I Think the Antis Miss the Fudds

Back in the 90s the anti-rights cult had their pinnacle moment. They passed the Brady Background check, an import ban on “non sporting arms” was created, and then they passed a ban on so-called “Assault Weapons” and magazines they deemed “High Capacity”.

Back then there were a LOT more people who supported gun control, this support was fairly common, and was bi-partisan. Still the biggest boon for this movement were gun owning sportsmen. These people have been labeled with the derogatory term “Fudd” after the foolish Loony Tunes character. They saw gun control as an inevitability, and banned together to protect THEIR guns by offering up the “assault weapons” and “High Capacity guns” because THEIR guns weren’t part of that.

Of course we all know that when things come to an apex, the only way is down. The antis broke their promise and started talking about “Sniper Rifles”, and “Armor Piercing ammo”, and started talks on banning anything that was semi-automatic. The hunters realized that even the most pedestrian deer rifle was subject to bans, and that the anti-rights cult wasn’t to be trusted.

Since then there are VERY few “Fudds” out there, and generally they are limited to far left-wing “Progressives” who grew up in families and areas where hunting is a common pastime. But most hunters realized that not only their guns were in threat, but that so-called “Assault weapons” had a lot of legitimate uses for both self defense and for sporting.

One thing you can always trust in anti-rights people is for them to be tone deaf. Take Jason Kilgore of Ceasefire Oregon:

When you picture someone who is dressed and armed for self-defense and conceal carry, what do you picture? I picture someone dressed normal, except for a handgun strapped under their jacket or in a holster at their waist or in their purse.

When you picture someone who is dressed and armed for hunting, what do you picture? I picture someone in rugged outdoor clothes, a hunter-red vest and hat, and a long rifle.

Maybe in the 90s Jason, hunters looked just like Elmer Fudd. Today so many people have turned to modern semi-auto rifles for hunting. Also even at the beginning of the 20th Century hunters were using carbines in dense forests. In Maine if you’re going to stalk game, your walking through thick woods. The old-time hunters often chose something like a lever carbine in .30-30. Powerful, light, and compact. Perfect for “Brush Hunting”. All those “traditional” guns are out there, but now with all the versatility of the AR-15 platform those guns are VERY popular for hunting, and are frankly becoming the new “traditional”.

Further the Remington 870 has been in duck blinds and deer stands ever since the gun was first introduced in the 1950.

For conceal carry Glock is one of the most popular brands still.

But what about home defense? The pump-action shotgun has been the mainstay for longer than even the handgun, the AR rifle is gaining massive popularity as some of the myths about stopping power and over-penetration are being dispelled.

Of course he’s pointing out the armor and gear the shooter was using. Still like everything, something can be used for good, or for evil. If you had the option to throw a ballistic vest over your PJs when you heard the sounds of somebody breaking into your home, wouldn’t you? I also have heard of some people who are range officers at shooting events who throw on a vest just in case. Accidents are rare, but they can get ugly FAST, so why not?

As for the gas mask, did anybody hear the police radio band where officers were calling for gas masks so they could enter the smoke-filled theater? Again, what can be used for offensive attacks can be used also to defend.

Of course Jason, and his compatriots think there are still Fudds left to be wooed by their lies. I might argue that they don’t exist, they’re either entrenched leftists who are willing to find another hobby if that’s what the anti-rights collective demands, or they’re hunters who have learned their lesson…and probably own a so-called “Assault Rifle”.

Further another HUGE demographic they’re missing is the most rapidly growing one…people who don’t seriously hunt who are buying guns and ammo. They could care less about “Sporting Purposes”, they’re looking for the best tool to defend their lives and the lives of others!

What’s best is we’re all on one side….and Jason is alone pushing a box car.

Any wonder why he disabled the comments on his blog?

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0 Responses to I Think the Antis Miss the Fudds

  1. JDRush says:

    I always figured the Fudds were the antis. At least any letter to the editor or editorial claiming to be from a “concerned hunter” always uses the anti talking points.

    • Weerd Beard says:

      Well these days somebody talking gun control saying “I’m a gun owner” (and often some odd credentials like “Instructor” or “Gun Smith” or adding in some modern competition they’re part of) have generally panned out to be full-fledged antis with no interest in gun rights of any sort, and IF they own guns, they could care less if they’re all carted away….or in the case of Joan’s friend who builds replica muzzle loaders, thinks his collection is 100% safe.

