning!

    --
    "Flyin' in just a sweet place,
    Never been known to fail..."
  2. Attention MODS by LotsOfPhil · · Score: 1, Redundant

    Modding the parent post "Funny" would be funny.

    --
    This post climbed Mt. Washington.
  3. Re:It's Funny - Laugh by Bush+Pig · · Score: 0, Redundant

    The thing I think is funny is that anyone could ask 'Can blind people safely hunt?' with a straight face, because the answer is clearly 'no'.

    --
    What a long, strange trip it's been.
  4. Re:No you can't by hotdiggitydawg · · Score: 1, Redundant
    In one case, the blind has an offset sight for someone else to sight the weapon. So, there would be TWO people trying to sneak through the environment to find game, making it more difficult to actually find the game. Once found, the sighted person would ensure the target is game and not another hunter.

    My question - who gets tried for murder when you kill another hunter? The sighted guy who lined up the target, or the blind guy who pulled the trigger?
    In another case, laser sighting is allowed. This enables those who can barely see, (but are still legally blind,) to sight and shoot. The legally blind person would still need to be able to see good enough out of at least a portion of his field of vision to discern that the laser is hitting the target.

    As a fellow hunter, can I please suggest that "seeing well enough to determine a laser dot is on the target" is not good enough. If you cannot positively identify what your fucking target is it is an unsafe shot, regardless of whether or not your aim is correct. If you already require a sighted person to line up the shot, I fail to see how adding lasers in any way improves the safety of the situation.