Hunter safety instructor removed after ordering 'liberals' from class

[wmenorr67]

From you can't make this stuff up file.

http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=11&articleid=20090306_11_0_Thirte948209

By RANDY KREHBIEL World Staff Writer
Published: 3/6/2009  1:31 PM
Last Modified: 3/6/2009  5:06 PM

Thirteen-year-old Lane Dunkley just wanted to go hunting with his grandfather.

What he got was a lecture on politics.

Dunkley and his father Daniel Reddy, who live in Tulsa, went to Broken Arrow Tuesday night for a hunter safety course normally required to get an Oklahoma hunting license.

The class was a reward of sorts. Dunkley, who wants to go hunting with his aging grandfather, was told he could only if he brought his grades up.

So he did - to a B-plus average.

But when father and son arrived at the lesson, the volunteer instructor, Kell Wolf, asked if any of the students voted for President Obama.

Reddy, a transplanted Californian - and ex-Marine - raised his hand.

According to Reddy and others in the room, Wolf called Obama “the next thing to the Anti-Christ” and ordered Reddy and Dunkley from the room. When Reddy refused, Wolf said he would not teach “liberals” and would cancel the course if Reddy didn’t leave.

So Reddy and Dunkley left, as did a few others.

Lance Meek, hunter education coordinator for the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, said Wolf had been a volunteer instructor for “a long time, probably 15 years or more” and “from what we’ve heard and observed, had always done a great job. He worked with the kids really well.”

But when Meek received a call Wednesday morning - from someone other than the Reddys - he said he had no choice.

“I got the call at 8:30, and by 9 o’clock (Wolf) was no longer a volunteer for us," Meek said.

Contacted Friday, Wolf had no comment on the matter. Meek said when he talked briefly to Wolf on Wednesday, Wolf did not deny ordering Reddy from the class or offer an explanation.

Stacy Reddy, Daniel Reddy’s wife and Lane Dunkley’s mother, said the family was surprised by how quickly the Wildlife Department acted.

“Lance Meek called and apologized up and down and wanted to know what they could do to make it right,” she said. “The only thing we really wanted was for my son to be able to take the hunter safety course, and there wasn’t another one in the Tulsa area with an opening for the rest of 2009.”

So Meek arranged for a private class.

Read more of this story in tomorrow's Tulsa World.
By RANDY KREHBIEL World Staff Writer

At least the man in charge got the message and made this right by getting them the private class.

[AZRedhawk44]

From you can't make this stuff up file.

http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=11&articleid=20090306_11_0_Thirte948209

At least the man in charge got the message and made this right by getting them the private class.

Yep.

While the instructor may have been a volunteer and is certainly welcome to have his own opinions on anything... if he's volunteering FOR an organization then he has to carry the full responsibility of that.

Part of that includes not discriminating against those who are approved by your organization to participate in an event.

I'm willing to bet that the volunteer instructor said "Heck no, I won't teach any socialists in my class!  Under any circumstances!" rather than Mr. Meek terminating his tenure.  Especially if there are no more classes in 2009 with any openings.

Sounds like Oklahomans need more hunting education volunteers.

[Scout26]

I'm a Illinois DNR Hunter Safety Ed instructor.  It's hard not to get into some "politics" when you start getting questions about gun laws (especially in Illinois).   However, this instructor went WAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYY over the line.  You present the class to everyone who attends.  Even if they pass the test at the end, we, as instructors still have the obligation to determine that the student has sufficent grasp of the material and the maturity to be a safe hunter.   Asking who you voted for and then kicking out those that you disagree with is something the other side does.

We did have a situation a few years back where a teenager spent most of the class goofing off/not paying attention, even though he passed the test, we declined to sign his certificate and told his parents why when they came to pick him up.   It was nice to see his dad read him the riot act.       

[K Frame]

No way in hell is this a Politics Place topic.

Sigh.

[MechAg94]

http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=11&articleid=20090306_11_0_Thirte948209

Wow.  This is definitely not the best way to attract more people to the gun rights cause. 

