Are you Pro-Gun because of predators?

[cafarmgirl]

We are pro gun more because of human predators to tell you the truth. We are rural and in the past it has taken police longer to get here then I am comfortable with. If I catch somebody breaking into my house at night I am not waiting for the posse to arrive!

As far as predators, it is pretty rare that we ever have to consider shooting anything and we've been at this farming thing for many years. I make it a point to keep secure pens and there have only been a couple occasions when a coyote was getting too brave, too comfortable and too close to the house that the gun came out. We have had more trouble with free roaming dogs then anything else. Few years back my husband did shoot a big dog that came onto our property went after every animal I own then came after me.

 

[Evelle]

i am pro gun.. as long as they are taken care of and you teach young ones to respect them and teach them they are not toys and can a will kill them if messed with out help.

 

[bucky52]

i'am female I am Pro-gun i carry .love my glock.My husband and I Own And Run A Gun Shop.

 

[chamoisee]

I am a pacifist....and while I wouldn't call myself pro-gun, I do think that guns are a tool that we should have access to and which should be treated with respect.

I hate using a gun....the things scare me. I use them for two things: to dispatch goats, and to chase away dogs that threaten my stock. Otherwise, I personally would not use one at all.

 

[EMaker]

I'm pro gun when the gun is in the hands of a responsible adult ONLY, and when the gun is used as a last resort means of personal protection. I'm not pro shooting predators. I am most assuredly NOT a pro-SSS, which in my opinion is a cowardly, redneck tactic (it means shoot, shovel, shut up---meaning you shoot your neighbor's dog if it bothers your livestock, hide the body and then don't tell anyone what you did. ) Instead, I'm pro- securing one's animal housing.

 

[Dogfish]

Quote:
Maybe the predator & pests section isn't for you. Please stop your baiting.

Firearms are tools. No different than an axe, shovel, car, or a hammer. Used in a specific manner, they get the job done correctly. All of the previously mentioned tools can cause unintended deaths if used incorrectly.

 

[Ole rooster]

I will say this, if emaker is correct, I'm one of the worst rednecks around. And I love to have it so.

Is this thread appropriate for this forum? I love it but some folks could get excited.

 

[kareninthesun]

No, living close to the border and having two break ins when my teen kids came home made me pro-gun.

 

[chamoisee]

My dog policy is to scare the dog away the first time...which isn't hard because I am a horrible shot, and to notify the owner that their dog is running stock. Should an animal's life be in immediate danger i.e., the neighbor's horse cornered in a barbwire fence by four dogs which were leaping at its throat, then the responsible thing is to shoot the offending animals if they cannot be scared off.

I don't shovel and I don't shut up. After the first warning, if the dog returns, I can't really call myself a responsible animal owner if a dog breaks into a pen and attempts a killing rampage while I stand by helplessly. The animals/birds didn't ask to be bred and kept in this vulnerable position. It is my duty to protect them.

Except for dogs, the only other predation has been a coon which took out a couple of runner ducks which were nesting on the bank of the pond. The dogs have inflicted far more damage than any wild animal. I feel horrible about shooting them, but while it is my responsibility to keep my animals safe and on my property, it is also the neighbor's responsibility to keep their dogs on their property and from running livestock. It's an awful choice to be forced into.

 

[Mac in Wisco]

A gun is just another tool I use to get a job done. I have a number of guns each bought for a specific purpose, but I don't really "collect" guns, nor would I consider myself a "gun nut", just a gun owner.

I agree with EMaker to an extent. I don't blast every predator that comes onto the farm (that would be a full time job), most of the time I just keep the birds locked up at night and shoo off the occasional opossum or coon that is nosing around. I wouldn't shoot any dog that I could scare away or recognize as a neighbor's dog. I don't think most here would either, SSS is usually recommended when folks are at wit's end as to what to do about problem dogs, not an everyday means for any dog that comes around. I wouldn't consider it "cowardly" to do such if dogs are menacing someone or consistently destroying their property.