Posted on 02/17/2003 5:43:46 AM PST by SJackson
"About the time that Daddy left to fight the big war/I saw my first pistol in the general store/In the general store, when I was thirteen/Thought it was the finest thing I ever had seen/So I asked if I could have one someday when I grew up/Mama dropped a dozen eggs, she really blew up/She really blew up and I didn't understand/Mama said the pistol is the Devil's right hand.''
Steve Earle's ''The Devil's Right Hand''
Ihunt. It's the most intense and rewarding thing I do in the outdoors.
To hunt, I own guns.
They are my most valued possessions.
When I was 13, Dad gave me the family .22 rifle as my most cherished Christmas gift. When I turned 18, my 12-gauge shotgun and my deer rifle were my first important life purchases.
The only thing I asked Dad to bequeath me in his will is an ancient, open-bore, single-shot, 12-gauge shotgun my Grandpa Bowman gave him as his first gun as a boy.
Guns come with meanings for me, come with stories and histories.
So I watch with more than passing interest when an anti-gun person such as Mayor Daley steps into the political arena with gun legislation.
The latest foray came Thursday.
My first thought was, "Oh, God, not again.''
Then I picked through the highlights.
As a hunter and human being, I agreed with almost all of them.
As hunters, we must learn to separate ourselves from the gun nuts, those who would oppose every firearm restriction. Otherwise, we'll be lumped in the crackpot pile.
*A ban on military-style, semi-automatic assault weapons. I absolutely agree. It should have been done years ago. The problem for hunters is the definition of assault rifles; otherwise, it in no way affects my right to own a shotgun or rifle for hunting.
*Restrict handgun purchases to one per person per month. For my money, you could ban handguns completely. That in no way affects my right to own a shotgun or rifle for hunting.
*Gun fingerprinting. I have no problem with that other than it is another governmental intrusion into our lives. It in no way affects my right to own a shotgun or rifle for hunting.
*Lengthening the waiting period for taking possession of a handgun from three days to 10. Hey, make it a month, a year, 10 years. It in no way affects my right to own a shotgun or rifle for hunting.
*Require annual background checks of those who hold Firearm Owners Identification Cards. I think that will be a logistical nightmare and should not be enacted for that reason. Otherwise, check all you want. It in no way affects my right to own a shotgun or rifle for hunting.
*Increase the cost of a FOID card. It annoys me. It will cost me. But it in no way affects my right to own a shotgun or rifle for hunting.
*Mandate background checks of people who buy firearms at gun shows. Absolutely. That should have been in place years ago. That in no way affects my right to own a shotgun or rifle for hunting.
*State licensing of gun dealers and a state database of gun information. Go ahead. I think it will be a logistical nightmare; otherwise, it in no way affects my right to own a shotgun or rifle for hunting.
*Increased penalty for secret compartments in vehicles for weapons. Throw the book at them. That in no way affects my right to own a shotgun or rifle for hunting.
Daley's proposals make sense. But then, I am a hunter who owns guns, not a gun nut. Guns don't mean more than life to me.
Dale Bowman can be reached at outdoordb@aol.com.
"Bowman's Outdoor Line'' is heard on "Outdoors with Mike Norris'' (3-4 p.m. Thursdays, 1280-AM).
I doubt that anything means more than life to this guy.
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I'm trying to separate the Illinois from 2nd amendment. If you'd like only one or the other, or on/off alltogether, FRmail me.
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It's probably unfair to accuse Mr. Bowman of not understanding the 2nd amendment, since it apparently doesn't enter into his analysis of Daley's proposals.
His portrayal of non-hunting shooters as "crackpots" is absurd, but unfortunatly widespread. He fails to realize they'll be coming for his firearms just as soon as they've solved the "assault rife" and handgun problems. You'll note he writes a column and does a radio show, he's probably worth well thought our E Mail.
I'm a hunter and I see no reason why others should not enjoy other shooting sports.It's not all about hunting you ignorant dweeb.In fact,I just purchased my first "assault rifle" this weekend.Had lots of fun shooting it,even though I wasn't "hunting" anything.Go figure.........
Bowman should realize Daley isn't about to allow weapons used for "nice" pursuits like hunting.
Shoot as fast as lightning, but he loads a mite slow ...
Loads a mite slow, loads a mite slow,
She'll get you into trouble that she can't get you out.
from the same song by Steve Earle.
The militia, of course, must have been all about keeping the bear population down.
What a nut.
Everybody knows that hunting is just practice for when we start using the 2nd amendment for why it was really written!
False Premise: The purpose of the Second Amendment is to protect the right to use a gun to hunt.
Truth: The purpose of the Second Amendment is to protect the right of the people to protect themselves from government.
And as soon as some RAT politician or UN commission says "you don't need to hunt", this clown will happily turn in his hunting rifle and shotgun (and bow, for good measure). And happily rat out his hunting buddies, too.
Typical liberal thought process: if I can't understand it, it must be made illegal.
I'm sure some of us are termed "gun nuts" based solely on the number of guns we own or wish to own. No doubt much of the loony left deems all who attend gun shows "gun nuts."
So be it. I invite those liberty-hating pieces of human debris to use every opportunity to differentiate me from the likes of them. They can call me whatever they like, as long as they don't call me one of their own.
Yeah, right.
Well, why not restrict shotgun or rifle purchase to one per person per month. For my money, you could ban shotguns/rifles completely. They're only made for slaughtering defenseless animals anyway. That in no way affects my right to own a handgun for protection.</sarcasm>
This guy's a complete dolt. Do you think he understands what he's saying?
C_E
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