Bloomington residents react to possible legislation

In the eight weeks since the death of Matt Jennings, a middle-school student who died from head injuries sustained in a skateboarding accident, locals have debated whether legislation should be passed requiring skateboarders to wear helmets.\nThe head injury was caused when Jennings was riding a skateboard while being pulled by a scooter. Jennings was not wearing a helmet. Since his death, children and adults have worked together to create a law that requires head protection when riding a skateboard. Currently, helmets are strongly recommend to be worn but are not required by law when operating a skateboard. \n"IUPD does not impose any actions or penalties if a person is not wearing a helmet while skateboarding," said IU Police Department Lt. Jerry Minger. \nSkateboarding is currently banned on campus.\nMinger said he believes a law should be put in place that requires head protection while using a skateboard. At the same time, Minger said parents should enforce the importance of wearing a helmet while skateboarding.\n"It should be a joint effort: a state law and parents making their children wear a helmet," Minger said. \nEven thought Jennings' death was skateboard-related, many skateboarders have not changed their minds about not wearing a helmet. Some skateboarders said they feel a helmet law should not be created. \n"It should up to the skater if they want to wear a helmet not the government," said 22-year-old Jim Potter. "I have been skating since high school, and I might have worn a helmet only a few times." \nPotter said he believes children should know the importance of a helmet and parents should buy their child one if they are interested in the sport. \n"It all boils down to the decision of the skater," Potter said. "If a person does not want to wear a helmet, then the person takes the risks of hurting their head. It's the person's choice and fault if they get injured not anybody else."\nRyan Smith, manager of Rise Skateboard Shop, has been selling helmets and skateboards for over a year.\n"I have only sold three or four helmets this entire year, and there hasn't been any sort of increase in helmet sales since Matt's accident," Smith said.\nSmith said he believes forcing kids to wear helmets will cause them to rebel even more.\n"I don't think it is right to force skaters to wear a helmet because one person made a wrong decision," Smith said. "The person was not skateboarding; he was being pulled by a moped. Since there was a skateboard involved, the government attacks all skaters."\nSmith said he believes a child's safety should be enforced at home and not by the government. \n"Politicians don't understand skating; all they hear about is the very few bad things that take place," Smith said. "They dwell on these few bad things and never look (at the) many positive sides of skateboarding." \n- Contact staff writer Nick Pittman at .