BUFFALO, N.Y. — The Erie County Legislature on Thursday failed to override the County Executive's veto of a measure that would have expanded opportunities for youth hunting.
As a result, Erie County and Rockland County are the only ones remaining in New York State where you will still have to be 14 years old to hunt deer or other large game with a firearm or cross bow.
State approved lowering the age
The law to now allow 12 and 13-year-olds to take big game like deer with a firearm, when accompanied an experienced adult hunter, was passed by the state legislature as part of the New York State budget this past spring.
In doing so, New York joined every other state in the union which had previously done so.
Individual counties had to opt in, however, and a month ago in a 6-5 vote, the Erie County Legislature passed a measure allowing it. But then the measure was vetoed on Monday by County Executive Mark Poloncarz.
His spokesperson said he wasn't available be interviewed about this on Thursday, but in his veto message he wrote:
"Neither myself, nor any future county executive, should ever have to read a child fatality report regarding the accidental death of a 12 or 13-year-old child because this law went into effect under my signature."
Yet virtually every county across the state where you can hunt deer approved of the measure.
In his veto message, Poloncarz also cited a couple of rare examples of young people being injured or even killed (or injuring or killing others) while hunting across country while claiming the proposed expansion of youth hunting "comes at a time when there have been many unfortunate firearm hunting accidents across the state and country, especially those involving youth hunters."
But those taking aim at his decision say Poloncarz is ignoring the facts.
'Deal in reality'
"Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but what you are not entitled to is your own facts, and if the facts don't support it, and they truly don't, then why would you make this decision?" asked Jeff Jondle, President of the Erie County Federation of Sportsmen's Clubs.
The federation is comprised of 41 different outdoor activity groups in the county, according to Jondle, a retired Lieutenant with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Police.
According to the DEC, hunting accidents are rare, with an average incident rate of only 2 per 100,000 hunters over the last five years.
There was only one involving a teenager stalking big game, who shot himself in the foot while tracking a deer.
And of the 22 reported incidents statewide last year (involving both large and small game hunting), 88% of them involved adult hunters.
While in his message Poloncarz also alluded to far too many accidental deaths of children due to shootings, County Legislator Joe Lorigo, who voted for the measure, noted that none of them in the state had anything to do with hunting.
"If you look at hunting deaths involving children, it is statistically insignificant if you look across the country, or Erie County at all," Lorigo said. "I think anything the County Executive does is based more on his personal feelings than actual data."
Veto or not, 12 and 13-years-olds will still be able to use firearms to hunt
If Poloncarz's goal was to keep firearms out of the hands of 12 and 13-year-old hunters, then his veto really accomplished nothing, according to Jondle.
He notes that their parents can simply take them hunting for large game in any of the counties surrounding Erie County.
"Of course, then Erie County loses out on the potential revenue involving lodging and meals," he said.
As well, the veto only involves using firearms for large game.
Whether the County Executive approves of it or not, under state law 12 and 13-year olds in Erie County will still be able to legally go hunting with an experience adult and shoot small game such as squirrels, rabbits, water and other fowl, and coyotes.
And when they do, they'll be using the same weapons, such as shotguns, that they might use to take a deer.
"It's the exact same firearm, it's just a different load," said Jondle, who also argues that training young people in firearm safety as part of their hunting experience will create more respect for weapons and cut down on accidental shootings even in homes
"I expect someone in government to be a person who can think rationally and critically and do what's right for the people. He (Poloncarz) is not representing the people by doing this. What he claims he's doing or what he thinks he is doing, he is really not. It's folly and it's foolishness and it's not accomplishing what he thinks he's doing whatsoever."