Guns and Hunting
A page about this non-hunter's right to own and use firearms...
Although I have never hunted* (and don't intend to unless absolutely necessary...) I still
Artwork permission Doug Ireland
own and use firearms and encourage others to do the same - everyone needs the ability
to protect themselves from criminals, terrorists, and tyrannical government. (Free people
own, collect, and use firearms for a variety of reasons. Serfs, slaves, and servants do not...)
- Roger J. Wendell, April 2002
The People!
"To preserve liberty, it is essential that the whole body of the people always possess arms and be taught alike, especially when young, how to use them."
- Richard Henry Lee
(1732-1794) Founding Father
Outlaws
"The tank, the B-52, the fighter-bomber, the state controlled police and the military are the weapons of dictatorship. The rifle is the weapon of democracy. Not for nothing was the revolver called an 'equalizer.' Egalite implies liberte. And always will. Let us hope our weapons are never needed - but do not forget what the common people knew when they demanded the Bill of Rights: An armed citizenry is the first defense, the best defense, and the final defense against tyranny... If guns are outlawed, only the government will have guns. Only the police, the secret police, the military, the hired servants of our rulers. Only the government - and a few outlaws. I intend to be among the outlaws." - Edward Abbey
in his book, Abbey's Road (1979)
"The Right to Arms" chapter, p. 132
Other Countries
In 2019 China began stripping the citizens of Hong Kong their freedom and liberty. Protests, sometimes violent, continued through the summer.
For those who do not understand the meaning of 'rights', we need to make it clear once and for all: The 2nd Amendment does not apply to semi-auto rifles, nor does it apply to bolt action rifles, pistols, or revolvers. The 2nd Amendment RESTRICTS GOVERNMENT. The technology of the firearm is irrelevant. The restrictions on government remain the same, regardless of the firearm. The Second Amendment was not written for citizens to own and bear firearms. It forbids government interference to in the right to keep and bear arms, period. The right of the people to bear Arms, shall not be infringed. This also applies to other 'Rights.' They are not granted; they stipulate inherent rights that government may not prohibit. |
Why the Second Amendment?
"The right to bear arms is not about hunting, it's not about target practice. The right to bear arms is a political right designed to safeguard freedom so that no government can take away from you the rights which God has given you. And it was written by people who had spent their lifetime fighting the greatest empire in the world. And they knew that if they had not the right to bear arms they would have been enslaved, and they did not want us to be enslaved, and that is why they guaranteed us the right to protect ourselves. It is a political right of the deepest importance to the survival of freedom in America."
- Newt Gingrich in a 2016 speech (transcribed by Me)
Standing Guard
Robert Anson Heinlein
The police of a state should never be stronger or better armed than the citizenry. An armed citizenry, willing to fight, is the foundation of civil freedom. That's a personal evaluation, of course.
Click Here for my fish, fishing, oceans and water life page... |
"I am outraged by Sarah Palin's approval of aerial wolf killing - this cruel, unscientific and sensless practice which has no place in modern America."
February, 2009 |
Second Amendment Sanctuary City
On Monday evening, June 3, 2019 the City Council of Commerce City, Colorado passed a resolution in support of Second Amendment rights, declaring itself a Second Amendment sanctuary city. "Council hereby declares its support for the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution, the lawful exercise of the right to keep and bear arms by its residents, and safe and responsible legal gun ownership and use," resolution NO. 2019-55 stated. "Therefore, the City Council declares Commerce City to be a 'Second Amendment Sanctuary.'"
Trophy hunting?
- Florence Freedman
Wildebeest - Serengeti
There were but two beneath the sky -
The thing I came to kill, and I.
I, under cover, quietly
Watched him sense eternity,
From quivering brush to pointed nose -
My gun to shoulder level rose,
And then I felt (I could not see)
Far off, a hunter watching me.
I slowly put me rifle by,
For there were two who had to die -
The thing I wished to kill, and I.
