Blood alcohol limit demanded for hobby hunters
A controversy has emerged in the canton of Bern regarding the consumption of alcohol during hobby hunting.
Motion for alcohol regulations analogous to road traffic law
Casimir von Arx, a member of the Green Liberal Party (GLP) in the cantonal parliament, proposes in a motion to amend the Hunting Act so that alcohol regulations similar to those in road traffic law would apply.
This motion aims to revoke the hunting licence of persons who repeatedly hunt under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
Currently, the cantons of Neuchâtel and Zurich have already incorporated corresponding provisions into their hunting legislation.
Firearms and alcohol are incompatible
The Swiss association for ecological hobby hunting supports the idea and emphasises that the use of firearms in combination with alcohol consumption is incompatible and should not be open to debate.
“It is outrageous that this even needs to be discussed.”
Co-President Sandro Krättli
Hunting association objects
On the other hand, the president of the Bernese Hunting Association, Lorenz Hess, disputes the necessity of this motion, stating that he is unaware of any alcohol-related hunting accidents in the canton. The motion will be debated during the winter session of the cantonal parliament, reports the Berner Zeitung.
From the perspective of IG Wild beim Wild, the limit for handling weapons under the influence of alcohol among hobby hunters must be consistently set at 0.0 per mille blood alcohol. The same applies to wildlife wardens as well as in military and police service, and for good reason. No one may handle or fire a firearm while under the influence of alcohol.
Hobby hunting serves the purpose of killing animals. Anyone who carries a weapon in this context bears a particular responsibility towards both humans and animals. Alcohol or drugs are incompatible with this. Persons with alcohol or drug dependency must immediately forfeit their hunting– and firearms licences.
Mandatory alcohol testing must be introduced following hunting accidents. In addition, regular medical-psychological assessments for hobby hunters, modeled on the Netherlands, as well as a binding upper age limit are required.
The largest age group among hobby hunters is 65+. It is precisely in this group that age-related limitations in vision, concentration, and reaction time, as well as deficits in training and practice, are increasingly prevalent. At the same time, it is well known that alcohol is consumed in the belief that it steadies the trigger finger. Others abstain from alcohol but are nonetheless no longer physically up to the demands of the activity.
The numerous missed shots, tracking operations, and the associated massive animal suffering can hardly be explained otherwise.
