So if you were running for president, that’s what you’d say! That’s a no-brainer, and there’d be lots of people at the field to say you were there, when reporters or FReepers showed up to do due diligence on your assertion that you were a regular skeet shooter.
You would not say it was your shotgun, would not claim to be a duck hunter or highpower competitor, you’d tell the truth and you’d never have to explain that you were not in fact a gun owner or hunter. You would not have to say that you often hunted rodents in states that did not require a rodent hunting license, and then clam up as to where and when and with who or with what firearm. You are honest. That’s an admirable trait!
What it boils down to is that many people, myself included, doubt that Mitt took time off from saving the Olympics or running Bain Capitol or as Governor Of Massachusetts to go somewhere where he didn’t need a license or permit with a borrowed gun to go rodent hunting often and apparently alone. If he did, then fine, show me.
Even Hillary Clinton was able to come up with specifics as to where, when, and with whom she went duck hunting, what gun she used and what she shot. John Kerry waved shotguns around at every chance, went goose and pheasant hunting as part of his campaign, and had loads of people talk about hunting with him.
In the real world, however, when talking about shooting sports, most people speak casually and don't act as if they are under oath.
This attempt to parse every detail of what's said in a casual statement is, fankly, a big waste of time.