(according to William Gibson, in his book A View of the Mountains p. 211)
Super-predatory humans
BBC Nature online, edited by Matt Walker
16 February 2012
Quotes
"And there are few predators in nature that would target the biggest and the strongest animals. Humans do so, only because we have devastating weapons of mass wildlife destruction. Targeting the biggest and the strongest is not natural or ecologically sound.
"Behind all the chit-chat of conservation and tradition is the plain simple fact that trophy hunters like to kill living things. Many, like Vice President Dick Cheney, like their victims helpless therefore they patronize canned hunts and safaris parks to snuff out defenseless captive animals."
16-Year-Old Kills Three Bucks in One Hour
FoxNews.com 11-23-2010
Bad Photos:
Caution - these two photos are graphic and are not a setup - these kinds
of displays take place in public view throughout hunting season all of the time!
The Lazy Sportsman:
As I suggested near this page's masthead, I have owned and used guns throughout my entire life - everything from home protection and work as a police officer to boot camp training and military duty. Still, I've never hunted anything since boyhood and am convinced you too, gentle reader, can give up recreational hunting as well! - Roger J. Wendell
A long, long time ago... "And what country can preserve its liberties, if its rulers are not warned from time to time,
that this people preserve the spirit of resistance? Let them take arms. . . ."- Thomas Jefferson, Third President and author of the Declaration of Independence
(In a 1787 letter to William Stephens Smith)
Hunting Accidents:
Unfortunately hunting is a dangerous activity where many innocent people have been injured and killed - in rare cases it was even intentional. In reference to the photo, a left, Vice President Dick Cheney accidentally shot and wounded Attorney Harry Whittington while the two were quail hunting in southern Texas (February 11, 2006). It's interesting to note that it took the media nearly 24 hours to get this particular story out, but then again that's another story... Anyway, the point is, hunting is dangerous and injury or death can happen to anybody. You need to be careful out there!! Hikers and other recreationalists have to be especially careful during hunting season. I, myself, avoid hiking in areas anywhere near hunting allotments. It took me a while to learn this after some relatively close calls - one was a hike along Loveland Pass, in Colorado, where some "cammo-guys" were shooting indiscriminately. Another was in southern Wyoming where I was climbing at Vedauwoo and "sportsmen" were shooting into the rock face about 200 feet from me.
Teen Goose Hunter Shot, Killed By Person In Passing Truck
Student Hit By Shot Fired From Passing Pickup
KCTV5.com, Kansas City, first reported this horrible incident on December 17, 2007 and then added updates:
"Beau Arndt, 18, of Americus, and two friends had placed several dozen goose decoys in a farm field Saturday and were lying in the snow waiting for incoming birds, according to the Lyon County Sheriff's Department.""Arndt's companions told police that a pickup truck stopped along a nearby road and fired a rifle shot into the decoys, but hit Arndt instead and then left the scene."
"Shooting waterfowl with a rifle is illegal in Kansas, as is shooting from inside a vehicle or onto someone's property without permission."
"Arndt was the first person killed in a hunting accident in Kansas since 2005, state officials said."
"The Emporia Gazette reported on Tuesday that witnesses described a truck they'd seen as a late 1970s model Ford pickup with a standard cab and a Shawnee County license plate."
"A witness told authorities there were three men inside."
"The newspaper reported that the cab and front end of the truck were red and the bed was orange."
"The rear of the bed had an old Ford logo on it, which the newspaper reported as being three blocks - one large, one medium and one small."
"Authorities urged anyone with any information to call the sheriff's office at 342-5545, the Lyon County Crimestoppers organization at 342-2273 or 1-800-KS CRIME."
Vermont Man Kills Himself After Fatally Shooting Friend in Deer Hunting Accident
Published November 28, 2011, FoxNews.com
"A Vermont man took his own life Saturday after accidentally killing his friend in a deer hunting accident, police said.""Authorities said they believe 49-year-old Timothy Bolognani, of Readsboro, Vt., killed himself with a hunting rifle after accidentally shooting his friend, 39-year-old Benjamin Birch, while the two were hunting for deer Saturday morning, the Bennington Banner reported.
