Members of Tomahawk MX Park in Hedgesville, W.Va., went to Washington, D.C., Thursday to participate in the American Motorcyclist Association Family Capitol Hill Climb.
The climb is a rally in support of HR 412, a bill in Congress that would exempt motorcycles from the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008.
That act bans youth-sized motorcycles and all-terrain vehicles, according to the motorcyclist association.
The Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act was meant to protect children from toys with large amounts of lead in them, but motorcycles for children have fallen under that category, a local organizer of Thursday's ride said.
"It's a little ridiculous that motorcycles fall under this category," said Tyler Newcomer, the youth director at Tomahawk MX Park. "We can teach children how to ride motorcycles in a safe environment."
Newcomer, who is also a fifth-grade teacher at Salem Avenue Elementary School in Hagerstown, added that the group is not protesting the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act itself.
"The act is a good thing. We all want our children to be safe from dangerous toys and lead poisoning," he said. "But they aren't going to be putting motorcycles in their mouths."
Members met at the Sharpsburg park-and-ride lot near the Md. 65-Interstate 70 interchange around 7:30 a.m. Newcomer said they would drive to Shady Grove, Md., and take the Metro from there to Capitol Hill.
A post-rally party was scheduled for Tomahawk MX Park at 5 p.m.
The climb is a rally in support of HR 412, a bill in Congress that would exempt motorcycles from the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008.
That act bans youth-sized motorcycles and all-terrain vehicles, according to the motorcyclist association.
The Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act was meant to protect children from toys with large amounts of lead in them, but motorcycles for children have fallen under that category, a local organizer of Thursday's ride said.
"It's a little ridiculous that motorcycles fall under this category," said Tyler Newcomer, the youth director at Tomahawk MX Park. "We can teach children how to ride motorcycles in a safe environment."
Newcomer, who is also a fifth-grade teacher at Salem Avenue Elementary School in Hagerstown, added that the group is not protesting the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act itself.
"The act is a good thing. We all want our children to be safe from dangerous toys and lead poisoning," he said. "But they aren't going to be putting motorcycles in their mouths."
Members met at the Sharpsburg park-and-ride lot near the Md. 65-Interstate 70 interchange around 7:30 a.m. Newcomer said they would drive to Shady Grove, Md., and take the Metro from there to Capitol Hill.
A post-rally party was scheduled for Tomahawk MX Park at 5 p.m.
