Seattlest: Hunter Who Killed Hiker is 14 Years Old

suhlig

Sat, 16 Aug 2008 09:39:58 -0800

In Wyoming ANYONE born before 1968 MUST take and pass a required hunter safety program.. Any persons under 16 MUST be accompanied by an adult over 18 years old.. Here in Wyoming we have very few hunting accidents.

Silverstar

Wed, 06 Aug 2008 02:52:25 -0800

Yes, this smells fishy to me, too. If we have to wait until 16 to operate the lethal weapon most of us have contact with, ie, a car, and have training to operate it, I don't think that is too much to ask for guns and hunting. IMHO, teenagers should be accompanied by real adults until they are 18, and not allowed to hunt at all until they are 16. The days when little Billy went out and shot breakfast passed long ago. And it was unlikely there were hikers in blue parkas in the area.

abbey

Tue, 05 Aug 2008 17:36:25 -0800

So if you're 13 and you want a gun/hunting license--no Hunter Education Course Needed 'eh? Genius.

Jeremy M. Barker

Tue, 05 Aug 2008 16:19:24 -0800

Um, 20,000? Really? What constitutes a "law" in that count? Are you counting, like, every provision of the Brady Bill? You've really got to offer some perspective on a number like that.

ruffhauser

Tue, 05 Aug 2008 16:00:54 -0800

OK. I would add that there are over 20,000 federal gun control laws. I doubt we need more. Some enforcement of the existing laws would be a start.

TroyJMorris

Tue, 05 Aug 2008 13:13:58 -0800

This is true. Wyoming hates when they gets shot by middle school kids. But then again, who doesn't? Jeremy nailed it. What was meant is many gun control laws are more lip service than actual service. They exist to create the illusion of control, instead of promoting and maintaining responsible gun use and ownership. Hunting is a part of many folks' values. I personally never got it, but I do enjoy playing Buck Hunter at Shorty's. But let's make sure people can actual use the weapon responsibly. I'm fine with hunters having guns, as long as they know not to shoot blue parkas. I'm fine with drivers having cars, as long as they know how to operate them. We all know that test is ridiculously easy to pass. Guns may be a right decreed from our Founding Fathers, but correct training use is a responsibility decreed by the fact you're part of a society.

MvB

Tue, 05 Aug 2008 11:11:21 -0800

One thing about Wyoming, they don't like being shot by little kids.

Jeremy M. Barker

Tue, 05 Aug 2008 10:40:33 -0800

Ruffhauser -- I think Troy's comment was meant to suggest that Wyoming hasn't politicized gun rights in the same way other states have, so they can pass reasonable regulations about gun use.

mehals

Tue, 05 Aug 2008 10:31:08 -0800

Thanks bilco for pointing out this example of BTQ abuse. I was about to do so myself. An example of "Begging the Question" is this argument. Claim: God exists 1. This holy book says God exists. 2. Everything in this holy book is true. 3. We know everything in this holy book is true because God wrote it. -Therefore God exists. Item 3 assumes that God exists, which is the very thing it is trying to prove. As for this story, I hope there's a very thorough investigation. I'm surprised that there's hunting going on that close to a popular hiking trail. Should I start wearing an orange vest when I go hiking now?

bilco

Tue, 05 Aug 2008 10:25:45 -0800

This story, disturbing as it is, does NOT 'beg the question' See here for a good explanation: http://begthequestion.info/ In short - "Begging the question" is a form of logical fallacy in which a statement or claim is assumed to be true without evidence other than the statement or claim itself. Your pedantic friend, bilco

ruffhauser

Tue, 05 Aug 2008 10:23:41 -0800

"Wyoming respects guns and hunting. They don't just pay some false sense of duty to the second amendment." Troy, I'm not goading you into a gun control debate: I'm just genuinely curious as to what this means.

TroyJMorris

Tue, 05 Aug 2008 10:19:24 -0800

Wyoming respects guns and hunting. They don't just pay some false sense of duty to the second amendment. Remember, guns don't kill people-- really stupid idiots with guns kill people.

Kim Ruehl

Tue, 05 Aug 2008 10:18:14 -0800

i'm with john. if he can see well enough from 120 yards to give shoot to kill with a single bullet, surely he could tell the difference between a big furry bear and a little lady in a blue jacket. i'm fairly confident i could tell the difference between those two things from that far, even without my glasses. and i haven't taken any classes on the matter.

abbey

Tue, 05 Aug 2008 10:09:55 -0800

you know it's bad when Wyoming has stricter gun / hunting laws than you.

MvB

Tue, 05 Aug 2008 10:08:25 -0800

It looks like Wyoming has more stringent age requirements than Washington when it comes to hunting. We don't have a minimum age--to get a license if you're under 12 you just have to have attended a hunter education course. Weirdly, instructors can require kids attend the *course* with a parent--but then they can go hunting alone.

abbey

Tue, 05 Aug 2008 09:52:31 -0800

my thought exactly john. I hope this doesn't turn out to be one of those "we wanted to know what it felt like to kill a person" stories, where two little boys tried to come up with some lame excuse to cover their asses.

jwhieger

Tue, 05 Aug 2008 09:50:33 -0800

So he has good enough eyes to kill his target from 120 yards but not good enough eyes to tell the difference between a human and bear? Sounds shady... Furthermore, why are teens hunting alone in the vicinity of hikers? I hope the victim's family sues his ass, teenage mistake or not, there's no room for sloppy hunting.