Breaking Traditions Against Hunting and Firearms Ownership?

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Crunker1337

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Generally, most gun owners and hunters in America seem to come from a long line of American born and bred hunters and gun owners. While it's always good to keep positive traditions alive, how much new blood comes into hunting or gun ownership really?
You don't often see immigrants getting into hunting or guns, nor do their American-born children.
This is bad, because as a nation that gets a lot of growth from immigration, it's not good to have a huge many people apathetic or against hunting or gun ownership. Also, if like one guy in a long line of American hunters neglects to take his children hunting, they will also be unlikely to get into in their lives.

I personally hope to be an exception to this rule, when I'm 18 I will almost certainly purchase a .22 and want to get into hunting by the time I'm 23.

But how can we get more Americans who don't have hunting or guns in their family into hunting and guns.
 
I see sports as a bigger threat to hunting than immigrants. So many of the people who used to hunt (where I live) spend so much time trying to re-live their youth thru their children's sports, that they don't hunt or shoot. And every kid now can be on a select team somewhere, and play year round. It's sad, because shooting/hunting is a lifelong sport, unlike football. Oh well, frustrated, high-school athletes, what can you do?
 
Never played team sports in HS (did play golf). I chose to work so I could have some spending money. When I wasn't working, I would go hunting or fishing with my dad.

Now I'm 23 and have a family of my own (wife and 3 yr old son.) I fully plan to get him into shooting and hunting. Sometimes, I let him look down the scope and dry fire my .30-'06 ... *click* I yell "bang!" and he says "Daddy I shot a deer!" Makes me grin like and idiot every time.

Many youth aren't getting into hunting for many reasons:

Many were raised in homes without fathers, and have never shot a gun or gone hunting before.

Firearms aren't politically correct.

Requirements that shooters take 8 hour "hunter saftey courses" are ridiculous. I've been an outdoorsman since I can remember, and suddenly SC passes a law that, unless you had a liscense the year before, you need the class to get your hunting liscense. BS... I'll hunt without one.
 
I am not from or live in the US,but we come accross the same problem.Shooting in the UK has always been thought of as a sport for the idle rich,this has never been the case as our old farm owners and poachers will tell you.Unfortunately football and TV are favoured to fresh air and shooting,with our young.Our problems with gun laws and the taking away of our rights have also had a detrimental effect.
I am sure a large quantity of our immigrant population have had some dealings or knowledge with guns (lawfull) but we never see or hear about their participation in the sport.
Saying that a couple of years ago we took a couple of Indian Waiters out for a days shooting,they had a fantastic day and even made a curried pheasant dish for us the next day.Not sure where they are now buts let's hope they are shooting.
 
Here in Minnesota there is a large population of Hmong immigrants many of whom carry on a firearms tradition with their children. At one range on the east side of the Twin Cities metro area you quite often see a Hmong dad and his kids target shooting.
 
When my 4th birthday came around, my father bought me an Oregon Arms .22 single shot Chipmunk rifle. This was MY gun and my father and I would sit down together underneath the front porch and shoot through a box or 2 of .22 rounds everyday. This has since sparked a fervent passion for the marksmanship discipline as well as a better understanding for firearm engineering and ballistics.

My father was also a fantastic woodsman and while he taught me a lot about reading signs and tracking deer, I have to say that hunting was not my cup of tea. I am far from being a morning person and getting up at 4am to strap on 40lbs of gear (an exaggeration I'm sure) and sit still in the cold for 8 hours was most definitely not my idea of a fun time.

But, the passion of shooting and appreciating firearms and the Second Amendment was instilled into me from very young up and I want to work my hardest to ensure that my own children (when I have them) have the same appreciation that my father gave me 17 years ago. I have also been hard at work trying to introduce new blood into the marksman family.

With this being said, my father was an excellent hunter but I, however, am not. If necessary, I can make a clean kill and I still know how to field dress and skin a deer (or small game) and I can pass on what knowledge I know, but I am not a hunter by any means. I believe that as long as gun culture as a whole survives and gains new responsible members, the traditions will never truly die.
 
we need to have lots of kids and get them all hunting :)

Seriously though, we need to introduce as many people as possible to shooting/hunting.
 
