For those who do not know, the First Mate is totally blind -- no sight whatsoever. Nevertheless, she handles lots of tasks that people might assume she would find impossible. She's an accomplished cook -- as anyone who sees me would immediately assume -- and takes care of all the household tasks. She gardens when she's healthy, and she sometimes works in a church day-care center. She hates it when people say it, but she's amazing.

However, even as amazing as she might be, I'd be hard pressed to put a gun in her hands and expect her to hunt for our dinner:

The blind will be able to go hunting if a Texas Bill becomes law.

They would have to be accompanied by a sighted hunter, who would help to guide their shots, and carry proof that they were legally blind. The law will also allow them to use a laser sight — a device forbidden to sighted hunters.

Edmund Kuempel, a State Representative, who introduced the Bill, said: “This opens up the fun of hunting to additional people, and I think that’s great.” The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, which regulates hunting, has no definition for what constitutes a legally blind hunter. The Bill would give it until January 1, 2008, to come up with a definition.

I'm not aware of a massive movement by the blind to go hunting. They have plenty of other obstacles and assumptions to overcome, and this seems a little low priority to me. It also seems somewhat south of safe for other hunters in the vicinity. All in all, it just seems like a bad idea.

I'd like to hear from hunters in the CQ community. Does this make sense to you? Would you feel comfortable out in the field with a blind hunter in the blind?

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