A bill was recently put forward by a Manhattan lawmaker. Democratic Assemblywoman Linda Rosenthal) that, if passed and signed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo, would do away with marksmanship, archery, and shooting programs in New York state schools. The bill would also ban gun-safety classes on school grounds by prohibiting the use of firearms as part of the lesson.

Under this proposal, highly successful programs and teams that positively impact thousands of kids each year would be eliminated. Dedicated and trained professionals who instruct children of all abilities would no longer be able to teach skills that they can use for a lifetime. 

The proposal would have a far-reaching effect. According to the New York State Public High School Athletic Association, the state has more than 30 air-rifle teams with 300 student participants. One team in Central Square recently earned top rankings in several events at a statewide competition in West Point. The New York State High School Clay Target League had 59 high-school teams participate this year, comprised of 1,149 students.

In addition to rifle sports, archery would also be eliminated. This runs counterintuitive to what state officials and educators are doing to accommodate a growing interest in outdoor recreation. In 2008, New York became the 44th state to offer the National Archery in Schools Program. This program is coordinated by the state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), which provides curriculum to interested schools. Officials from DEC report that interest in the sport has grown in recent years. Currently, more than 34,000 students participate in archery during the school year in physical-education classes and in teams run through the schools. This year, about 700 students from 33 school districts participated in an annual statewide archery tournament. This is a great opportunity for kids of all ages. Altmar-Parish-Williamstown Central Schools has a competitive team and once again, students ranked in this year’s competition.

Instructors for each of these programs point to strengths and benefits and the positive impact they have on kids. For example, students of all athletic abilities can participate in target sports which makes them arguably more inclusive than other sports. They help develop hand-eye coordination, grip, and body strength. Educators say they engage the “unengaged” student and as a result, this inspires students to reach higher achievement in other subject areas. Educators also say these programs teach discipline, focus, and teamwork. As with any team sport, kids get to learn the value of hard work and experience the gratification of seeing their work pay off as they improve over time and place in competitions.

If proposing to take these opportunities away was not bad enough, the sponsor also proposes to do away with hunter-safety opportunities at schools. These are voluntary courses that teach people the basics of firearm safety. If we want to lower gun injuries and death as the sponsor suggests, we should create more training opportunities that teach people safe handling and other skills.                      

William (Will) A. Barclay is the Republican representative of the 120th New York Assembly District, which encompasses most of Oswego County, including the cities of Oswego and Fulton, as well as the town of Lysander in Onondaga County and town of Ellisburg in Jefferson County. Contact him at barclaw@assembly.state.ny.us, or (315) 598-5185.

Politicians and commentators these Days like to point to an array of Threats to our constitutional system. There’s one, though, that doesn’t get nearly as much attention as it should: our national debt.

 We may not yet be in imminent danger of fiscal collapse, but we’re moving into uncharted waters. We are among the most indebted nations in the world, and it’s only getting worse. Thanks to our new tax law, we’re staring at routine federal budget deficits north of $1 trillion each year — compared to what now seems like a paltry $665 billion in 2017.

As we look at an aging population, rising entitlement costs, and skyrocketing interest payments, things promise to go from dismal to dire.

We’re running these deficits at a time of full employment, when the economy is doing well. This is exactly the wrong time to be pressing on the accelerator, because when the downturn comes — which, inevitably, it will — we won’t have room to maneuver.

The problem is not quite that nobody’s talking about the debt in Washington. They are discussing it. But it’s not a productive discussion. Politicians give lip service to debt and deficit reduction, but for the most part, each party tries to blame the other. Tackling deficits and the debt always takes a back seat to other priorities: tax cuts and spending increases of all kinds and descriptions.

What do we do about all of this? “The time to repair the roof,” John F. Kennedy once said, “is when the sun is shining.” That’s why it’s time right now, while the sun is shining on the economy, to repair our fiscal problems.

We need to restrain the growth of spending, especially in entitlement programs. And we need to recognize that this most recent tax cut, with its further explosion of debt, is exactly the wrong medicine.

Debt is a major threat to our preeminence in the world, since it constrains our ability to steer the economy and react forcefully to unexpected events. How we deal with it will be a real test of our constitutional system and our political system.

What we need to do is no secret: we have to spend less and tax more. This is hard to do. But the system is not self-correcting. Unless Americans demand action, we will continue down our current road until, at some point, the pavement ends and the wheels come off.                     

Lee Hamilton is a senior advisor for the Indiana University (IU) Center on Representative Government, distinguished scholar at the IU School of Global and International Studies, and professor of practice at the IU School of Public and Environmental Affairs. Hamilton, a Democrat, was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives for 34 years, representing a district in south central Indiana.