"The two men were reportedly hunting in woods about a mile west of Howe Pond Road in Readsboro with another friend, identified as Mark Colford.
"Police said that when they responded to the scene, they found Bolognani and Birch dead from gunshot wounds, according to the newspaper.
"Investigators said Birch shot at a deer, which then ran through the woods. The three men tried to track the animal, police said, and at some point Bolognani fired his rifle.
"Birch was heard crying out before Bolognani and Colford found him lying on the ground, where he later died, the newspaper reported.
"Bolognani, the son of former state Rep. Betty Bolognani, then shot and killed himself with his own rifle, police said. No foul play is suspected.
"'These guys were best friends and professional hunters,' Birch's mother, Jacqueline Clara Howe, told the Boston Herald.
"The hunting deaths were the second tragedy to hit the Bolognani family in the past two years.
Bolognani's 18-year-old daughter, Jessica, reportedly died in a snowmobile accident in Jan. 2010.
"The teenager was struck by an oncoming snowmobile after falling from her own, according to the Burlington Free Press."
Party Hunting
Disgraced Parker outfitter put profit before ethics in the hunting arena
By Dave Buchanan
The Daily Sentinel, Sunday, November 21, 2010 p. 8D
|
'Deck-side hunter' shocks quiet neighborhood
Homeowners watch as animal survives multiple gunshots
By Vicky Gits
Canyon Courier, Wednesday, September 28, 2011 p. 1A
- "...after the first shot, the elk failed to go down. Badly wounded, it made its way onto the property next to Hannigan's house. Hannigan's husband called the Jeffco Sheriff's Office, and a deptuy was on the scene in five minutes."
- Law enforcement soon determined the hunter had an appropriate license for the first day of hunting season..."
- The unter went to the neighbor's house and received permission to take another shot, which also failed to kill the animal. The hunter reportedly took another shot in the direction of Hannigan's house and then trailed the elk across the street to another hourse."
- "Ultimately, a Divison of Wildlife officer had to finish the kill with a handgun."
- DOW spokeswoman Jennifer Churchill said in an email Sept. 23 there was an ongoing investigation but that no decisions regarding a possilbe citation had been made."
Me and my TV I don't get to watch much television since my foothills neighborhood has no reception. So, when I'm on the road, for business travel, I try to take a look to see what's new. Unfortunately TV hasn't improved much since I first started watching back in the late 50s. Nevertheless, there's the occasional gem boxed in between hours of drivel. |
Sadly, I was traveling during the December '06 holiday season when I stumbled upon ESPN's
morning spate of hunting programs. It was pretty sad stuff as it featured overfed, over
equipped high-tech hunters outnumbering deer, ducks, and other wildlife. And, I assume,
many of them were getting paid for it since this is TV, right?Anyway, I went to ESPN's website and filled out their email request form where they warned
me my words might be used publicly. Well, although they never bothered to write back I
thought I'd pay 'em off in their own coin and post my exact words incase they decided not
to do it themselves:
Dear ESPN;
I realize my email, through your website, will have virtually no impact on your operations or broadcasting schedule. Nevertheless, it's important that you know that many of us find your hunting programs inappropriate and out-of-step with modern thinking and decency standards. |
More TV Hunting... As I explained, earlier, I don't have any TV reception at home and can only watch it when I'm on business travel. On March 13, 2007 I was in southern Colorado, staying at one of my favorite hotels (I've earned "gold" status for having stayed with them so much...) when I tuned into the Outdoor Channel (channel 32) from about 08:45 to 09:15 I watched the following: |
The first segment, I believe, was the Easton Bowhunting TV Adventure where they were shooting white-tailed deer in Kansas. Apparantly you can never have enough technology when hunting deer. In this case they talked about using some kind of "Stealth cam" to locate the "big ones." Anyway, after killing a deer the "hunter," I believe his name was Fred Eichler, lifted the animal's head by its rack and twisted it about for better TV angles. The hunter, while holding the dead animal's head, said, "I could not be more tickled with this beautiful buck."Okay, it's probably not much fun reading some poorly remembered dialogue but the point here was how senseless this particular killing episode was. I just sat there amazed, in my hotel room, watching these guys gloat over the killing of deer and then reminding us how beautiful and magnificent animals they were! What could be more strange and twisted??Later in the program the TV commentator said something like, "Fred makes the perfect shot and the deer falls within site." I think Fred then says, "Oh my god, oh..." "This is a 200 pound deer, it's huge, look at the head on it, it's like a horse!" I don't hear very well but believe the TV commentator then said something like, "The 2nd deer rounds out a great adventure and memories that won't be forgotten." The program ends with an advertisement about Fred's next adventure where he shoots pheasants right out of the air with his bow and arrow...
