Note from Rowland.

The 'Sporting Shooters' article provides a lot of feedback - usually like the following...

Shalom!

Rowland Croucher

~~~

So now Im a vandal??

Sir,

I have just read your article "Oxymoron of the month (in Australia): sporting shooters"

A scholar of the bible you may be, but you are also sadly misinformed about the shooting sports.

Obviously like the large majority of journalistic mouth pieces you have done little or no investigation into the subject, just trotted out the same clap trap pedalled out by the mainstream media.

You obviously seem to agree with our current prime minister regarding firearms, Yes?

Then please explain to me how compulsory confiscation (it was never a "buyback") of legally owned private property, from licensed shooters, the spending of nearly $800 million in tax payers money for no result is justified?

How many hospital beds would that have supplied and how many lives would have been saved, if that money had been spent where its needed?.

How many criminals handed in their firearms in either steal back?

Ah, "red necks" another term associated with sporting shooters, just as minister, priest and paedophile seem to go together so well these days.

What?, don't like name calling, reread your article from a vilified sporting shooters point of view.

I know I'm not a Red Neck but the jury's still out on you being a paedophile, sticks in the craw a bit doesn't it.

As to the shooting of animals, have you ever been hunting? If you haven't don't comment.

Do you eat meat? are you aware of the process required to put that meat on your table?

The large majority of hunters do not hunt to cause pain and suffering to the animals they hunt, done properly the animal doesn't even know its been shot.

Many oppose duck hunting, few it would seem are aware that ducks die a horrible death from botulism at the end of good seasons due to excessive numbers and dwindling, polluted (by duck faeces) water supplies, that's OK but you cant shoot and eat them. Sorry that makes no sense to me.

A lot of the animal rights spokespeople vilify the hunter, but are also quick to tout poisons such as 1080 as the answer to vermin control.

Poisons of course have a place in vermin control, but I would label them indiscriminate and cruel, you never die instantly from poison and they always kill untargeted species as well.

Many sporting shooters only target shoot paper targets and clay pigeons are they vandals?

How about the aged or handicapped who have found a challenging sport that they can compete in on equal terms with the young and fit? Are they also vandals??

[I invited this respondent to supply his name for this to be published but didn't hear anything in 2-3 weeks].