You don't often see immigrants getting into hunting or guns, nor do their American-born children.
How do you tell who's an immigrant and who's not? Near the begining of every hunting season I find numerous newbies looking at hunting equipment in the stores. These newbies span most of the races. Public hunting grounds though dwindling are full of hunters. I'm just curious how you can tell the difference?
 
Well in our country,they are genrally white upper middle class with pronounced British accents.We are very small in all departments compared to you.
 
I have never hunted, and have recently become interested in guns.

I still will not hunt. I am not opposed to anyone hunting, it is just not for me. When you don't grow up hunting, it is not something you pick up, as has been mentioned.

I have picked up an interest in handguns, and enjoy shooting them. I will try to instill that in my children. Even though I will never take them hunting.

It is important to make the point that hunting and firearms ownership are sometimes two different things. When we don't, we fuel the statement that people will make about certain handguns or poorly named "assault rifles" having "no sporting purpose." Haven't you heard all of the politicians saying, "Sure, I am pro gun! I have been hunting before." They are then left plenty open to the "no sporting purpose" argument.

How do we increase gun ownership? Some people won't hunt, and I think that it is easier to get them into shooting as a sport in and of itself. Take someone shooting with you. I have taken my kids, and my 23 year old niece wants to go with me. Absolutely no problem! I will continue to work to introduce people to the sport, and to constantly preach the importance to our freedom of this right.
 
I kind of disagree with the whole premise. I live in a culturally diverse area, and every time I go to the range it looks like a meeting of the UN. I think that foreigners may very well have a liking for guns, and it wouldn't be much of a jump to get them into hunting. The last time I went to the rifle range there was a Japanese guy there, barely spoke any English (he told me his daughter was attending UCLA), but he could sure shoot well. He had expensive equipment and he knew how to use it.

I think that the laws are daunting, but if they have somebody to mentor them, I think that it would be an easy transition into hunting.
Mauserguy
 
i dont live in the us, but norway is fine for hunting (i hear) and so is sweden :D

while noone in my family (that i know off) hunts,has hunted or even has a gun. (my grandfather says he used to have a shotgun and two 22lr rifles...but apparently he sold them around the time i was born :()

however!!! i FULLY intend to start hunting as soon as it is viable to do so :) and when i have kids, i want them to hunt as well, and teach them about guns, aaaand quite possibly have them do martial arts and such (thats another topic though)

i want to start a tradition with my kids :D...when that time comes. (i also, for some reason want to move to the US, where gunlaws and such are...less....umm....bad)
 
Generally, most gun owners and hunters in America seem to come from a long line of American born and bred hunters and gun owners.
I respectfully disagree, and submit that while this generalization may be valid in some areas, I believe the OP's thesis statement speaks mainly to immigrant families that settled in the East and West coasts' major urban areas ... An example to the contrary is my mother's family, who came over from Finland, settled in Upper Michigan, which maintains an incredibly rich firearm and hunting tradition ... and except for the Native Americans, most of the U.P. was settled in the last century by European immigrants.

I've met, and am friends with some, immigrant families from Scandinavia, various Eastern European countries, Loas, Vietnam, Cambodia, Philippines, Australia and even the UK who are are into the "gun culture" and have either started, or are maintaining, family hunting traditions.

Here in the NorthWest, and even when I lived in SoCal, at the gunshops, gunshows, ranges and out hunting, I still see a pretty fair degree of ethnic diversity.

When I spent time in Florida, I saw an amazing number of European and Japanese tourists at the local gun ranges that rented firearms.
 
My immediate family (parents, siblings, and myself) are all from overseas and are all naturalized citizens of the Unites States. Prior to moving to the US, my dad had a small collection of firearms in the motherland (which, of course, did not make the trip to the US). Growing up here since pre-school age, my dad never got back into shooting and eventually settling on golf as his major pursuit. In short, I (and everyone else in the family) was never exposed to shooting as a kid.

