<p>I would be shocked and revolted if either of my kids ever wanted to go hunting since we’ve all been vegetarians for 16 years. It just seems like such a sad “sport.” But I would have to say I would prefer everyone to hunt their own meat versus buying factory-farmed animal products, though obviously that’s impractical and would turn the wilderness into a shooting range, etc… </p>
<p>What’s even worse are the places where you can go and shoot penned “wild” animals.</p>
<p>Best quote so far,
I basically agree with everyone! I hate the thought of hunting, have never touched a gun and I understand that I’m a hypocrite because I’m not a vegetarian.</p>
<p>But my father in law hunted as a young man – it was a matter of survival where he grew up. And I agree that hunters and fishermen are usually quite appreciative of the environment.</p>
<p>But if my son wanted to go hunting, I’d throw up all the arguments. I would also make a strong case that he should eat what he hunted – otherwise it just seems sick to me.</p>
<p>I’m on a catch-and-release program with insects in my house – I used to get irritated when the deer ate my hostas, but I could never kill one.</p>
<p>Our whole family is vegetarian, including my almost-20-year-old son who has never eaten meat. My wife and I have been vegetarians for over 25 years. I have never killed an animal in my life. But…</p>
<p>The main reason we are vegetatians is because of the way animals are raised and kept for slaughter. Not a nice life in most instances, most especially for veal. I also think that it’s a little hypocritical for someone to denounce hunting and then sit down for a big juicy steak. Others above are right. Killing an animal hunting is in some ways better than letting others do the slaughtering for you with a pen-raised animal. The wild animal at least had a much nicer life.</p>
<p>I grew up around guns and we kids frequently took rigles/shotguns into the woods just to shoot. We never aimed at animals, but rather cans, things floating down the stream, etc. I did come very very close to killing my best friend in an accidental discharge, so there is always an element of risk.</p>
<p>Congrats to all the other vegetarians around CC.</p>
<p>[Disclosure: To be completely honest, while my wife and son are true vegetarians, I occasionally eat fish. At least most of those are “in the wild” when they are caught.]</p>
<p>Wow, I’m an anti-gun pacifist raised as a Quaker, and I know a lot of perfectly nice people who hunt pretty regularly, and who are nice enough to give me venison on rare occasions (I mean, I have to actually ask, they don’t just leave Bambi on the doorstep).</p>
<p>Both my kids learned the basic of rifle handling and shooting at their summer camps. If they wanted to go on a hunting expedition, there’d certainly be a long lecture about gun safety and when to get the heck out of a situation–but I’d let them go. Seems to me rock concerts are a lot more dangerous.</p>
<p>Remember last year when I posted about my 13 yr. old being invited to a hunting birthday party where they were all running around shooting birds at the family’s farm? I found out they were serving beer to the kids, too! That’s the party I wouldn’t let my son go to, and the dad called and chewed me out and told me to loosen the apron strings!! I haven’t spoken to him since it happenned. Very awkward at school events but we’re from different planets, I think!</p>
<p>Could the antipathy shown by some here towards guns be a direct result of the liberal leanings here on CC? Ha! Liberals tend to loath the weapon, is it not true?</p>
<p>REL, be careful about the assumptions you make. I’m as conservative as they come, but that doesn’t make me like guns or hunting. Just because one tends to agree with a certain point of view in general, doesn’t mean one must accept every tenet without any disagreement.</p>
<p>Dke:
I can’t believe parents would be so irresponsible. Serving beer to 13 year olds with guns? Seriously? I’d report them to the authorities.</p>
<p>I’m not a liberal, but left of the edge of the known universe, a pacifist and a Quaker, and I have no problem with hunting (other than I think it is, for the most part, very unsporting.) If I had my way, though, every community would have a gun storage building, and there wouldn’t be any guns stored at home. Gun control, however, is a very different issue from hunting. (If someone wants to discuss gun control - I don’t - start another forum; please don’t gum up this one.)</p>
<p>I don’t like guns, but I have shot (grew up in Alaska( them at targets…and know basic gun safety, as should kids if they are even near any</p>
<p>Why did I have my Ds take gun safety classes, even though we don’t own any guns? Because some day, they may run across one, and should know what to do…</p>
<p>We did girl scouts for years, so we can all make a fire, we have taken red cross training, so we can do CPR…the likelyhood we will ever need these skills, not very high, but to have some basic concepts to not get hurt, and to help in the right way, priceless</p>
<p>My mother’s making me take gun lessons soon. We’re part of a club that has that, so she’s insisting I learn how to use a gun before I travel for extra safety, in case someone attacks me or something. But I won’t be carrying around a gun any time soon.</p>
<p>my Ds won’t either, but if ever in a situation where a gun is used, or around, or whatever, they won’t panic so much…ie, how to remove bullets from a weapon, put on the safety, etc…they actually didn’t hate the target practice stuff…its like learning how to turn off a car, put out a kitchen fire, and stop bleeding…some basics to get through a situation</p>
<p>I’ve always had this phobia of a gun backfiring. I’m not sure if that’s logical or not.</p>
<p>I dont hunt but my son does. He learned gun safety in Scouts and shooting ranges all with parent aged adults. I dont object to him hunting with older adults but would have a problem with him hunting with just a group of kids.</p>
<p>I <em>am</em> a liberal, but read my post above about playing with guns as a kid. I do have to admit, I do not own a gun except for a .22 caliber CO2 target pistol. I think we have enough comments to disprove the “liberal=anti-hunting, anti-gun” and “conservative=pro-hunting, pro-gun” stereotypes.</p>
<p>
Really? ;)</p>
<p>
Touche!!!</p>
<p>~berurah</p>
<p>Mini, who would guard the gun storage building? And how?</p>
<p>Personally, I’m all in favor of a generous interpretation of the right to bear arms… as long as we regulate the h*** out of the ammunition! How about unlimited guns and bullets only if you can account for the last one you used?</p>
<p>And then we can go after the bows and arrows, butcher knives, box cutters, irresponsible drivers, bathtubs (drownings you know, you can have shower however)…</p>
<p>Actually, bandit, I have an even greater aversion to big knives – they should definitely be locked up!</p>