      But back in the 90s I think there were a LOT of people who weren’t avid shooters, and likely didn’t carry, but WERE out in the field every year for hunting season, and maybe took a few days to go out and punch some groups with their guns of choice who just assumed the antis were going push forward with a full-fledged UK-style gun ban, and they assumed that if they sacrificed hi-cap handguns (in a time when 1911s and revolvers were the most common guns in America) and “Assault Rifles” (when the most common guns were wood-stocked rifles, often of bolt, or lever action, tho semi-auto guns were there, but even the M1 Garand, and M1 Carbine that many people owned weren’t counted in the ban) they could put a stop to the press.

      Also many people were totally ignorant of the AK and AR pattern guns, the media made every effort to portray them as full-auto, and capable of full-on military service, including the most often misunderstood “Grenade Launcher” part of the ban, which I would say 99% of all people assumed meant centerfire 40mm launchers like the M203, rather than that odd muzzle adapter used with a blank round on the M1 Garand or SKS to fire a rifle grenade.

      Hell I remember hearing people say that an AR in 5.56×45 or an AK in 7.62×39 would “Blow a deer apart”, and never a reference to the muzzle energy produced by .30-30 WCF or .30-06, or even 12 ga.

      I think there were a LOT of hunters who simply were ignorant and afraid and ran with it.

  2. Kristopher says:

    Hunters are a dying demographic.

    Most firearms and ammo are sold, these days, to folks who describe themselves as shooters, not hunters.

    The victim-disarmament crowd is slow to get the message, so they always begin their false flag screeds with “I own a shotgun for hunting, but …”

    Besides, if an anti claimed to be an actual shooter, and not a hunter, he would get laughed off of the forum or comments section he posted on.

    • Weerd Beard says:

      I don’t know if the hunters are DYING, its certainly getting harder with land being used up and areas being restricted….but I still think its VERY popular, just there aren’t many people who are JUST hunters.

      There are more people who carry every day and have a home defense gun and a plan…..but in hunting season they’re in the woods. They’ll identify more with shooters because they shoot year round and hunt for one season.

      • Divemedic says:

        I think hunting is dying out, and the statistics back this opinion up.
        In 2006 (the latest I could find), there were 12.5 million hunting licenses issued in the United States. If we look at the numbers, we can see a definite trend of fewer hunters, beginning in the late ’80s.
        1997— 14.9 million
        1996 — 15.2 million
        1992— 15.7 million
        1989 — 15.8 million
        1988 — 15.9 million
        1987— 15.8 million
        1982— 16.7 million
        1972—16.6 million

        This is 12.5 million hunters out of 90 million gun owners means that the majority of gun owners are not about hunting. This could be why the pro gun photo-ops of candidates hunting with break open shotguns doesn’t resonate with voters like it used to.

        source: http://www.fws.gov/hunting/huntstat.html

        • Weerd Beard says:

          I bow to your superior data!

          Well done! Thanks!

        • James says:

          This is an interesting discussion on a topic that I’ve thought about myself.

          When I started shooting and hunting in the late 70’s and early 80’s, I could drive (hell, sometimes walk) just a few miles away from my home in TN and easily small game hunt and not much further away, larger game. I rarely heard any complaints from locals if all safe methods were employed.

          It seems to me that as population spreads out further from city centers hunting will continue its decline. Also ‘symbolism of violence’ rhetoric associating menial gun ownership and use even for only hunting is having an effect on tolerance towards hunting.

          I’ll give you an example. About ten years ago I was at my father’s semi-rural house for a family get-together where I was shooting a BB gun off the back deck into aluminum cans in front of a safe backstop. I offered helping my 12yo niece a go at marksmanship. Her reply was “No thanks, I am not a violent person.” My jaw about spanked the ground. These concepts are what your children are taught now.

          One almost certainly has to enjoin with fellow hunters on leases to hunt. It’s much more difficult now to find/travel to WMA’s or private land where the owner will let you hunt. The attitude towards firearms has changed significantly. God forbid if I was to walk down the street with a 870/.22 and wearing a hunting vest in my neck of the woods now.

          I still occasionally hunt but now mostly enjoy IDPA and 3Gun.

  3. Old NFO says:

    I don wonder at all… Good luck with that boxcar there Bud…

  4. Thirdpower says:

    Perfect example of this is the ‘partisan’ from Fortress America. the 1984 version was a ‘hunter’. The modern version is a tricked out guy w/ an AR and turned around ballcap.

    • Weerd Beard says:

      Yeah that was a cool observation.