Anyway, there was then a program break, somewhere at the top of the hour, where they advertised "Bad Boy Buggies" - an Off Road Vehicle where "They'll never hear you coming..." Oh great, as if we don't already have enough expensive gear to help us kill animals we now need ORVs that allow us to sneak in even closer...
The next program, just after the hour, featured Al Morris and his 15 year old daughter Alicia on her first turkey hunt in southern Utah. I think the name of this program was Hunter's Specialties Outdoors but am not completely sure as all the programming seemed to be either paid advertising or at least overlapping with the commercials and other propaganda.
Both Alicia and her father were wearing full camo gear with face masks - they kind of looked like wilderness bank robbers but I guess the idea is to blend in with the shrubbery to ensure even closer contact with the wildlife. Anyway, after Alicia kills her first turkey, using some kind of rifle or shotgun on a monopod, her fathers exclaims, "Oh, baby girl, good job, way to go, smoking!" [there's laughter as the turkey lies dead there in the dirt before them]. Then the father says, for the benefit of the TV cameras, "Oh, what a beautiful bird! Was that cool when he came up and strutted for you?" [The father manually fans the dead birds tail as if imitating life itself...] The father ends with, "Look at that, look how pretty!"
Again, the point here is that TV glorifies the killing of these beautiful creatures with all kinds of high-tech gear and clothing while the hunters, themselves, marvel at the beauty and wonder of the animals they've killed. My point, of course, is why not leave the animals alone and let them live where they can be watched and admired in real life? I really believe all living creatures have intrinsic value unto themselves and don't need to justify their existence by providing pleasure or entertainment for humans.
When I returned home I went to Easton Bowhunting's website where
they advertise, "We appreciate your comments and suggestions." So,
I took them up on their offer and filled out the email box:
March 21, 2007
Dear Sirs, Since I have no TV reception, at home, I can only watch programming like yours when I'm on the road for business travel. On March 13th I was able to watch channel 32, "The Outdoor Channel," while traveling through southern Colorado. I can't tell you how disappointed I was to see Fred Eichler killing deer, in Kansas, while emphasizing how beautiful these animals were! I vote that Fred stop killing such creatures and your show place a lot less emphasis on the recreational killing of animals. Sincerely,
Roger J. Wendell |
Never did hear back from them, either...
One more TV try!!
Did Mr. Childress or his staff ever bother to write me back? Nope!
A meat eater takes aim at hunting: (posted here with permission!) 04-25-2007 |
Hi Roger,Love the website! Keep up the good work.
I thought I'd share a thought with you about recreational, or 'sport' hunting, and meat in general. I apologise for the length of this 'rant.' It's just that I don't often find someone with similar attitudes to my own. It is possible I got a bit carried away...
