Sen. Jeanne Kohl-Welles, D-Seattle, is looking into potential fixes to state law that could prevent tragedies such as that of the recent shooting of a grandmother hiking in the North Cascades by a 14-year old hunter.

"When teens had higher accident and fatality rates than other drivers, the Legislature created graduated driver's licenses so teens could become safer and better drivers," Kohl-Welles said. "I'm working with Senate staff attorneys to determine the merits of creating a similar program for hunting. We're also checking on requirements in other states."

On August 2, a woman was fatally shot while hiking after a 14-year-old hunter mistook her for a bear and fired his weapon at her while on federal forestland near Sauk Mountain near Rockport. Washington law currently has no age restrictions on minors hunting unaccompanied by an adult if they have completed a hunting safety course and carry a valid hunting license. However, the law allows persons 14-years-old or over to go target shooting with a rifle and without supervision, so long as the minor has a hunter safety certificate and is not trespassing and shooting is allowed where the minor is target shooting.

"This discrepancy doesn't make sense," said Kohl-Welles. "It's just not reasonable to allow a child younger than 14 to hunt while requiring an age restriction of 14 and above to target shoot. In addition, I believe the state can do more to prevent another tragedy by requiring posting of notices at trailheads during hunting seasons so hikers and others using public recreational areas can be aware of the potential risk in the area. Certainly there are responsible teen hunters, but we need to examine this issue thoroughly to ensure public safety as well as their own."