Socially Unaccepted

Sun., April 2, 2000

Staff

Hunting and fishing

Montana’s new requirement to furnish Social Security numbers when applying for hunting and fishing licenses is provoking anger and hostility from some sportsmen, vendors say.

“I’ve had terrible reactions to it,” said Sandy Cordle, customer services manager at Snappy Sport Senter in Kalispell. “I’ve had a few people walk out. I’ve heard a lot of swear words.”

The measure is an attempt to find parents who are delinquent on child support payments.

Social Security numbers are required for children age 12 and over, and often neither the kids nor their parents know the number.

License vendors have expressed concern about selling licenses to children of tourists in the summer, when people may not have ready access to their children’s Social Security numbers.

Idaho has solved the problem by letting parents put their Social Security numbers, followed by three zeros, on their children’s licenses.

Montana officials are considering a similar system.

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