So why am I not out there hunting this Saturday morning? Why I am instead spending time looking into a computer screen writing this editorial instead of looking down the barrel of my deer rifle?

The reason is simple — it is more important to me to do all I can to save our hunting future than it is to be doing an activity that for me has had no equal in over 43 years. I love hunting whether with a rifle, shotgun, handgun or bow.

I am sick and tired of being associated with extremists, crazy people or those who misuse firearms just because I am a hunter or own a gun.

At no time before in our history has the future of hunting or gun rights been more at stake. The decision to be made on November 7th is clear. At the national level one candidate is for allowing you to keep your gun rights — George W. Bush. The other candidate, Al Gore, had been for gun control and when the election is over he will continue to push for more gun control. It's simple, a vote for Bush means our hunting tradition will continue; a vote for Gore is the beginning of the end of your rights to own firearms.

I have heard some of you say, "They are not going to take our guns away." I agree that we will not see 100% of our guns taken away in the next four years if Gore is elected. But mark my words, if Gore is elected you will have fewer gun rights after four year than you have today. In addition, the Supreme Court will be controlled by Gore appointees with gun control leanings. This will have a negative effect on hunting and gun rights for tens of years to come. Think of this… What gun rights have you seen taken away that have later been returned to you? When they're gone, they're gone!

Our elected officials will be making the decision on your gun rights. They are influenced by polls of the general public. This same general public jumps for anything the gun control side offers up when they hear of a crime committed with a firearm. Their emotion takes over without the logic of reality. If we used their logic we would be calling for the registration of all alcohol or think of banning it everytime we hear of someone being killed in a traffic accident by someone who drank too much and then got behind the wheel of a car.

I got a real, reality jolt just yesterday of how uninformed people are about firearms. I had a political discussion with a person whose intelligence and reasoning I respect (or did). I told him I was voting for candidates who were for my rights to own firearms. He told me he thought only the police and military should have handguns because there is no purpose for anyone else to have a handgun. I almost fell over at his statement because up until then I had considered him to be a well-informed person. This is the same public that will answer polls on gun control that will influence politicians.

If you love hunting, if you don't want to lose anymore of your gun rights, the most important thing to do this hunting season is make sure which candidates are for your rights and vote for them on November 7th!

Don't Let Them Gut Shoot Us This Election!

Jerry Springer