The great gun divide
Bane on hunters v. shooters:
I believe the hunting and shooting markets, long considered a single entity, have been diverging, which would be no big deal except that the firearms industry has 100% allied itself with the hunting side of the market to the exclusion of the shooters. As the markets have diverged, so have the things in our best interest split. In some cases, those interests are in direct conflict; for example increasing hunting access versus building shooting ranges. More troubling is the fact that the hunting side of the industry focuses on traditional hunting arm, rifles and shotguns, while the shooting side of the industry is overwhelming interested in self-defense handguns, “black” rifles and competition firearms.
Or, as I like to call it, Me v. The Fudds.
October 20th, 2006 at 9:35 am
If the industry aligns themselves with hunters they are comitting suicide, becuse in my experience hunters are next to useless in fighting the gun control movement. We have a million hunting licenses issued in Pennsylvania, and a quarter million NRA members. It’s probably safe to assume a signficant portion of those NRA members are shooters.
October 20th, 2006 at 9:47 am
Perhaps it’s different here in Utah, but I don’t see any split between the two. From my perspective, the Great Hunter vs. Shooter War is a myth the Media has been peddling for the past two decades in order to encourage Democrats to support more gun control. The reality is quite different, and politicians who think hunters will stand idly by when they go after shooters are usually disappointed (see Elections, Congressional, 1994).
Most hunters are shooters, and the only split that I can see is between the average gun owners and the hard-core, Repeal-the-NFA-Immediately-or-We’ll-Never-Vote-Republican-Again fringe, who alienate as many gun owners as they do average citizens.
October 20th, 2006 at 10:01 am
I have often noted the dichotomy, and one club I belong to has apparently had this kind of internal dynamic.
Nonetheless, I think that the manufacturers have been pretty responsive to both market components.
There is more selection at all price points in the 1911 than I have $ to
spend, I mean invest in, and there seems to be a strong cottage industry in the black rifle area as well.I have truly enjoyed what little hunting I have done, and I hope to do a lot more, but the “tactical” firearms sure are more fun to shoot.
October 20th, 2006 at 10:19 am
[…] Minutes ago, I talked about the divide between hunters and shooters. Maybe this will wake the hunters up: Installing more metal detectors and locking school doors is all well and good, but it’s not enough. Unless our leaders also examine the hunting culture in rural America—where most mass school shootings take place—and its role in these disturbing incidents, little will change. […]
October 20th, 2006 at 12:45 pm
As I’ve said to customers before when asked “Do you have a Blastomatic 12ga Turkey Special 3.5″ in camo finish?”
“Do you see any Mossy Oak hanging on these walls?”