DELAWARE — Delaware teenagers could be allowed to hunt without adult supervision at a younger age under legislation being considered in the state House. The proposed bill would lower the minimum age for unsupervised hunting from 18 to 16.
Under the proposal, hunters ages 16 and older would be permitted to hunt on their own if they have completed all required licensing and education requirements. Those requirements include mandatory firearm safety training and instruction on Delaware hunting laws.
Supporters of the bill argue it could expand youth access to hunting and support a declining population of hunters in the state.
Sean Kane often hunts with his family in Delaware. Kane said he supports the legislation because many young hunters have years of experience before reaching their mid-teens. Young hunters who receive proper training are prepared to handle the responsibility, according to Kane.
"Typically by the time they're 16 to 18 years old, they're well aware of what they're doing as long as they've been taught the right steps," Kane said. "Plus, they need a hunter safety course. So the legislation's already there to protect and educate the user. I think the most important thing is education."
However, some gun safety advocates have raised concerns about lowering the age for unsupervised hunting, arguing that younger hunters may face increased risks without adult oversight.
"Hunters are, by and large, among the safest gun owners in Delaware. They come up with family traditions built on a culture of respect and safety for weapons," Traci Murphy, executive director of the Coalition for a Safer Delaware, told WBOC. "But at the same time, just last year, a 21-year-old was killed during a target shooting incident in Magnolia. Firearms are deadly weapons, and deadly weapons are even more dangerous in inexperienced and unsupervised hands."
Murphy said that if the legislation were to pass, she does not expect a high jump in gun-related deaths to result from it.
The bill has been assigned to the House Natural Resources and Energy Committee for consideration.
