As Americans continue to fight over gun safety laws, even as we kill each other at increasing rates, it struck me that we have no problem regulating the hunting of wildlife. In fact, after I looked into it, I realized that with the recent loosening of gun laws by the Kentucky General Assembly, it is now easier to hunt humans in our state than to hunt deer.
Let’s compare.
Hunting deer in Kentucky
License required: YES, if you are over the age of 12 and under the age of 64. You must carry the license with you when hunting. The hunter information section (signature, address, eye and hair color, sex, height and weight) must be filled in. Persons not required to buy a license are still expected to follow other hunting laws.
Training required: YES. You must pass a Hunter Education course if you were born after 1/1/75, and must carry proof that you have passed it with you when hunting.
Special clothing required: YES. You have to wear hunter orange, so other people know what you are doing.
High-capacity magazines outlawed: YES. You cannot use a magazine of larger than 10 rounds.
Certain ammunition outlawed: YES. You cannot use full-metal-jacket or tracer ammunition.
Background check required: YES. If you have committed a wildlife violation in Kentucky or in any of the other 42 states that are part of the Interstate Wildlife Violators Compact data-sharing initiative, you cannot get a hunting license.
Hunting humans in Kentucky
License required: NO. Anyone can purchase and carry any weapon, with no permit required.
Training required: NO. There is no requirement to have any education on using a gun in order to purchase and carry one.
Special clothing required: NO. In fact, you can hide the weapon under your clothes, so other people have no idea you are armed.
High-capacity magazines outlawed: NO. Buy the biggest magazine you can afford and carry.
Certain ammunition outlawed: NO.
Background check required: NO. Go to a gun show, hand them your money, and walk out with whatever you want.
This comparison
I’m sure by now there are some gun worshippers who are incensed that I am making this comparison, and think it is outlandish to contrast hunting deer with hunting humans. So let me ask you this:
- What do you think the shooter in El Paso was doing, after driving eight hours to get to a certain location?
- What do you think the Dayton shooter was doing, after he had written of his interest in killing people?
- What do you think the Las Vegas shooter was doing, from his human-stand up in the hotel?
They were all hunting humans. And in Kentucky, we make it damn easy for them to do it.
Let’s be clear – it is not this comparison that is outlandish. It is our non-existent gun safety laws that are outlandish. It is our NRA-slurping, macho-compensation approach to guns that is outlandish. And it is our legislature, which will not take even baby steps toward making us safer, but instead is determined to enable the next mass shooting, that is outlandish.
Kentucky – where you have to take a class and register for a license in order to hunt deer, but where all you need to hunt humans is cash on the barrelhead.
–30–
PS – In response to all the people who read this post, and some who commented, I wrote a follow-up post that you can read here.
