Do you think that all American Hunters - especially Deer Hunters should have to take lessons in how to aim and

Question

shoot a gun before they receive their Hunting license?

Do they really have to use automatic machine guns like the AK47 to hunt Deer??????????

Answer 1

Hunter safety courses are mandatory in many states and I think they are great. They really make a difference. But as far as the 2nd part of your question, I would have to say you are mis-informed. An AK 47 that is fully automatic can not legally be used for hunting and can only be owned under the strictest of guidelines by qualified owners. A semi-automatic version is available to hunters but with a 5 round magazine. i don't understand why you would be opposed to that model since you seem concerned about hunters hitting their targets, they are lightweight, accurate and the caliber is comparable to the 30-30 round in ballistics. Being a semi-auto it puts more shots on a target which is a huge plus when shooting at a running object such as a deer. Personally, I would prefer seeing a hunter use it as compared to a 30-30 since it needs no levering to chamber another round which may cause a hunter to misss and risk injuring an animal. If you really want to prevent animal suffering, support a ban on Bow hunting. Ever see what a mis-placed arrow does to a whitetail? It's cruel and inhumane to say the least.

Answer 2

First the ar-15 was a civilian gun before military. Therefore not designed to kill en masse. It is not legal to hunt deer with a machine gun. The ar-15 is has superb accuracy. That is why it is used to shoot prairie dogs.

There were rifles at the time of the signing of the constitution. Most hunting was done with rifles not muskets. That is besides the point the founders did not write the second amendment for hunters. It was to prevent a tyrannical government. Read the federalist papers.

9/11 was done with box cutters not rifles.

Ar-15 came before the m-16

Those of you using the phrase assault rifle. Can you define the term?

Some of you are confidently ignorant. Really I think if you study the issue you will decide that civilians owning arms reduces genocides (for examples look up deacons of defense and who stopped the Rawanda massacre, it wasn't the U.N.) and crime. Look at what has happened to violent crime in Britain since the gun bans look at what happened to the amount of gun crime in Britain since the gun bans. Also look at Lott's study or the study by the CDC. I have really delved into this data. What I have found is that Brady campaign and others are very likely to lie and the NRA, GOA are not.

Lies work only so long as people don't find out the truth

Answer 3

I have not done a survey state-by-state, but in ND, OH, PA, MT, and i think the other half-dozen states I have lived in, lessons of some sort are required. They are usually based on the NRA hunter safetey course and are fairly rigorous.
The average motorist is more dangerous.
Hunting season comes once a year, lasts for a short period of time. Road rage season lasts all year.
It is illegal to use a fully automatic "machine gun" to hunt deer, and if there are any cases where someone has done so, it is a rare act indeed.
Semi-automatic Kalashnikov-based rifles are good for deer, but lack the accuracy at longer range. I would not use one for Mule deer or for shots over 200 yard on White tail.
"It is better to be silent and be thought a fool than to speak and remove all doubt."

Answer 4

At this point, most states require a hunter's safety course be taken by people born after the 1970's or 1980's (depending on the state) unless you are military or former military.

I have no idea if all courses require live fire training, but I know the one I took (Wisconsin) back in 1986 or do did, but it wasn't enough to show any level of competence (we got 5 shots with a shotgun at a clay pigeon and about 5 shots with a 22 rimfire at stationary targets).

Should a hunter be required to show a level of competence? It would be nice. Personally, I think the state governments should open up a bunch of free shooting ranges so people can practice, but the only state I know of that has done that is Alaska (and I only know if the one in Juneau, I have no idea if there is more). In a perfect world, I think a hunter should have to show proof of having their weapon of choice sighted in each season to get a license or tag.

However, we are not in fantesy land. Shooting ranges cost money to operate and maintain and no one has the time to verify if millions upon millions of hunters went to the range every year. Still, I have spent enough time in the woods to know to be weary of the other hunters. I often wonder if they can hit it in the first shot, what makes them think they'll hit it with shot 7.

As for the AK-47, it is very difficult to even possess a full-auto weapon in America (requires a special license, ATF approval, and random searches of your home to ensure proper security measures). Every state I have hunted in outright bans hunting with full-auto weapons. As for the cartridge that most semi-auto AKs use, the 7.62x39mm, there is nothing wrong with the cartridge for hunting. It would be far from my first choice, but it would work for shorter range hunting up to deer sized game.

Answer 5

In many states they have to get a hunting safety course certificate before getting a hunting license. This is the case in NC for hunters who did not have a license prior to 1990 or so. The course does not teach you how to aim with an actual gun, but you do learn the importance of watching your background and basics of safely hunting and handling a weapon. I believe the course may also cover appropriate calibers and weapons for game.