As a kid, I was, IMO, pretty normal in likes and dislikes as a young boy. Re-runs of Rat Patrol, Combat!, Baa Baa Blacksheep/Blacksheep Squadron, Hogan's Heroes, Star Wars, Kelly's Heroes, to a lesser extent Battlestar Galatica, Buck Roger, etc. all the way up to and through college. Firearms fascinated me (how did they work?). After college, I had the opportunity to finally closely examine this interest and went in with both feet. Eventually the hobby progressed to today which is close to an obsession. I have and will continue to teach and have fun shooting with my nieces and nephew as noone else in the family is doing it. (Also my dad who I've taken to the range and purchase as gifts a few firearms. However, he is totally engrossed with golfing just like me and shooting.)

IMO, almost all of the foreign folks I've met in the US who come from countries ruled by totalitarian/corrupt rulers like the one I'm from have been very pro-gun. They, like me, know first hand how it is to not have as many freedoms as we have here in the US and be under the foot of governments. The 2nd A is a godsend (at least to me). Most folks, IMO, who fully understand the importance of the 2nd A are generally folks who prefer and are willing to take care of themselves and are somewhat leery of governments.

Also IMO, the farther you get from hardship, the less you remember it. Immigrants and the majority of their kids understand the importance of freedoms given to them in free states like the US, UK, etc. and take those freedoms to heart. For later generations, however, who have never seen how bad it could be first hand, it's no big deal. From second generations on, comfortable living softens minds. If some folks in the US were given the chance to live in other less democratic countries for a short time, the majority of them would, IMO, have a better understanding of the Bill of Rights. For some folks, they don't understand the benefits of rights until they lose them. (And there are, of course, the smart ones who do without needing to experience it.)

But how can we get more Americans who don't have hunting or guns in their family into hunting and guns.

The best option, IMO, is to initiate the uninitiated. Don't force yourself on them, of course. Just give them opportunities and let them choose themselves.
 
I actually know quite a few immigrants or children-of-immigrants who are into hunting and/or firearms. Yeah, there are more of 'em who are into things like sports, TV, and picking up women, sure, but there are a lot of people into traditional things, too.
 
Should have clarified that my OP was mostly about my area, plenty of immigrants and second-gen Americans but all of them seem to have a small fear of firearms and distrust for those who own them.
Sad thing is, there aren't many hunters or shooters any way to change their minds. Whenever I mention that I want to get a rifle when I'm 18, my second-gen friends go like, "LOL I'm NEVER going to your house!"
Their families, and mine, have never hunted or owned guns, and I'm wondering how I can change their minds about firearms and hunting.

What makes it really hard for me that the majority of immigrants in my area are either Indian or Korean, and those cultures don't really have any firearms or hunting-related traditions.

(BTW, I do recognize that firearms and hunting are two differnt things, which is why I've taken care to mention them seperately)
 
The popularity of hunting is decreasing rapidly and will continue to do so in the future. As more and more people migrate to the cities and burbs, hunting as a hobby/sport/passion/tradition is quickly dying out. I know quite a few people in the 40+ age range who hunt regularly but not one of them has any kids with an interest in hunting.

The non-hunting shooting sports are the best way to increase the popularity of shooting. Target shooting with rifles and handguns. Skeet/trap/sporting clays shooting with shotguns. Action shooting competitions by IPSC, IDPA, cowboy action, and 3-Gun events. All are wonderful ways to build new interest in shooting.

And if you really want to make someone happy, put a full-auto weapon in their hands and tell them to shoot away. I've never seen anyone shoot an FA weapon who didn't immediately turn around with this on their face: :D:D:D

Invite people to go shooting. Try in introduce new shooters to the sport. Many people who have never touched a gun in their lives quickly become gun owners once someone takes the time to introduce them to shooting and teach them the basics (with gun safety being the first lesson, of course).
 
I think it has a lot to do with the fact that many people used to hunt or go hungry, but now they just sit back and get food stamps and welfare. I also think that all of the hunter education programs, while a good idea and promote gun safety and ethical hunting, are stopping many people from hunting. I know my girlfriend would go with me, but the whole two days in a class and then shooting thing doesn't seem worth it to her.
 
It is important to make the point that hunting and firearms ownership are sometimes two different things.

