Olympians Medal in London, While the NRA Meddles in Harrisburg

[SecularMotion]

Last edited Tue Aug 14, 2012, 03:51 PM - Edit history (1)

Almost every daily newspaper in the state and dozens of organizations, from the Council of Churches to the Pennsylvania Bar Association, oppose this form of animal cruelty. But Pennsylvania legislators refuse to ban pigeon shoots, fearful of losing NRA campaign funds, the coveted A+ rating, and what could be a vicious attack upon their re-election bids. Even a grade of “B” by the NRA causes some legislators to cower in fear.

The unrelenting NRA message irrationally claims that banning pigeon shoots is the first step to banning guns and, thus, destroying the 2nd Amendment. To those scared by fear-mongers in the NRA and the Pennsylvania Flyers, that was bred solely to support pigeon shoots, the Humane Society—which the NRA calls “radical” and “extremist,” and the Flyers calls “animalist zealots”—carefully explains that absolutely nothing in proposed bills or amendments restricts firearms ownership or usage. However, a paranoid NRA leadership claims banning pigeon shoots would be the “slippery slope” to gun restrictions.

The NRA, says Prescott, misrepresents its members, “most of whom do not support or condone pigeon shoots.”
Pennsylvania allows lobbyists to call legislators off the floor to discuss legislation. NRA lobbyists and their PACs have been vigorous in “explaining” the consequences of a legislator who opposes the NRA philosophy—and in backing it up with campaign contributions. During the 2010 election year, the NRA Political Victory Fund donated $4,500 in direct contributions and $389,696.85 in in-kind contributions to Republican Tom Corbett, who would be elected governor.

But the NRA and its allies are now on the defensive, after taking hits by the public for their unyielding stand in support of the right of owning assault weapons with 100-round magazines, for which no hunter or target shooter has any need. Somehow, in a collective mind with scrambled brain cells, the NRA leadership is unable to distinguish between legitimate hunting and animal cruelty.

http://www.neagle.com/opinions/columnists/x1602169288/WANDERINGS-Olympians-Medal-in-London-While-the-NRA-Meddles-in-Harrisburg

[Remmah2]

1. Bunch of sporting Fudds.

What next, canned seagull hunts?

[discntnt_irny_srcsm]

2. pigeons, Pennsylvania Game Commission, Olympics in London and Hamburg, PA

More, more; tell me more.

[Reasonable_Argument]

3. Pigeon shooting is needless cruelty

And should be banned outright.

[Trunk Monkey]

4. I don't mind killing pigeons for a legitimate reason

but just using them for target practice isn't cool

[discntnt_irny_srcsm]

5. Quite so...

...and this is so relevant to the SOP. I feel the OP's picture may be found in the dictionary under 'tangent'.

[Callisto32]

6. It's called "dove hunting"

in many places, they are plentiful and delicious.

Animals, so much as some people may wish to pretend otherwise, are food.

Suggesting that we ban a source of delicious food outright on the grounds that it is "needless cruelty" seems pretty absurd on its face.

[Reasonable_Argument]

7. Go on YouTube and search for videos of this "hunting"

They trap them in a box, release them, and shoot them like skeet.

[msongs]

9. there you go again, using facts, truth, and reality lol nt

[Callisto32]

14. Hmm, round here we walk around with shotguns and dogs.

Just because some hunters are killers, does not mean all are.

[SecularMotion]

8. You must have missed this

If the birds are wounded on the killing fields, trapper boys and girls, most in their early teens, some of them younger, grab the birds, wring their necks, snip their heads off with shears, stomp on their bodies, or throw them live into barrels to suffocate. At Wing Pointe, birds are just thrown into a heap, with wounded birds left to die from suffocation. There is no food or commercial value of a pigeon killed at one of the shoots.

[Callisto32]

15. No, you missed where someone said to ban dove hunting outright.

That is silly.

Torturing animals, breading them for killing for "sport" I am just as against that as you, but that does not mean that dove hunting should be banned outright. There are respectful, sporting ways to hunt, and they include USING the animals you harvest.

Believe me I think "trophy hunting" is terrible. If you bag a huge buck, eat it and mount the head, no problem.

[Trunk Monkey]

11. This isn't dove hunting, which I have no problem with, it's using pigeons for skeet.

It should be banned.

[Callisto32]

16. ^^ THIS.

[gejohnston]

10. that is how trap shooting was done before the civil war

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trap_shooting before they started using glass and now clay disks. From what I can find, PA, Spain (I'm not a big fan of bullfighting either), and Italy are the only places where it is legal.
I agree with you on this one.

[Callisto32]

17. Indeed:

The words "trap shooting" and "clay pigeons" make way more sense eh.

Weird thing is I am from Middle of Nowhere PA and have NEVER hard of anybody doing this. If it's legal I'm sure it happens but, dove hunting in my neck of the woods involves walking and dogs...

[gejohnston]

18. I'm guessing this is an

exclusive private club. I don't picture guys showing up with in Ford trucks with Mossbergs.

[Callisto32]

21. If that is the case it falls into what I consider the greatest American failing:

More money than brains/conscience.

[GreenStormCloud]

12. I am sure the statues in the park appreciate this.

Pidgeons DO have food value. They just aren't part of our food prejustice. Almost all animals are edible. However, the pidgeons shot at the event should be used for food, not thrown away.

[rl6214]

13. Shouldn't this be in the Sports Group?

This isn't a RKBA or defensive use of a gun.

Statement of Purpose

Discuss gun control laws, the Second Amendment, the use of firearms for self-defense, and the use of firearms to commit crime and violence.

[Trunk Monkey]

19. I think we should leave it right where it is.

In spite of the prohibitionists constantly saying that all gun owners are blood thirsty Rambo wannabes who can not wait to kill, I see several solid RKBA supporters decrying this event as needless cruelty that should be banned.

But hey I'm a gun owner what the fuck do I know?