Hunting Licenses for the Blind
It sounds like it should be a joke, but apparently in the past various states have debated whether they should issue hunting licenses for the blind. And today some states appear to issue such licenses. For instance, on the website of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game a "Resident Hunting License for the Blind" is listed as costing $45.00.
I think the clipping below explains these licenses. They allow blind people to go out hunting with their friends. Someone else (who can see) has to do the actual shooting, but the blind person can claim one of the game animals as their own kill.
A separate issue is whether a blind person can purchase a regular hunting license. I don't know what the current laws are, but in 1963 in Washington state there was nothing to prevent them from doing so, as demonstrated by the stunt below in which blind attorney Arnold Sadler purchased a hunting license for himself.
Pittsburgh Post Gazette - Dec 2, 1953
I think the clipping below explains these licenses. They allow blind people to go out hunting with their friends. Someone else (who can see) has to do the actual shooting, but the blind person can claim one of the game animals as their own kill.
Tallahassee Democrat - Apr 15, 1959
A separate issue is whether a blind person can purchase a regular hunting license. I don't know what the current laws are, but in 1963 in Washington state there was nothing to prevent them from doing so, as demonstrated by the stunt below in which blind attorney Arnold Sadler purchased a hunting license for himself.
Staunton News Leader - Jan 31, 1963
Comments
Hunting license for the blind isn't that silly; if they can golf and drive with the help of a seeing-eye person, they can hunt. However, the license should state that the blind person should be accompanied by a seeing-eye person who would aim the gun for them. The blind person could do the shooting, which would be funnier than just waiting for your friends to shoot. For more safety, the license could list the name and address of the seeing-eye person as well as the name and address of the actual license owner.
Posted by Yudith on 09/04/17 at 09:20 AM
Back in the day, licenses were often for things other than their obvious purpose.
When/where I grew up, blind people could get a driver's license. It'd be marked 'non-driving' and was basically a state-issued identity card for things like cashing checks or when a cop wanted to see your ID. (I think it was in Oklahoma in the late 1950s/early 1960s that you couldn't apply for aid-to-the-blind without a government-issued ID, and a driver's license was the only one most people could easily get.)
One sort-of relative of mine (something along the lines of: my cousin's brother-in-law's uncle) was legally blind but bought a hunting license every year because you couldn't buy a duck or pheasant stamp loose -- the shop had to paste it to your license (otherwise a dad could buy a stamp and loan it to whichever son was going hunting that day). I don't remember if he collected stamps or they supported the state's conservation programs or whatever; it just stuck in my mind that a blind person who never owned a gun in their life had a hunting license.
When/where I grew up, blind people could get a driver's license. It'd be marked 'non-driving' and was basically a state-issued identity card for things like cashing checks or when a cop wanted to see your ID. (I think it was in Oklahoma in the late 1950s/early 1960s that you couldn't apply for aid-to-the-blind without a government-issued ID, and a driver's license was the only one most people could easily get.)
One sort-of relative of mine (something along the lines of: my cousin's brother-in-law's uncle) was legally blind but bought a hunting license every year because you couldn't buy a duck or pheasant stamp loose -- the shop had to paste it to your license (otherwise a dad could buy a stamp and loan it to whichever son was going hunting that day). I don't remember if he collected stamps or they supported the state's conservation programs or whatever; it just stuck in my mind that a blind person who never owned a gun in their life had a hunting license.
Posted by Phideaux on 09/04/17 at 01:36 PM
Some people who are legally blind can see well enough to do tasks that surprise most people. Check out Im Dong Hyun, the Olympic archer, and bioptic driving. Legally blind doesn't mean can't see at all. It means that corrected vision in the better eye is 20/200 or worse or that the visual field is 20 degrees or less.
Posted by ges on 09/05/17 at 12:11 AM
The same thought crossed my mind, ges. Mom was legally blind by definition yet she was legally eligible to drive a car for years right up until her death.
Posted by KDP on 09/05/17 at 07:36 AM
Ever wonder why there is braille on drive-up ATM's?
Posted by RobK on 09/06/17 at 11:00 AM
RobK, you don't have to be a driver to use a drive-thru ATM. You could be a passenger in the back seat (for example, a taxi passenger). It's actually required by Federal law for ATMs, including drive-thru ones, to be accessible. The bankers fought the rule but they lost.
Posted by ges on 09/06/17 at 09:07 PM
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Category: Guns | Sports | Regulations | Differently Abled, Handicapped, Challenged, and Otherwise Atypical