There are very few things more disappointing to me than walking into a sporting goods store to buy fishing gear or maybe a box of rifle ammunition and seeing hanging on the wall a variety of assault weapons. More concerning is to see a juvenile standing there admiring a AK-47 or a AR-15 that resemble the weapons of war he probably seen on some stupid video game. Personally, I don’t see much sport or skill in filling up an animal or a junked-out car full of holes with a gun crafted to kill people.
I am an 80-year-old Alaskan, born in Juneau and raised in Hoonah and have been hunting for sport and food since I was old enough to shoot straight. I own many hunting rifles, several that I inherited and others I bought. They are all lever or bolt-action rifles designed for accuracy, and making skillful clean shots.
I think, when the second amendment was invoked In 1789, the arms that our forefathers were referring to were flintlock muskets, which were the only personal arms available at that time. Little did they know what the future would bring.
When some talk show hosts speak about guns they personalize the subject. Instead of putting the emphasis on weapons of war they generalize guns, making every listener upset including me. Either way, purposely or because of the lack of knowledge, misinformation further divides a segment of the public that are not familiar with firearms and the ones that are.
Floyd Peterson,
Hoonah