March 18, 2009

I don't hunt

Originally published November 18, 2003

I now own a beautiful Winchester 30.06 rifle and 500 rounds of ammo. I have no idea what I am going to do with that rifle. I just wanted it, so I bought it. I'll probably never shoot anything more dangerous than an Osama Bin Laden paper target with it, but I'll bet you that I don't miss when I do.

I don't hunt. Here is why. Every year in Georgia, hunters shoot other hunters in the woods. They obviously were not raised the way I was. I had three Golden Rules pounded into my head from an early age:

1) If you can't see it, know exactly what you're shooting at and have a good shot, then DON'T SHOOT. (My father once confiscated my pellet rifle for two weeks because I was trying to kill a squirrel and I saw the tree-rat run into a bed of Spanish Moss. I shot into the moss and hoped to hit the squirrel. My dad saw me do that and asked, "Did you see what you were shooting at?" When I replied "No," he said, "Give me the gun." I did and he kept it for two weeks.)

2) Know where the bullet may go if you miss. Look BEHIND your target to see what happens back there if you send a round flying wild.

3) Don't ever point a gun unless you intend to shoot, don't ever put your finger on the trigger until you're READY to shoot and NEVER fire until you see the target.

Dumbfucks in the woods kill each other or wound each other every year during hunting season by firing into the bushes at a noise or doing other such stupid shit with guns. That crap gives every gun owner a bad reputation and I hate to see it happen. Guns are not toys, but they are not dangerous in the hands of a responsible owner.

I've held my beliefs for a long time and I don't believe that I'll ever change my mind. I just wish that more people learned to shoot the way I was taught to do. You THINK FIRST, then shoot. You can't take that bullet back once you pull the trigger. So, know what the fuck you're doing BEFORE you pull the trigger.

What is difficult to comprehend about that concept?