I would never deny my growing, 15 year old son the kind of high-quality, complete protein that meat provides. HOWEVER, that does NOT mean that I sanction the suffering of any animal, just so my son can grow up healthy. I only buy meat from sources that employ painless slaughter techniques and humane husbandry. For example, I will not buy kosher meat because the slaughter practices are painful and terrifying for the animal. Nor will I purchase any meat product from a facility that does not adequately pre-stun the animal with electricity; no captive bolts, no lazy techniques. Further, I will not eat, nor allow my son to eat wild game, because of the suffering the critters endure at the hands of testosterone-poisoned boneheads with high-powered rifles and telescopic sites.
I agree with you fully that hunting is a form of 'unnatural selection,' since the biggest and healthiest animals are permanently removed from the gene pool. The temporarily territorial nature of all deer species, (except caribou) during the rut is greatly disrupted also, resulting in does breeding with less than ideal males. Additionally, there is the physical effects of being hit by a hunter's bullet, to whit:
When a bullet from a high-powered rifle hits the target animal, a deer for example, bullet and bone fragments tear through the thoracic cavity at ballistic velocity, causing massive internal haemorrhage and severely disrupted respiration. Panicked, the deer rushes headlong to escape the pain and danger, only to fall from blood loss and blood filled lungs. In other words, the deer drowns on its own blood! Typically, several minutes elapse before the deer actually dies. Until that point, the deer experiences horrific pain and unequalled terror. -And if you think that's nasty, bow hunters cause their victims even more prolonged suffering.
Many hunters insist that the deer feel no pain; that there is some 'hydraulic shock' effect of being hit by a bullet that supersedes the pain response. ...BULLSHIT... There is no such thing as 'hydraulic shock,' and even if it were a real phenomenon, the deer would have to be hit with a Buick, not a bullet. I've been shot. It hurts, a LOT!
In my experience performing field research in Canada's magnificent North, I have had many run-ins with hunters. I have found that they ALL claim to be ethical, and I have found that NONE of them actually are! I have seen carcasses with just the head and cape missing. I have seen carcasses of belly-shot and mutilated deer the hunters could not be bothered tracking and finishing off. (Imagine the suffering that unfortunate animal endured!) I have seen countless 'camps' littered with garbage and liquor bottles. I have seen that hunters will shoot at absolutely anything that moves; bears, coyotes, raccoons, crows, ravens, rabbits, squirrels, badgers, even songbirds! I have listened to avid apologists defend their vicious hobby by insisting that they eat every part of the animal. I have listened to the very same hunters as they talk about throwing last year's kill out, to make room in the freezer for this year's victim. I have seen deer that took no fewer than 5 shots to kill. I have seen the very best that humanity has to offer in defence of hunting, and they have been found woefully wanting.
NO animal I or my son consume is allowed to have experienced such pain and torment. The meat we eat comes from animals sacrificed for our benefit, and although admittedly we do like the taste, we take absolutely NO pleasure in the death of that animal.
In short, it is my steadfast belief that killing is sometimes necessary. It should NEVER be fun!
Thanks Roger, for indulging me this way. I hope this finds you well and at peace.
Sincerely,
Stephanie Barnes
Calgary, Alberta
Australian Lesson
"I am an Australian and a gun owner (at least for now). I will probably never live in the United States, but earlier this year I joined the NRA for five years. Why did I join the NRA? Because I know that I am going to lose all my guns through further government confiscations and eventual prohibition of civilian ownership, and it will give me some comfort to think that at least there is one major western country where this most vital of individual civil liberties and rights is alive and well."
"Whilst Australia and the United States are very different places with different cultures, particularly with respect to firearms, 40 years ago Australian shooters would have laughed at the idea that in 2015 we would no longer be allowed to possess semi-automatic or pump-action rifles and shotguns, and that handgun ownership would be so restricted that only a few thousand of us would still own them. It looks as though lever-action shotguns will be banned in 2016. We, too, were once a frontier nation. "Governments will progressively introduce greater restrictions over time - they play the long game. You must learn a lesson from Australia: you must be ever-vigilant and fight to retain your rights and your guns." [Editor's emphasis]
Peter Fleming, Australia |
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