Hunter safety instructor removed after ordering 'liberals' from class

Lane Dunkley
 
By RANDY KREHBIEL World Staff Writer
Published: 3/6/2009  1:31 PM
Last Modified: 3/6/2009  7:31 PM

Thirteen-year-old Lane Dunkley just wanted to go hunting with his grandfather.

What he got was a lecture on politics.

Dunkley and his father Daniel Reddy, who live in Tulsa, went to Broken Arrow Tuesday night for a hunter safety course normally required to get an Oklahoma hunting license.

The class was a reward of sorts. Dunkley, who wants to go hunting with his aging grandfather, was told he could only if he brought his grades up.

So he did - to a B-plus average.

But when father and son arrived at the lesson, the volunteer instructor, Kell Wolf, asked if any of the students voted for President Obama.

Reddy, a transplanted Californian - and ex-Marine - raised his hand.

According to Reddy and others in the room, Wolf called Obama “the next thing to the Anti-Christ” and ordered Reddy and Dunkley from the room. When Reddy refused, Wolf said he would not teach “liberals” and would cancel the course if Reddy didn’t leave.

So Reddy and Dunkley left, as did a few others.

Lance Meek, hunter education coordinator for the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, said Wolf had been a volunteer instructor for “a long time, probably 15 years or more” and “from what we’ve heard and observed, had always done a great job. He worked with the kids really well.”

But when Meek received a call Wednesday morning - from someone other than the Reddys - he said he had no choice.

“I got the call at 8:30, and by 9 o’clock (Wolf) was no
longer a volunteer for us," Meek said.

Contacted Friday, Wolf had no comment on the matter. Meek said when he talked briefly to Wolf on Wednesday, Wolf did not deny ordering Reddy from the class or offer an explanation.

Stacy Reddy, Daniel Reddy’s wife and Lane Dunkley’s mother, said the family was surprised by how quickly the Wildlife Department acted.

“Lance Meek called and apologized up and down and wanted to know what they could do to make it right,” she said. “The only thing we really wanted was for my son to be able to take the hunter safety course, and there wasn’t another one in the Tulsa area with an opening for the rest of 2009.”

So Meek arranged for a private class.

Read more of this story in tomorrow's Tulsa World.

Good for the other guy to make it up for them. 

[Uncle Bubba]

Yep, good job to set the kid up so he can hunt with his granddad and good job canning the instructor for being an ahole.

[Perd Hapley]

Duplicationism:

http://www.armedpolitesociety.com/index.php?topic=18449.0

[Jamisjockey]

Duplicationism:

http://www.armedpolitesociety.com/index.php?topic=18449.0

What he said.  Topics merged.

[Werewolf]

I can understand the way the instructor felt and my personal first reaction to the article was good for him.

After some thought about that though I am of the opinion that a Hunter's education class, especially one attended by kids, is no place for the discussion of politics.

But then again maybe the guy missed an opportunity to educate those CA transplants about OK and how we think here. (OK is the only state where obama did not carry one, NOT ONE, single county).

OK has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the nation at 4.9%. We're the 47th lowest tax burden per capita state (last time I checked) and the legislature is lowering the state income tax again this year. You can buy a house in OK for $100,000 that would cost you 3/4 to a million dollars in CA. We've got decent gun laws with minimal restrictions, reasonably good institutions of higher learning with the most liberal being OU and it would be considered right wing in most other states.

Last thing we need is Californians coming here and mucking up our state with their liberal BS.

[MechAg94]

Sorry about the duplicate. 

IMO, whether you agree with the guy or not, that is definitely not the place to voice opinions and he abused his volunteer position of authority. 

I thought the guy on Gun Talk said it when talking about the 2nd Amendment march that is being planned.  If you are going to focus on gun rights, focus on gun rights.  As soon as you make it anti-Obama or anti-democrat, you shut out a lot of gun owners who could be your allies and you marginalize yourself. 

If you can win people over to our way of thinking regarding guns, they might change their mind on other stuff as well.  If we push them, they will just get stubborn and never change their minds. 

[Antibubba]

People who shoot and hunt will (probably) come to realize the threat to gun rights that Obama and his ilk represent.  Lecturing will not do it.

