I hear too many people say that gun control efforts like handgun bans and limits on “assault weapons” have nothing to do with hunting. And many anti-gun efforts take great pains to make sure that hunters don’t feel like they’re threatened.

The problem, of course, is that anti-gunners work hard to divide and conquer. Once one segment of the shooting public has been defeated, it will be time to move on to the next.

In New Jersey, where the concept of “gun rights” is fading quickly, some activists have seen that it’s time for the next step:

Sport hunting should be illegal

A recent article on turkey hunting, described the sport as “addictive” and “fun.”

While we agree that spending time among wildlife and nature can be pleasurable, one does not have to include the violence of hunting for it to be a satisfying experience.

Indeed, the article also quoted turkey hunters saying that “I have called in birds and never squeezed the trigger.

The experience of calling them in was quite enough for me,” and “the quest is what really counts.”

For these hunters, it can be as beneficial to them as well as to the turkey if they took their next shots with a camera.

Hunting makes an unnecessary contribution to a world already plagued by too much violence and suffering.Wildlife and the outdoors can and should be experienced through activities such as camping, hiking and wildlife watching; ways to get close to nature without having to cause suffering and death.

Joe Miele
President
Committee to Abolish Sport Hunting
Maywood, N.J.

This was published in Mississippi’s Hattiesburg American.

Via Sebastian.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, March 26th, 2008 at 12:24 pm and is filed under Hunting. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.