I agree. I don't hunt, but I LOVE guns. I also think that you will see fewer and fewer people who want to hunt as 1) meat is readily available in the super-market and 2) Sitting in a deer blind all day seems boring to many people. You can even buy exotic game in certain places. There are also restaurants that cater to such needs. Try, Hudson's on the Bay, in Austin, TX.

Frankly, aside from pest/over-population control, I could care less about hunting as a sport. I have nothing against its legality, but I'd feel the same about hunting decreasing in popularity as a would about soccer or golf. "Bob's kids don't want to hunt like their father..." Oh well. Hunting also takes a lot of time and preparation, which most people can't make room for in their already hectic lives. I can load my AKs, head to the range, and be back in under 2 hours.

As far as immigrants go, I don't know about you guys, but most ranges I've been to tend to have a decent amount of East Indian, Filipino, and British people. And speaking of the British, the British edition of GQ has had multiple articles recently espousing the shooting sports and even complaining about restrictive British gun laws.
 
<<<<<<<<<---------Immigrant . . . and I love guns

I now live almost as far north of the equator as I used to live south of the equator. a Country well know for hunting safari's, although I am not really into hunting:)
 
Crunk, it's too bad about New Jersey. I had the impression (from TV, go figure) that Koreans knew about the benefits of gun ownership (think LA riots & Korean grocers).

In Houston, I see Vietnamese men firing "M-16's" (their term) and 1911s. Cool. Their sons tend to shoot a range of 9mm pistols.

Lots of first generation Chinese at the range, too.

I took an Indian co-worker to the range and he loved it.

I don't know how you get people interested in hunting except to invite them. I taught myself how to hunt small game (not difficult but the first time cleaning a rabbit is an interesting DIY project). I've never hunted larger game, don't want to. Dad told me he hunted deer and after he shot one he never did it again. And he was a surgeon and handled more blood and guts than most any hunter. I guess I picked it up from him.

And we need hunters. Badly. We've killed a lot of large predators (wolves, lions) and game animals need to be controlled.
 
how much new blood comes into hunting or gun ownership really?

Not one of my relatives or immediate family members was into hunting or gun ownership (many were ignorantly anti-gun), and we did not have a gun in our house growing up.

I bought my first gun after I moved out and was married. I have since bought more. I started with handguns, and I've moved into rifles. Shotguns are next. I'm definitely "new blood" when it comes to guns. My in-laws used to think I was crazy for being into guns, but since we've seen some crimes hit close to home, they now think I'm onto something.

I've actually converted some anti-gun people to pro-gun and some to neutral. I've taken at least 30 people who had never fired a gun before--including people of different races, religions, and sexual orientations (most of whom were anti-gun)--to the shooting range, and all but one person had a great time and asked me to take them again. I write letters to congress people and to local papers. I post on blogs where anti-gun lies are rampant.

You don't often see immigrants getting into hunting or guns, nor do their American-born children.

When I went to the police station to get my CCW, the other people there getting CCWs were either immigrants or first generation children of immigrants. So I think people are out there. It just depends where you live and the ethnic make-up of the area. Above all else, I think we, as shooters, should be very tolerant of other races, religions, ethnicities, and sexualities. The more groups to whom we appeal, the stronger our cause is. Any friend of the Second Amendment is a friend of all of ours.

I see an increasing number of Ron Paul signs in the background of every presidential debate and in local shops around my town. After the VT shootings, the polls that I saw were in favor of no new gun control laws. That tells me the message is getting through.

Get into it. Take your friends (and even people who aren't your friends, especially those with anti-gun views) shooting. Write letters to your local papers, blogs, politicians, etc. Be active and be professional about it. Don't rant and rave like what they see as a "stereotypical gun nut."
 
You don't often see immigrants getting into hunting or guns, nor do their American-born children.

Tell that to all the international students in the Purdue Rifle and Pistol Club. A good portion of our members - between a third and a half - are from outside our borders. This year we even got a few international people that shot in their home country. One is a high-ranked IPSC shooter from some Central/South American country. (I don't remember which one, after five years at a college full of international and out-of-state students, you tend to get sick of "so where did you come" conversations and focus on something more substantive when talking to people)

And isn't this board owned by an immigrant with a passion for firearms?
 
My limited experience tells me that for each established shooter, there are 1-3 new shooters brought in every year.
 
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