      Most of the stuff was just updates to what people considered “Futuristic”, but the partisans is the change of attitude about self-defense and civilian arms.

  5. Paul Kanesky says:

    Maybe the Fudds wised up and gave credence to Ben Franklin
    “We must all hang together or we will surely hang alone”
    Weer’d, You hit the nail right on the head when you said the anti’s like to preface their anti gun attacks with their comment “I own guns — but”
    They think it makes them sound “reasonable”. I for one, get offended that they think I am stupid enough to believe them.
    Paul in Texas

  6. Greg Camp says:

    The way Fudds are portrayed, I’ve always figured them to be older guys who were raised too well to paint slogans on banners and march down the street. They live by the rules and are willing to believe that others do as well. But spend enough time with control freaks, and the nasty side comes out.

    The message here is that when you stab someone in the back after he’s extended his hand to help you, he’ll probably just kill you if you come into range again. (That’s speaking metaphorically, sort of.)

  7. Tom says:

    To state the obvious, America is a very different place than it was in 1994. Specifically, though, guns are more mainstream. There are TV shows about them (American Guns, Sons of Guns, 1/3 of the History channel). Concealed carry is shall-issue in something like 40 of the states. And the number of people dying from guns certainly hasn’t increased. My favorite lines over the past couple of days are from NY Rep. Carolyn McCarthy saying that there are a lot of people who would vote for her bills for more gun regulations, if only they weren’t so afraid of the NRA. Well, who, exactly, Ms. McCarthy? Lautenberg? Schakowsky? The American public isn’t afraid of guns like we were 18 years ago. We’ve stopped believing in the stories of fantastical killing power of guns that the antis told. We’ve stopped believing that good people turn into murderers in the mere presence of a gun, like the antis told. And we haven’t seen the rivers of blood, like the antis promised.

  8. Jack says:

    They sure do.

    That is when they even remember that the Fudds are largly gone.
    Take this bit from Bloomberg
    http://pjmedia.com/tatler/2012/07/23/bloomberg-time-for-obama-romney-to-be-held-accountable-on-gun-control/
    “The last time I saw a deer wearing a bulletproof vest was a long time ago,” Bloomberg said.

    Given that traditional fudd deer guns can defeat bulletproof vests…

    And that most people don’t buy guns to hunt bambi these days…

    • Weerd Beard says:

      Facts are irrelevant to them, and their talking points are designed to be emotional fodder for the ignorant.

      Another thing that they have lost is a vast base of ignorant people. I was an anti simply because I didn’t have access to today’s internet. Somebody told me that an M-16 was more powerful than a .30-06, and I had no easy way to verify this, so I simply assumed it was true.

      Today I hear somebody say “.300 BLK and .300 Whisper are the same round” and 30 seconds on the internet to verify this.

      I’m also the dork who points out that while .30-30 Win and 7.62×39 are SIMILAR in ballistics, I’d say the .30-30 is a bit more of a stout round, and that long neck lets you load some scary-heavy bullets!

      Sure I have cartridge load books on my bench, but its just as quick to do a google search.

      Also in the last 10 or so years search results deliver a LOT more pro-gun sites in the first page of hits than anti-gun ones, which was the opposite in recent history.

      So he can lie, but its hard to not get caught these days.

      • Jack says:

        A’yup.

        They’re still operating under the assumption that they control the narrative and all the information. As you say, it’s now much easier for someone in the position you were in to look up basic info.

        When someone says “The AWB banned machine guns!” It’s trivial to show the lie.

        And thus the proto-Weerd is faced with a choice: At /best/ he’s being lectured to by an ignoramus who is so arrogant he can’t even spend a few seconds to look up basic, basic info . Which makes you wonder why you’d take /any/ advice from such a window-licking blowhard.

        Or the proto-Weerd being lied to by a wanna-be tyrant doing a cheap appeal to emotion. Said tyrant is also so arrogant that he assumes the ignorant masses would never bother to check out his facts.

        Note that I didn’t type Xor.

  9. Canadian says:

    Hunting may or may not be dying out, but it is a skill we need.

    Grocery stores are a fairly new thing in terms of humanity, and odds are they will not last forever.

    Sooner or later we will be hunting and gathering again, perhaps for a short period, perhaps extended, during humanities progression through time.

    Also, at least for Canada, many hunters did not register their guns or get a firearms license for fear (well founded) of government gun confiscations, but they are still there hunting. The data shows a declining number of gun owners and hunters but it may not be accurate.

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