Hunting- The Effects of the Anti-Gun Movement on the Sport
After the events that occurred in Parkland, Florida, teenagers everywhere have decided to start protesting our 2nd amendment rights (even though there have been numerous other school shootings before this). What they failed to remember was exactly how important firearms are to our everyday lives. Not only are they one of our greatest tools to defend ourselves against those who wish to take away our freedoms, but they have also been used even more to feed families and control animal populations across the country. Hunting has always been a very popular sport in rural areas, and by turning hunting into a competition, we have been able to control animal populations and balance our ecosystem.
A more specific example of overpopulation is our current deer problem. Natural predators are no longer able to maintain the deer population, and humans have created almost perfect habitats for these creatures in yards, fields, and along the side of highways. Deer are also selective in what they eat, which effects the diversity of our grasslands and wooded areas. Too many deer can mean the endangerment of numerous plants and trees.
I mentioned that they have a great place to live beside highways. What else can you commonly find on highways? Cars. According to Cornell University, around 29,000 drivers hit deer every year, resulting in at least 211 driver deaths annually. Have you ever hit a deer before? I have. Totaled my car.
One of the best ways to control the deer population is through hunting. In rural areas, the majority of people hunt, taking trophies and competing with each other for sport.
I will share a few facts on guns, just in case you are like a lot of other people that I have come to know and see on television: ignorant.
First of all, AR-15 does not stand for Assault Rifle. It stands for Armalite Rifle. All rifles made by the company (Armalite) are designated AR. It does not matter if the rifle is assault style or not.
Second, an AR-15 has the same ammunition, velocity, rate of fire, and capacity as the Ruger Mini 14. The “scary” gun above is the AR-15, while the gun with the wooden stock is the Mini 14. No difference between the two guns. Both are used for hunting.
Third, almost every modern weapon is semi-automatic. The majority of pistols sold in the U.S. are semi-automatic, meaning one round is fired with every pull of the trigger, and the next bullet is automatically chambered when the previous is fired.
Fourth, no one in America can legally obtain an automatic weapon. An example of an automatic weapon is a machine gun (figure I should keep the names simple). Also there is no such thing as a fully semi-automatic. I do not really know who came up with that term, but it just does not make sense. I would assume that they mean the gun is semi-automatic, but they decided to add an extra word to make it sound like they know what they are talking about.
Finally, guns do not have the mind to kill people. Only people have that issue. When people who want to kill people have guns, they will use those guns to kill. However, when a person has a gun to protect others, the only one who will end up dead is the person trying to kill his peers. Saying that guns are the problem is one of the most ridiculous claims you can ever make. Also, why are we only just now having protests on guns, since there have been many mass shootings in our recent history, including Columbine, Sandy Hook, Aurora, and Las Vegas? The logic makes no sense. Do not take my words to be without sympathy, I am very saddened by all these events and no family should ever have to lose someone to such senseless acts of violence, but I believe that there are better ways of handling how to stop these tragedies from happening.
I am not sure why all of these people are having issues with guns. My family, friends, and neighbors have been around guns all their lives. Not a single death. We have been using them for sport for generations. Not a single (human) death. Hunting is a great sport, and is beneficial to our environment as well. By taking away our guns, our way of life would also be taken from us.
