Hunters need to separate themselves from gun nuts

Chicago Sun Times ^ | 2-17-03 | DALE BOWMAN

[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).

[brbethke]

Yeah, pretty much. Your stereotypical media image of a "gun nut" is an overweight, gap-toothed, knuckle-dragging slob with a gun in one hand, a six-pack of beer in the other, and a dead cow at his feet.

It gets a little old and is more than a little ironic, given the number of PhD's, MD's, and award-winning writers I know who also happen to enjoy owning and using firearms.

[Ches]

"I started to realize that Madison was not the town for me...."

Madison, WI?

I try to circumnavigate that town, being uncomfortable even on I90/94. I'm afraid the political correctness may attack me in my vehicle. Sometimes I just can't avoid it though. Hold my breath and drive by.

[Semaphore Heathcliffe]

a man of principle, no doubt.

[Rifleman]

This is the rifles vs panzer argument. Tanks are bullet proof, but politicians, who tell the tankers where to go are not.

Do some research on how wars of resistance are actually fought. Learn something about the subject, then your opinion will have some substance.

In any case, when the Resistance needs heavy weapons, they get them the same place that the GI's do, from the Supply Sargent. The paperwork is a bit different though.

[Lancey Howard]

The problem for this scumbag Democrat socialist, "Dale Bowman" is the same problem every other scumbag Democrat socialist in the country has - - that pesky Constitution of the United States with its Second Amendment, which of course has absolutely nothing to do with "hunting", and everything to do with.... keeping scumbag Democrat socialists like Bowman from acting out their fantasy of becoming oppressive tyrants.

[Rockpile]

Barney Fife couldn't get out of his vehicle. People would have then been able to see his urine drenched trousers from where he had pissed on himself in quivering fear at the sight of an eleven year old with a BB gun.

Just be glad he didn't go back and steal the kid's bike.

[Rifleman]

This guy is a classic.

It is also important to understand that, when used this way, the semantic content
of "gun nut" == "kike" == "nigger".

The terms mean pariah or subhuman. Whenever someone uses these terms one can hear the clank of the shackles, the crack of the truncheon and smell the faint stink of the crematoria drifting on the wind.

[Ches]

"The terms mean pariah or subhuman."

First they villify us, then they disarm us, then they enslave us and ultimately fry us.

[cbkaty]

Barney Fife couldn't get out of his vehicle. People would have then been able to see his urine drenched trousers from where he had pissed on himself in quivering fear at the sight of an eleven year old with a BB gun. NOW THAT'S A REPLY I CAN MEMORIZE!

[brbethke]

I was expecting that to be the punchline to this story: that you went back and found that Officer Nervous had impounded your son's "getaway vehicle."

[Double Tap]

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.

Yep, that is just what the anti's have been doing for a good part of the last century. Seperate and demonize. This maroon fell for it hook, line and sinker. But what can you expect from Chicago.

[GraniteStateConservative]

Do some research on wars of resistance against the U.S.-- that's all that matters. I support the RTKBA, but to suggest that freedom fighters for that cause would meet a fate other than complete destruction is silly. You have no idea what kind of sh!t the military would unleash in the event of an armed resistance of RTKBA'ers. Are you going to hold people hostage and become terrorists? You would meet a losing fate worse than the Jews against the Nazis. Tens of millions of Americans would be snitching on your every movement at every opportunity. The government would put million-dollar ransoms on your head. The treasury would be opened up, sparing no expense, in destroying your resistance movement. We have so many more options than any other government-- ever-- that it's laughable to compare a resistance movements' successes elsewhere with those in the U.S.

Panzers would be the least of your worries. And if you don't think the Pentagon has these anti-civil disobedience weapons ready to roll right this second and at a moment's notice, you're wrong.

And buying weapons from the North Koreans or paying off supply sergeants won't get you enough firepower to hang with the Pentagon.

[brbethke]

There used to be some nice restaurants on State Street. My memories of that town are not altogether unpleasant.

Of course, I also have fond memories of my old neighborhood in Los Angeles, and I wouldn't go back there on a bet -- at least, not in anything short of a Bradley.

[Rockpile]

http://joebowman_texas.tripod.com/testimonials.html

Since this thread mentions "Bowman","Red Ryder",and Harris County check out this page, specifically "Lobue".

Joe Bowman is The Straight Shooter. He's the anti-Dale.

[Ches]

"not in anything short of a Bradley."

In Madison today you might be safe in a Swedish car with a Queer Nation bumper sticker.

[Rockpile]

What does this doofus do for a living? I'd guess that he's a urinalist.

[Double Tap]

Yeah, sure, right. They were so effective at catching that sniper in DC. If just a third of the gun owners stood up, the military and the government wouldn't have a clue what to do.

And that is not counting the fact that a percentage of the military would not fight against the civilian population.

[ez]

How exactly is an assault rifle going to protect you from the kind of weapons the DOD has? We could drop a smart bomb on you while you pick up your newspaper from the lawn.

What do you recommend I buy to protect me from a smart bomb? A single militiaman cannot counter the dedicated force of a state. Only in vast numbers does the value of the militia materialize.

The 2A is clearly written to arm the militia.

[brbethke]

A Volvo? But I thought the Subaru Forester was the Official Petroleum-Squandering But Regrettably Necessary Motor Vehicle of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transexual, transgender, and just plain confused persons everywhere. At least, I don't think I've ever seen one that did *not* have a rainbow "diversity" sticker on it somewhere.

[Ches]

"not in anything short of a Bradley."

During the Bubba regime the eldest son of a friend of mine got a medical discharge for refusing to don the blue helmet. He indicated those not willing to were weeded out swiftly. Is anyone aware if the situation has improved under the Bush administration?