On the Hunter-Shooter Schism

Adding to this post, I figured I'd share my thoughts on the "split" between hunters and shooters.

I know this, I live it every time I go down to my family's place in Mississippi.

You see, my family (on my mom's side) is country. Country as you can get. I grew up eating rabbit, squirrel, dove, quail, and venison on a regular basis down there. Back then, it was just this side of subsistence hunting. My family wasn't wealthy. My mom and her siblings were of the "one pair of shoes per year" generation, especially the older ones.

They don't get me and my gun collecting. Mostly they just smile and shake their head, figuring I'm grown enough to know how to spend my money. They just don't understand why I need more than a shotgun and a deer rifle.

To them, a gun is just another survival tool. I know we say that too, but in their case, the gun is there to put food on the table, not protect you from various street critters.

Don't get me wrong, they aren't running around like the Beverly Hillbillies, oblivious to the world around them. They know full well how dangerous the world can be. Many of them do keep a pistol with them when they have to go somewhere, especially if they have to run up to Memphis. I highly doubt they have a permit, though. As far as I know, I'm the only one in the family with a carry permit.

Hunters don't get what all the fuss is about. They don't understand why someone would pay $1500 for a rifle that looks like a Mattel toy and isn't suitable for deer hunting. I'm talking about the .223 caliber AR 15, of course. They don't look traditional, they fire too small a round, and they cost too much. To them, it's wasted money.

Now, to the topic at hand:

One thing we shooters like to harp about is how hunters "threw us under the bus" in 1994 with regards to the AWB.

We need to get over that. As the Zumbo affair proved (to the ones who actually threw us under the bus), non-hunters are a force to be reckoned with. We spend the money, we are active politically. We're not afraid to call 'em, like we see 'em.

So, who actually threw us under the bus in '94? Everybody who wasn't a shooter. Everybody. Even the NRA.

However, the main reason we were tossed was because we were vulnerable. We weren't organized. The NRA knew that, so instead of fighting tooth and nail, they took the pragmatic approach and fought for a sunset provision. They saw the political writing on the wall and did the best they could (thanks for that, btw).

We probably never would have become organized if it weren't for the Internet (thanks Al Gore). You see, we shooters are a diverse bunch. We fight and carry on about 1911 vs Tupperware, AK vs AR, and all that. But, at the heart of it, we are more alike then we are different.

And, when the anti-gun groups start going after scoped sniper deer rifles and PETA goes after those inhumane hunters, when the Enviroweenies go after the hunting land, let's not throw them under the bus. They will be the vulnerable ones. But if we hang with them, we can curb the efforts of those whose ultimate goal is the disarmament of America.

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