Oct 14, 2007 8:10 pm US/Central
Family Of Killed Teen Promoting Hunting Safety
(WCCO)
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Brandon Lanie, a high school student from Buffalo, Minn., was shot and killed Nov. 18 by another hunter who said he thought Lanie was a deer.
Photo from Matthew Lubben
Next time you're driving, you might see a new billboard on the road in Minnesota when you look up. It's got an important message for hunters, and it shows 14-year-old, Brandon Lanie, the young man at the center of the safety campaign.
Brandon Lanie was shot and killed about a year ago by another hunter. His parents and their organization are behind some billboards with a message of safety first.
Brandon Lanie was most at peace outside. He could be found hunting or fishing nearly every day of his young life, but before he hunted, he became an expert on hunting safety, by reading books and taking courses.
"He was so passionate about what he did," said his father, Troy Lanie.
He and Brandon's mother, Debbie Burmeister, want to carry on their son's safety message, so other families don't live through the pain of losing a son.
"You kind-of to take the grief and try to turn it into something good, try to focus on something positive," said Burmeister.
Last November Brandon Lanie, bundled in bright orange, was deer hunting off Lake Mille Lacs. No matter how safe he was, he could not stop another hunter from thinking he was a deer, shooting and killing him.
"It was the worst day of my entire life," said his father.
Brandon Lanie's parents have started an organization, called, BLESS. It stands for Brandon Lanie Ethical Sportsmen Society and it aims to promote their safety mission.
Sporting goods stores are also giving hunters their license in holders with the organization's symbol, and drivers will be getting the message too. Ten billboards are going up all across Minnesota the next couple weeks.
They display a clear message for hunters: Hunt safely. Know your target. The first billboard is already up just north of the Twin Cities, off Highway 65.
"Most people who took firearm safety, maybe have a tendency sometimes to forget or get lazy with it. And that's the reminder we want to make: Don't ever do that. You can never be too safe," said Troy Lanie.
Fliers will go into stores and licensing areas to remind people of the organization. But more importantly, it's a mission in the name of one young man.
"He just loved to be outside," said Brandon Lanie's mom. "This time of year really brings back the feelings from then. Brandon just loved the fall time."
Brandon Lanie wanted to work for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources when he got older. His parents hope their message in his memory might keep other parents from becoming experts in another field: Sadness.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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