Weapons Survey...

[jkm]

I do not think it is legal to shoot hawks, birds of prey are protected, and chickens are easy to protect with some overhead mesh they can run under.
not sure I agree with all the gun arguments, I worked as a nurse in a trauma unit, most things shot were people. animals always seem to be the excuse to own guns,
most murders are caused by freinds and family, not wandering strangers. check out the facts.
fear is not a fact.

 

[homechick]

This is just my personal experience with guns... so nobody get all uppity!

When I lived at home with my parents, they had several guns. My stepdad didn't hunt (too much work) but he liked to collect guns. It seemed that anytime there was a "noise" in the house that had to be investigated, whoever was doing the investegation would grab the heavy policeman flashlight, a large antique monkey wrench or a baseball bat. Getting a gun out of a locked cabinet, getting the ammo in another location just seemed to be too much trouble.
We lived in the country and we got at least 2 dogs dumped on us a year. One time a dog was dumped that we thought to be rabid (he acted very strangly and wasn't friendly and we couldnt get him to come close.. could not be caught!). So my parents decided to shoot him. My stepdad couldn't bring himself to do it so we had a friend that hunts do it. The dog was hit, but not in a vital area. He yelped under our house all night. I felt the worse guilt for not insisting that this was a terrible idea. After it was obvious that the unfriendly dog wouldn't leave, we got a large trap and my stepdad took him to work to be released at the "yard" where all the heavy machinery is left. After a lot of time and patience, the dog is now a sweetie.
I don't know what this has to do with it.. but I PERSONALLY haven't had many good encounters with guns. I dated a guy for a month about a year ago and when I found out he was crazy obsessive/jealous, he felt that the end of our relationship was near, he got into one of his friends gun safe and brought a handheld along to threaten to kill himself and me. Obviously I got out of that one.. but it just left me feeling terrified of guns. Maybe if I had cat-like reflexes and had some gun training, I would feel safer.
With my paint-ball gun and a few rounds of paint balls... I feel like I have what I need to keep this fort protected.

 

[missouridave]

JKM wrote:

I worked as a nurse in a trauma unit, most things shot were people. animals always seem to be the excuse to own guns,

Am I to assume you also worked on squrriels, deer, rabbits, turkeys, quail, dove, ducks and geese among other animals ... and yet more people were still shot than any one categorey of the above ?

I don't think so. What I see is an opinion of someone who wants an excuse to take away guns from "responsible owners" of guns.

In the last 12 months alone I have harvested 23 rabbits, 2 geese, 6 ducks, 14 squirrels, 1 deer and 1 turkey ... the doves have their day coming in september. (But, I never shot one person, Not even wounded them.) The quail get a reprieve as their numbers are weak and I want them to rebound due to loss of habitat ... although they are very tasty. How many of these critters did you work on in the hospital you referenced?

That does not solve or end crime.

Responsible owners don't shoot people not deserving of being shot.

Guns are easy to get ... getting them legally is hard... If you want to stop the senseless bleeding, tell your congressman to enforce the laws already in place that forbide felons from owning guns. Don't pick on the Legal owners who are upstanding people.

Just my 2 cents.​

 

[hypnojessi]

I would like to suggest that if you are considering getting a gun, even if you don't hunt, take a Hunter Safety Course for your state. The majority of these courses are easy to find, cheap, and they focus on gun safety. This would probably be easier to get than a "Gun Safety Course" from a police station or the like.

I come from a family that hunts and I hunt myself. If you learn the proper handling and respect that guns need, then you can get one.

 

[Sherry]

Very well put MissouriDave.

 

[MissPrissy]

We have a shotgun and a .22 rifle for the farm. Our rural area is filled with an over population of groundhogs which are seen as rodents and vermin which can only be control through extermination. They dig tunnels and ruin building foundations as well as eat everything in a garden. With livestock that cannot defend itself we have to also watch for foxes not to mention the venomous snake population. We consider both of these firearms to be necessary.

My husband and I have a permit and legally carry concealed a .45, H&K and Ruger respectively. We believe in practising our second amendment right to bear arms.

Firearms are a huge responsibility. Study up and do your homework on what firearm you might purchase and know it front to back and side to side as well as you know your own hands. If you choose to purchase one take a safety course (I took one through the local sherrif's dept.), practice at a supervised shooting range until you are comfortable handling it. Secure your weapon at home. Teach your children to respect their power. Educating yourself and learn to handle your firearm.

Read up on your local laws as well. If you live within city limits (even a very rural area of even the smallest little town) discharging of a firearm is illegal.

Safety, safety, safety and then more safety.

 

[Davaroo]

Missouri Dave hit it on the head. Intent is the issue with firearms use - or anything else.
I recall th guy who went amok in a CA school yard, killing and wounding quite a few innnocent school children.
His weapon of choice? An automobile.

Guns are a way for the malcontent and sociopathic folks in our society to deal with their issues. The trick is to deal with those folks in return, which is where we have failed.

 

[mom'sfolly]

Thunderkitty,

If you are worried about your personal safety...don't. Very few animals attach human beings. If you want to protect your flock, thats different. Biuld a Fort Knox coop. Most predators are nocturnal so shut your animals up at night. Hawks and owls are federally protected so you can't legally shoot them. If you get a gun a rifle would not be what you need, a shotgun would probably do it. Just make sure you know local regulations...five acres might not be enough that you would be allowed to shoot on your own property. Take a gun safety class and know what you are getting into and are doing with your gun. In my neck of the woods, a child jumping on a trampoline was recently shot and killed. His neighbor had been target practicing on his own property, and could not see the child.

Karen

 

[mudhen]

To answer the original question, while I am not going to discuss what we have, I feel that it is a necessity to own a weapon when on a homestead to protect from predators.
In our case, we have dispached several groundhogs that have caused severe damage to foundations, and will continue to do so in order to protect our investment.
Trapping and relocating is not the answer with these creatures. No one will thank you for depositing them near their property, and they are so prolific it would become a full time job.
No one should ever shoot a hawk or bird to protect their flocks or for any other reason. Not only are they protected, there are better ways to deal with them, for instance, providing cover for your runs, tractors, etc.
When owning any weapon, from slingshot and paintball guns to guns and rifles, training, safety, and knowledge is essential.

 

[Davaroo]

Trapping and relocating is not the answer with these creatures. No one will thank you for depositing them near their property, and they are so prolific it would become a full time job.
This is true. I have heard t mentioned MANY times on the "other" chicken board as a way to deal with preds. It dosent work an only moves the problem elsewhere

There was a study done about this in AL and the results were that wild game populations werent measurably increased and the predator populations werent affected much either.

In fact the more preds they removed, the more babies the surviving predators had. They noted that the coyotes in the study, for example, went from 3.6 pups per litter to over 7 in 2 years time!