Deeds, not words.

[KD5NRH]

“Lance Meek called and apologized up and down and wanted to know what they could do to make it right,” she said. “The only thing we really wanted was for my son to be able to take the hunter safety course, and there wasn’t another one in the Tulsa area with an opening for the rest of 2009.”

It's March, most ot the major seasons don't start until fall, and all the hunter ed classes in and near a major city are already booked up through the end of the year?

[Werewolf]

It's March, most ot the major seasons don't start until fall, and all the hunter ed classes in and near a major city are already booked up through the end of the year?

It's Oklahoma. Very likely they're booked. Unless you were born before '63 or something you've got to take the course, once, to get a hunting license. All the kids turning 13 or so who want to go with Dad have to take it. The gun club I am a member of offers the course and at least one gun shop in OKC and that is all I am aware of in the OKC area. Probably the same in the Tulsa area.

Hunting is still very, very popular here. Deer, dove, and turkey especially. We just added a Black Bear season for SE Oklahoma and you can hunt Elk out west (lottery done to choose who).

[KD5NRH]

It's Oklahoma. Very likely they're booked. Unless you were born before '63 or something you've got to take the course, once, to get a hunting license.

I'm in a small town in Texas, and there are courses all over the place that are walk-in.  Occasionally there will be one that's reservation-only, but those are usually the ones held in someone's house or in a gun store that doesn't have more than a dozen chairs.  Even then, the only time I hear of them being booked solid is in the last two weeks before deer season starts.

It's a few hours of classroom instruction and 15 minutes or so on the range with a .22.  Unless OK has some really odd requirements, one would think that booked-up classes would just inspire the instructors to run a lot more classes.

[AZRedhawk44]

I was running an Appleseed shoot this last weekend at a range here in town and overheard an NRA pistol and CCW instructor in class as I walked by his classroom at one point.

He was in full righteous fury at the Obamas and ripping into them in his class.  Struck me as a bit unprofessional.

[41magsnub]

It's Oklahoma. Very likely they're booked. Unless you were born before '63 or something you've got to take the course, once, to get a hunting license. All the kids turning 13 or so who want to go with Dad have to take it. The gun club I am a member of offers the course and at least one gun shop in OKC and that is all I am aware of in the OKC area. Probably the same in the Tulsa area.

Hunting is still very, very popular here. Deer, dove, and turkey especially. We just added a Black Bear season for SE Oklahoma and you can hunt Elk out west (lottery done to choose who).

Montana is the same, around Missoula there is a single block of classes starting next month, then another block in late summer just before the seasons start.  They are always packed with a standby list and there is some competition to get your kids into them before they fill up.

[Scout26]

My club offers 3 (Mar, Jun and Sep) per year.   We just started one yesterday.  (Ten hours total, so we do it over two Sunday afternoons.)

88 Students. (Average March class is ~50) - We had 5 instructors.

Last September we had 182.

We're looking at restricting the class to only those who sign up in advance simply because once you get over ~60 students, the quality of the class starts to decline.
 

[gunsmith]

I used to sometimes give political lectures to libs in my cab, they hardly tip anyway.
Once I was taking some bigwig Dem to a (Dem) convention in Reno.
I told her I've been forced into voting R by the Dems, she gave me the old
"but we want reasonable gun control" and I got her to admit she actually doesn't know the difference between
an AR15/ Ruger Mini-14/ Lever action etc.
She actually tipped and thanked me for an honest friendly discussion

[bk425]

I read this and think "RKBA needs voters".
Yesterday at an NRA class I saw a sticker at the range that had a motorcylce officer from a local PD made to look pretty silly and obama stickers on his PD bike etc got a chuckle from it. One of the students in the class pointed out that range customers all had to walk by that, that some of them probably had voted incorrectly and that pushing this into their faces did not help our cause. I can give up a little ego reinforcement for a few more voters. Heck, for one.
Here in Washington HE is chronically overbooked because of a chronic lack of volunteers. Dealing with the state bureaucracy is unnecessarily hassle enhanced.