> Your email seems like a considered argument, but I'd like to point out a
> couple of flaws. First, the reason hunters predominately shoot
> other hunters
> is that they are in the woods. The reason the rest of the
> population doesn't
> get shot in hunting accidents is because they are in downtown
> Denver. Since
> we live in the woods, we are much more likely to get shot than the general
> population.
Paul,
I understand what you're saying. It does seem to
be based more on emotion than facts. You argue that because
we live in the woods, we're "more likely to get shot". I'd
be curious to hear about the last non-hunter shot in a
hunting accident in Colorado. I suspect it's very rare.
In 20 years, the number of addresses that get mail delivery
on Magnolia has only increased 10%, and I don't recall anyone
being shot by a hunter on Magnolia. The risk of being shot
if you're a hunter in Colorado is very low to begin with.
Even if it were as great for us as for hunters, it's still
very, very low.
> My other point is that this is not an all or nothing solution.
Unfortunately, any limits that would be large enough to
be effective would eliminate hunting.
> While I am not a fan of hunting per se, I do agree that there may be some
> benefits. However, I think that it is criminal that during the best hiking
> weather of the year, the woods are full of "characters" with high powered
> rifles. I would like hunting season to be set up with a minimum of one day
> per week and one long weekend per month that are hunter free. In this way,
> the rest of us can enjoy some time in the woods without the risk
> of getting
> shot.
This is where you show your emotional reaction to hunting. Hunters are
"characters"? Hunters are very typical of the population, as a whole,
with the exception that they tend to be more responsible, having jobs,
expensive rifles, taking the classes and buying licenses, etc.
Again, you refer to the "risk of getting shot". What exactly is
that risk? The numbers that I presented earlier showed that the risk
was exceedingly small, and even if you think we're as likely
as a hunter to be shot, they're still exceedingly small.
I've walked through the forest, often with my dogs, almost every
day for twenty years. I've never felt the least bit threatened by
hunters in that time, and I've never changed my plans, or picked
a different trail because it was hunting season. Maybe I'm just
lucky, but I doubt it.
John
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