SUTTER, CA (MPG) - A scholarship signing ceremony took place on Friday, December 2 at Sutter High School. It was attended by many. Principal Ryan Robison spoke to the audience and was followed by Sutter County Sheriff Brandon Barnes and head coach Dave Samson.

Cloey Carrier had several scholarships offers from the colleges that she herself contacted. Her shooting and her GPA had a great deal to do with the offers that she received. She visited Upper Iowa University in September. She spent a week at the campus and shooting with their shotgun shooting team at the range. She was impressed with their scholastic program and their shooting program and felt right at home there.

RELATED: Sutter Shotgun Shooting Wins Big at the State Sporting Clay Championships

Carrier is interested in law enforcement and was a cadet at the Sutter County Sheriff’s Office where I retired from four years ago. Sheriff Barnes came to the ceremony and spoke. Surrounded by family, friends, coaches and teammates, Carrier signed the document committing herself to Upper Iowa University. We are so proud of her.

Carrier would not have received any scholarship offers if it had not been for her and her parents that reached out to the colleges in which they were interested. This is because recently passed Assembly Bill 2571, authored and signed by Gov. Newsom after being introduced by Assemblywoman Kahan, prevents colleges from contacting youth competitors in California about their shooting programs. Colleges won’t take the risk of offering their programs to any youth under the age of 18 in California. This law also prevents coaches in our programs from talking to kids about firearms related products, crippling our ability to properly coach.

RELATED: Cougars’ size ends Huskies’ section title hopes

The bill: AB 2571, originally prohibited youth from shooting in “events where firearms are used,” which completely shut our program down. But the new language introduced in a trailer bill, Assembly Bill 160, reversed only part of this new law. The new language allowed us to resume our programs and holding events, but our programs are crippled by what is left in the law.

Scholarships opportunities only exist for those who reach out to those schools, and schools must be careful about what they say, or they can be liable. This prevents colleges from even reaching out to kids in California which is going to severely limit opportunities for kids to go to college. As a coach, I can’t talk to a kid about a gun or a firearm related product that my help the shoot. Youth Model Guns will not be marketed in California or even available. If a kid can’t get a gun that fits, they cannot shoot.