Hunting is controversial. To say otherwise would be ignoring the years of pro and anti-hunting arguments that have been part of America since hunting was no longer necessary for survival (hooray for supermarkets). One of the strongest draws towards hunting, and also one of the arguments used to promote that it’s ok and should be allowed, is that it is a connection to our past and keeps us humble and connected to our roots. Hunting is supposed to be sporting, a competition of man versus beast in the classic predator versus prey genre that has ruled human existence for so long.
Now, it seems as though there is legislation that is going to take all the sport out of hunting and turn it more into a massacre than a sport. As a hunter, I feel as though semi-automatic weapons have no place when it comes to hunting and taking the life of a creature. Modern guns and bows have already placed the advantage in our hands and, quite frankly, I feel as though if you need a semi-automatic rifle to hunt then you probably shouldn’t be hunting in the first place. Hunting needs to be difficult so that you can properly appreciate the game that you are tracking. There is no sport and no pride in using a weapon that lets you line up and take shots as fast as you can pull the trigger. Hunting should be a one shot, one kill sport where bolt-action and hunting rifles are the norm.
The current legislation in Pennsylvania is poised to get rid of the last ban on semi-automatics in hunting in the country. While I understand that this is an issue of freedom and personal choice, I feel as though there is a moral issue at stake. If hunting becomes even easier, people will begin to see it as a game and we will lose all respect for the lives that we end up taking. Instead of putting time and effort into tracking and making sure the animal dies swiftly, people will become careless and simply pump it full of lead until it dies. This does a great disservice to both the animal who has died as well as to the person who has shown it so little respect.
If you’d like to read more, the link is here.
from Finbar O’Neill’s Hunting Website http://ift.tt/1TrrrP5
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