Bushy! How are you doing?
Retirement: Six Saturdays and one Sunday.
Handloader: Well said! Every hunter or gun owner is an individual, and as such, has his opinion, right or wrong.
Some are beginners, never having had the benefit of armed forces weapons training, or hunter education, and just don't know better. We do all we can to correct them, and show them the right way, especially where safety is an issue. As you said, some "know it all", and don't want to hear it. like the old guy that was pointing the Glock at my belly button in a local gun store.
Both he and the clerk were surprised when I ordered him to stop pointing it at me. I thought I was rather polite and restrained, under the circumstances. I didn' t care if he agreed, or understood. He was to stop that NOW!
Others develop the interest in guns , and pass through several phases, until they know enough to pass on their knowledge to others. Hopefully, by the time they do that, they will have studied and learned enough so their advice will be, at the worst, harmless. That's not always the case, though.
Then there are the scary ones, who are opinionated, and know just enough to be dangerous, and unfortunately, some have gravitated to law enforcement. They epitomize the suposedly Arabic saying: "He who knows and does not what he knows, is a fool; shun him".
I was at our public range one day, when a police department was doing training on half of the range. They wanted to kick everybody else off, but range personnel told no, it was a public range. I observed some very unsafe practices from a couple of the officers. They did not wish to take instructions.
In contrast, there was a fellow and his girl at the range the same day, and she had not shot much. We were all interested in how she ws doing, when she said, very excited, "I hit it right in the middle!" We asked what gun she was using, and she pointed and said "The black one." Wellll...O.K. : looked like a Glock to me.
Then her fellow handed her the AR 15. I had never seen it happen before, but she cuddled up to that rifle, took a shot to be sure it wouldn't bite, then proceeded to knock the center out of the target. She handed the rifle back to her friend with a great big smile. A new fan had been created.
I had a co-worker, who is the office stool pigeon, who owns quite a selection of weapons. He has a loose concept of safety, and an inflated sense of his own importance. His sighting in consists of getting a round or two to "cut paper".
He becomes really upset when someone attempts to correct an attack of the stupids.
There are the loudmouths, who unfortunately get more press than the large majority of responsible gun owners and hunters.
Responsible hunters and gun owners don't get much press, because they (we) aren't exciting enough. That's why the anti-hunters can get good press, because they only have to taunt one peckerwood till he retaliates, and BOOM! front page stuff!
If the gun/hunting question could be debated with facts and logic on both sides, it would cease to be an issue in about 15 seconds, but our society, particularly the young, are not taught clear, logical thinking. Slogans replace facts, and feelings replace facts and logic. Pereception becomes reality. (You're going to shoot BAMBI?)
But, we have to keep trying. If we do not become educated and active, and force our elected representatives to do OUR will, there will be grave consequences for the entire nation. There are too many lazy and uncaring people who will not concern themselves with the dangers to our way of life.
Example: How many forum are members of the National Rifle Association? Why not? That organization is the main reason that we still are able to own weapons, hunt and shoot. It only costs $35 a year, and for the young studs and studdettes, a life membership will save money over the long run.
Personally, I find the publications BORING, but will continue to renew my membership, if only to resist those who would turn the USA into another socialist country, like Germany, France, Cuba, (remember Eliaan Gonzales, and the shameful photo of the guy with an MP 5 taking him away from his relatives, by order of the U.S. Attorney General?) and Russia.
We have just witnessed what apathy, lack of knowledge, and a biased media have wrought.