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My dad was a fisherman and a hunter. I have some wonderful
memories of pheasant hunting with him. When I was too small
to legally carry a shotgun, mother went with us. She didn't
ever fire a gun that I remember, but the extra license meant
more birds for dinner.
We also hunted partridge with a English Setter who on one
occasion remembered where the car was when dad didn't. We
got lost.
Then there were ducks. If the weather turned out to be "a
butterfly day" instead of overcast or crummy which ducks
seem to prefer, we would fish for huge yellow perch, so we
ended up with a great day regardless. Dad had a small 16
foot boat which served as either a portable duck blind or
a fishing boat. Good times. And to no small amount those
experiences helped to make me who I am today.
My first husband wasn't much of a hunter, although we did
hunt rabbits with a friend who had great beagles. For an
army man, he wasn't much of a shot 'tho. The dogs ran the
rabbits past him twice and he didn't shoot either time.
After that the dogs took the rabbit in a different direction.
They figure things out quite well.
After Jim and I were married and moved to Montana, hunting
changed. It really wasn't hunting as much as it was procuring.
The hunter-gatherer thing. We killed deer, elk and antelope
for the freezer. I will probably never live down shooting
a spike bull instead of a trophy because I knew it would eat
better.
Jim's decoys made the move to Montana too. Not so much
because we knew there were a lot of ducks, but because
the decoys were old and he couldn't bare to part with them.
We hadn't heard of the Pacific Flyway at that time (well
maybe heard about, but not known) so we were amazed to find
better duck hunting than we had in Michigan. So good in
fact that it really spoiled the "hunt."
Unfortunately kids today don't have as many opportunities
as those of us who are older had. Parents don't seem to be
'into' hunting, and access isn't as easy either. And to be
blunt, the anti-hunting people have negatively influenced
the acceptance of any of the hunting sports. That really
is a shame, but perhaps the tide is turning.
I watched a television program the other night where Ted
Nugent was taking city people to his ranch and introducing
them, as part of a reality game, to 'roughing it.' Quite
entertaining to say the least. Ted Nugent is very vocal
about his feeling on guns and gun control, and not afraid
to go against what the media says.
The problem with the media is they don't necessarily tell
the truth. If they tell one side of a story, and their
'facts' are not facts but fiction, is it lying? Their agenda
is so important it seems alright to them to say anything to
implement it. They no longer have any line between truth
and fiction because their goals are so important.
Every time some misguided kid takes a gun to school, (the
latest was a pellet gun which looked so real the cops didn't
know the difference and the kid was shot) the media comes
out with another big deal on gun control.
Usually Great Britain is at least one of the examples held
up for everyone to see.
"See how civilized they are?"
"See how superior they are?"
"They put strict gun control into effect and took everyone's guns!"
And even though the folks who wanted to keep their guns told
the 'experts' that "when citizens didn't have guns the only
people who would have them was criminals." Of course they were
were right, and here is the proof:
Since the British Firearms Act of 1997 armed crime has been
on the rise. The London Times published a story on January
16th, 1998 that sums up the situation rather well. The headline
reads, "Killings Rise As 3 Million Illegal Guns Flood Britain."
The story goes on to say, "Armed crime rose 10% in 1998 and
the numbers for 1999 may be even more dramatic." During the
first seven months of 2001, armed robberies in London rose by
53 percent.
In a USA Today story on August 6, 2001 reporter Ellen
Hale wrote, "Guns increasingly the weapon of choice of criminals
across Britain....criminal use of handguns in Britain had
increased almost 40% in three years."
Would you believe that by the end of 2002, the crime rates
in Britain actually exceeded those in the US for robbery,
assault, burglary and were quickly rising to match the
rate of murder and rape. Not percentages, actual numbers.
Wait! There's more. Compare the size of England to the
whole United States.
What's wrong with that picture?
And even more, why don't we hear those numbers and facts?
For those who feel I am biased, yes I am. We have the right
to bear arms in this country, and I'm proud to say I have
and do. I am currently licensed to carry a concealed weapon
and have been for many years.
While I haven't hunted with a gun in a number of years, I know I can
if I chose. And I know I can protect myself and my household
should I need to. By the way, did you know the largest number
of concealed weapons permits, (including Washington state -
one of the most liberal states) are held by women?
I fear the culture of our country is being wrongly influenced
by people who intentionally lie. Not mislead or unintentionally
misinform. The word is lie.
Think I'm just making this all up? Go to www.google.com and type
in British Gun Control and start reading for yourself.
It's all there. The facts are ugly.
For the folks who still love fine guns and dogs to hunt with,
your days are numbered if the anti-gun people get their way.
To the parents who think they are 'protecting' their children
by encouraging gun control, you best do some reading on
www.google.com too. The numbers on violent youth crime in Britian
are astounding.
To those who have never had the experience of hunting, or look
down their noses at those who do, you've missed an important
part of the American experience. You are in no position to
judge those who hunt or wish to own guns.
The facts, real facts are in. Gun control doesn't work.
Now, I'm going to make some plans to pack for a fly-fishing trip.
Gives a whole new meaning to "packing," right? ~ The LadyFisher
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