Can we stop pretending that hunting is a totally normal hobby?

Kate Strauss
Jul 27, 2017 · 2 min read

Anytime the topic of guns and their place in our society is discussed, the subject of hunting is invariably introduced. There’s no way we could ever have a society free of guns, because of hunters! (Or “outdoorsmen” or “sportsmen” as some like to gently be called.) Hunters are law-abiding citizens. Hunting is a popular pastime. We have to have guns because of hunters!

Hunting is legal, yes. Popular, yes. Moral? I’m not convinced. Out of the thousands of hobbies one can pursue, I’m not going to be able to wrap my head around how “killing animals” is an optimal choice.

But hunting is a tradition in your family? I’m sure your family has multiple traditions that possibly involve less bloodshed. Everyone’s family has pieces of its history they’re really proud of and pieces that….are maybe are best left in the past.

Like being an “outdoorsman?” Try hiking. Camping. Spend hours waiting for the perfect “shot” with your camera, not your rifle. I know you like photographs— you happily pose next to a dead animal’s body for them, grinning from ear to ear at your handiwork.

Why is spending your day killing deer, ducks, or hogs with guns so accepted? If you asked me what I was doing this weekend and I told you I was going to look for stray cats and slit their throats with a switchblade, you’d rightfully view me as a monster. Why in the world would anyone take joy in that?

I know that hunting controls the animal population (as we force them into smaller and smaller areas through endless construction — but that’s another topic) and that many hunters do hunt for meat, either for their own family or to sell to others.

But the bottom line is that there are some people among us who paint for fun, some people who read for fun, some people who play tennis for fun, some people who make music for fun — and some who kill animals for fun. I’m not okay with that last one.

Kate Strauss

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