Quote Originally Posted by Pembroke_Corgi
Well, I'm a vegetarian, but I do feel there is a difference. I certainly don't agree with the way animals are raised or processed through the meat industry, but at least there aren't people walking around randomly with guns.

I spent most of my childhood living in the country, and even though we did not permit hunting on our land, we found traces of hunters anyway. I personally don't want any firearms near my house. Another thing that really bothers me is when I see CHILDREN with guns. It's bad enough that an adult could take a bad shot, but that parents allow their children access to deadly weapons blows me away.
And, as a vegetarian, I believe you have the right to say that you don't approve of hunting wild game or killing livestock, etc. I think vegetarians are the ONLY people who can legitimately criticize hunting, as long as they include ALL forms of killing animals for food.

It sounds to me, though, that your big complaint with hunters is that they have guns? Now, I am the first to admit that there are a LOT of idiots who hunt who should not be anywhere near a gun. They are untrained and unskilled. However, for you to group EVERY gun owner and EVERY hunter in with the untrained and unskilled people "randomly" walking around with a gun is certainly very wrong and ignorant.

There are also a LOT of idiots who drive who should not be anywhere near a car. How many innocent people die in car accidents every year because some moron ran a red light while talking on his cell phone and drinking coffee? How many drunk drivers are on the roads? A LOT ... but does that make EVERY driver a distracted, dangerous drunk? Of course not. And if a car is not a "deadly weapon", I don't know what is!

You are making some terribly broad generalizations about a large, diverse group of people. The vast majority of hunters are careful, conscientious people, it's just the very small percentage of idiots that make the newspapers. It's not dramatic headlines to report on the 95% of good hunters ... just like it's not dramatic headlines to report on the 95% of good drivers. You will read in the papers about the drunk who ran a red light or the idiot who shot his buddy in the back ... not the thousands of skilled, trained hunters or drivers quietly following the rules in the background.

As for children hunting, define "children". I know in the state I live in, there is a definate age and hunter safety training requirement before a teenager can hunt. Just like there is a definate age requirement and driver's training requirement before a teenager can drive a car. Are you saying you think a sixteen year old is mature and skilled enough to operate a 5,000 pound vehicle moving at 75 miles per hour ... but not mature and skilled enough to operate a firearm with required adult supervision? I disagree.