A teen’s shooting at Nockamixon State Park inspired a new policy prohibiting the type of gun used to kill him
Center-fire and rim-fire rifles, like the one used to kill Jason Kutt in 2020, are no longer allowed to be fired in the Bucks County park.
Even as she grieves, Dana Kutt takes solace in the news that her son’s death at the hands of a hunter in a Bucks County park has brought about change.
The site of the teen’s killing, Nockamixon State Park, is one of four recreation areas in the southeastern corner of the state that has banned hunters from using center-fire and rimfire riles, the type of gun Kenneth Heller used when he accidentally shot Jason Kutt in the head in October 2020.
“It was a traumatic incident, but we’re past the tragedy part of it,” Dana Kutt said Monday. “We’re focusing on taking a negative and turning it into positive.”
» READ MORE: Seven months after a Bucks teen was killed by a hunter, his family is pushing for closure and change
That change in policy came, in large part, after several trips to Harrisburg by the Kutt family, who said they had honest, heartfelt conversations with executives from the state’s Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.
“We asked them the hard questions and brought some concerns, but we also brought some possible solutions,” Dana Kutt said. “They did their due diligence behind the scenes, and they came up with something they could implement quickly, to reduce the risk of someone getting hurt.”
The policy change, which went into effect Aug. 13, still allows hunters to use shotguns, muzzleloaders, and bows to hunt game in Nockamixon, located about an hour north of Philadelphia in Quakertown. It institutes the same regulations at Marsh Creek State Park in Downingtown, Evansburg State Park in Collegeville, and the White Clay Creek Preserve in Landenberg.
That distinction was important to the Kutt family, who are avid hunters themselves. Their advocacy was never to restrict anyone’s gun rights. It was always, they said, about preventing another tragedy, especially in a state park with as many hikers and boaters as Nockamixon.
“If you’re hunting deer, you’re doing it at close range,” Dana Kutt said. “You’re less than 100 yards away. You don’t need ammo that can travel up to miles away, especially around a lake.”
» READ MORE: Bucks County hunter sentenced to 7 to 20 years in prison for fatally shooting teen at state park
Her son, 18, was killed as he sat on a sandy overlook of Lake Nockamixon with his girlfriend. Heller, the hunter who pleaded guilty to shooting him and fleeing the scene, later told prosecutors he mistook Jason Kutt for an animal when he fired. When he learned the truth in news reports, he panicked and hid for 60 days, but was arrested after tips to police led authorities to him.
Heller, 53, is serving a seven- to 20-year sentence at the State Correctional Institute at Greene.
Even after the victory of the new regulations, the Kutt family says there is still plenty of work to do. They recently formed a nonprofit, the Jason Kutt Legacy Fund, and are planning a September benefit concert in Quakertown. The proceeds will go to different charities and organizations in the area.
“Jason was all about helping others. He never asked why, but if someone needed help with something, he did it,” his mother said. “We just feel that over the years we’ve gotten away from that, and we want his legacy and passion for helping others to continue.”