I guess I will go first. I was 14 at the time I going to have to guess. There was this kid who was 9 maybe, we went to the shooting range and went skeet shooting. We went in four person groups and we each had NEF 20 gauge shotguns ( we couldn't bring our own guns ). The kid who was 9 years old and was like 70 pounds maybe loaded the gun and cocked it with his fingure on the trigger. (I hope you can see where this is going) The shotgun goes off and he almost turned me into Dick Cheney's victim. The pellets landed 8 feet infront of me. He wasn't aloud to do skeet shooting after that his dad made him stop.

Then we got to shoot .223 rifles at the target range section at 50 yards with NEF single shot rifles. He hit the ground infront of us 2 of the four times.

It was just scary.

No offense intended to hunters as a group, but my experience has been that for the most part, hunters are not neccesarily firearm enthusiasts...and in many cases, are a damn liability. I do know a few guys that hunt that define the term 'gun nut', but they are few and far between. Most of the hunters I have interacted with dont understand gun ownership beyond a 12ga or a scoped bolt gun. They buy a box of 20 round per year, and shoot maybe 5-10 shots of it.

Dont expect that just because a guy hunts, he will be proficient with guns.
Not always the case.

13th warrior?

Quoted: No offense intended to hunters as a group, but my experience has been that for the most part, hunters are not neccesarily firearm enthusiasts...and in many cases, are a damn liability. I do know a few guys that hunt that define the term 'gun nut', but they are few and far between. Most of the hunters I have interacted with dont understand gun ownership beyond a 12ga or a scoped bolt gun. They buy a box of 20 round per year, and shoot maybe 5-10 shots of it. Dont expect that just because a guy hunts, he will be proficient with guns. Not always the case.

If it wasn't for hunters we would not have firearms today.

I've been "into" guns since 2001.  Never hunted a day in my life but that's going to change since I moved up here.

When I get into the field it will be about hunting for me, not learning to use and handle firearms safely since I've already got that part figured out.

I'm sure there are many, MANY hunters that have never done ANYTHING beyond what macro describes. Have never used their guns in any way other than "sporting implements" and simply don't think the way most of us here do.

THOSE are the "Elmer Fudds" that we all cringe at.

PS: I know we've got hunters here that are NOT "Fudds" but I consider people like that to be the exception, not the rule.  

Quoted: Quoted: No offense intended to hunters as a group, but my experience has been that for the most part, hunters are not neccesarily firearm enthusiasts...and in many cases, are a damn liability. I do know a few guys that hunt that define the term 'gun nut', but they are few and far between. Most of the hunters I have interacted with dont understand gun ownership beyond a 12ga or a scoped bolt gun. They buy a box of 20 round per year, and shoot maybe 5-10 shots of it. Dont expect that just because a guy hunts, he will be proficient with guns. Not always the case. If it wasn't for hunters we would not have firearms today.

I agree with that. The only problem is that the libs say that is the only reason we should have them. So if they have there way all I will be able to own is a single shot muzzel loader. Don't plan on it.

Quoted: Quoted: No offense intended to hunters as a group, but my experience has been that for the most part, hunters are not neccesarily firearm enthusiasts...and in many cases, are a damn liability. I do know a few guys that hunt that define the term 'gun nut', but they are few and far between. Most of the hunters I have interacted with dont understand gun ownership beyond a 12ga or a scoped bolt gun. They buy a box of 20 round per year, and shoot maybe 5-10 shots of it. Dont expect that just because a guy hunts, he will be proficient with guns. Not always the case. If it wasn't for hunters we would not have firearms today.

I would say if it wasnt for the military surplus we wouldnt have firearms today.
Hunters create a market for certain types of guns. They create no market for others, like AR15's, AK's, etc. The reason we have guns today is that it generates revenue, plain and simple. If there was no profit in it, they wouldnt be sold. Who generates more profit....5 hunters that go through a few dozen shotgun shells each season, or 5 guys at random from this site that burn up 10,000 rounds of 5.56 over the course of the summer? Where are the sales tax profits being earned? For the local shop selling the used, .270's for a few hundred bucks...or the surplus shop that has a wall of $1000 AR's lined up?

Its nothing against hunters, but lets keep thing in perspective.
Saying the hunters are responsible for the firearm market is like saying that we owe the invention of the automobile to race car drivers. Hunters a small part of the overall market. More ammo and weapons are sold as surplus from former armory stock than all the hunting rifles and shotguns on the planet. Just do the math.

Quoted: 13th warrior?

Yes he is not who he seems.