Saturday, January 26, 2013

Fair 'law', play on words intended


In hunting live game with sighthounds, called open field hunting or coursing, as distinct from hunting over gun dogs, there are strict rules about how much of a head start dogs are given, termed 'law', dating back to medieval rules, and further to the hunting in the classical era recorded in the writings of the ancient Greeks, like Xenophon and Arrian.  I can't tell if these are Spanish Galgos or greyhounds in the video, or what variety of rabbit or hare they are pursuing, the focus is too grainy, but in other more traditional versions of this kind of hunting, the dogs are on the home turf of the prey making it easier for them to evade or go to ground over much wilder and rougher terrain. The prey usually gets away, hare or in the U.S., jack rabbits, or occasionally coyotes are chased, and the handlers are on foot, making it a very athletic version of the sport.  Relatively rarely does a dog catch the prey, they are scored on how close they get, their speed, and if they can take control of the chase, turning the prey, sometimes called pushing the prey to maneuver it into a possible 'take' or catch. And of course, when chasing coyotes, there are always risks from the prey turning on the hounds.  It is not unusual to see a jack rabbit or a fit hare teasing and playing with the hounds, until the dogs are tired, and then take off leaving them in the dust. Unlike duck hunting, the prey has 'weapons' as well - teeth in the case of coyotes, and hare are known to flip on their back using their powerful hindlegs and strong feet to disembowl a dog. Hunting prey that can only try to escape is less challenging than hunting prey that can hold their own and defend themselves.

That puts the cartoon below, and the video below, in a different context.

Other versions involve hunting with hound and hawks or falcons, depending on where the hunter is in the world. Other kinds of hunting have similar rules, like not shining deer, or luring game with food, etc. In other words, effort AND skill, and even a certain amount of luck are involved, but also following rules and regulation that plays fair with the game is is what makes hunting a sport.

This isn't sport for duck hunting. The AR-15 below is not a fair sporting weapon for hunting either, when used like this, which a shooter can easily do. And I would argue this is not suitable for 'home defense' shooting either.

The way this Bushmaster AR-15 was fired is the same way that the children in the Sandy Hook school were shot with this same model weapon, rapid fire of multiple bullets into their bodies, liquefying their internal organs, shooting away some body parts entirely.  This is the same type of weapon, with spray fire, that is being used against law enforcement, not burglars and home invaders.

I'm not suggesting treating firing in home defense against a burglar like hunting, but I am suggesting that each activity has reasonable guidelines for what action is taken and what weapons are used.  The reality is that most victims of gun violence are either the gun owner or a family or friend using it on themselves or other people they know, family, friends, or they fall into the hands of minors. These are not appropriate civilian weapons any more than a tank is.

It is time our Law reflected the concept of 'law', both in hunting and home defense. It is time to ban semi-automatic weapons that can bump fire or be altered to full auto fire.

1 comment:

  1. I have some beers with a guy who works at the local Walmart (his real job is teaching PhysEd at one of the area Cath-O-Lick schools) in the sporting goods dept. He is qun guy. He's been hunting since he was old enough to be taught responsibility with a firearm. If he owns a handgun, he's not interested in disclosing that fact--fine with me.

    Last evening I mentioned what Joe Biden had said about getting a shotgun if you want something for home defense. His reply was that many people can't handle a shotgun. Mine was that MANY people can't handle ANY gun.

    I also told him that the route many people that want "home defense" weapons take--going to the local Gunz'r'Us and having someone show them how to load a weapon, point and shoot is NOT firearms training. What is being demonstrated is selling technique.

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