First of all, the "AK-47" rifles that 99.9% of civilians have are semi-auto (not automatic machine guns) and many only look like AK-47s. The AK-47 round is a 7.62x39 in most guns. It is not a preferred round for hunting, but is okay for some game.

Answer 6

Yes, I agree with the hunters safety course.
An AK-47 would not be my firearm of choice when deerhunting. I prefer a 30-06 or a 30-30

Answer 7

woah woah woah buddy. ever hear of hunters education courses? ever hear of responsible people who go to the range and learn how to shoot before they even think about going hunting? ak47's can be used as a hunting rifle yes but its not on full auto. your hunting for meat and sport not just for killing's sake. your not going out there and spraying bullets. you try and kill your prey quickly so they don't have to suffer and you can find it after it dies. thats the point in hunting.

Answer 8

so mr NRA activist (aka american citizen)...tell me why do you hunt PRAIRE DOGS with Assualt Rifles and got an outdoor network host thrown off the air for commenting against it?

The constitution written back in 17whatever was designed for the hunters using smooth bore single shot rifles our Founding fathers coudn't even IMAGINE a gun that will shoot more than three shots in a minute.

Now here we are shooting at little gophers with assualt rifles whoes original purpose was one thing and only thing only. KILL EN MAASE! There is a REASON bozo why assualt weapons are banned. I'll even give you two....COLUMBINE and 9/11.

yea yea yea guns don't kill people do, driving your car 100mph on the road is just as dangerous so why don't you use land mines to trp your quarry or even better go fishing with HANDGRENADES?????

oh and by the way while the ak-47 is a commie gun and is hard to get (at leats in the US anyway) that is probably the best overall assualt rifle out there. the M-16 gave way to the AR-15 which was a much improvement over the M-16 but that isn't as hard to get as you think.

the ar-15 was NEVER intended for civilian use it replaced a popular rifle ar-10 in the 50's. I'll conceed the M-16 phase in but the ar-15 is better.

Oh Assualt Rifle=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assault_rifle nice try.

Answer 9

Let's stop with all the laws! We are law happy in our country. If people would just act civilized we could keep the politicians and the government out of lives.

First off the you sound like a gun control advocate. For the record I believe in the 2nd amendment whole heartedly. Citizens should have a right to personal self defense and the defense of their family. Please read your history about countries who instated gun control on their citizens. Stalin. Hitler, and others used the same arguments as we hear today for gun control. Gun conrol has always been a key component of socilism and fascism. I will always beware of the government who doesn't want its citizens to have the ability to defend itself.

We wouldn't need all of these laws if people acted responsibly and those that didn't would receive the justice that the laws state. However, the legal system has failed us. Just look at the criminals that get to walk or get out early for negligent and ruthless behavior (not just with guns). The root problem of violent crimes is not the gun but the person.

Obviously your concern is about saftey, as it should be. Guns can be dangerous like many other things and should be treated with respect and discretion. (cars should too but people drive like maniacs without a second thought. Do you ever speed in that 1,000 lb piece of machinery? Just for kicks look up % of car deaths vs # of cars in the country. Then look up % of gun deaths vs # of guns owned). There are already gun safety courses people have to take and registration processes as well.

I think in general I am sensitive to this issue because it is a symptom of something beyond guns. Politicians have sold people on laws for "our safety" and people have been eating it up. What we fail to notice is the little slice of freedom we lose every time a new law goes on the books. If we keep going at this rate you will have to live in a bubble not to break a law.
I would rather have my freedoms & trust in people than trust the government to decide what is best for me.

I bet soon enough there will be restrictions on red meat. People will have a cholesterol intake limit and they can only use the BBQ grill twice a month to limit their carbon footprint. Thanks Al Gore. (If he hadn't invented the internet I would never forgive him for his global warming scam to make himself rich - please read about his companies before you get tweaked)

If I have to choose between living in a world of "safety" laws and freedom. I'll take freedom. Besides, "safety" laws haven't made anybody more safe, just less free. Patriot Act, global warming laws ...it's all garbage. The joke's on us.

FYI - Your AK47 reference is ridiculous. Don't use the extreme example to try to prove a point. That's what fringe political nutballs use for arguments. Argue the rule not the exception.

Answer 10

It's absolutely AMAZING how Kiddies like "zyberianwarrior" and Paul B shoot their mouths off about things they know NOTHING about and wind up only shooting themselves in the BUTT!
P.S: There were a dozen AK-47 semi-auto's in the racks in the gun shop I was in Yesterday, and I could have bought any one I wanted.