8, 10, whatever, just let me sell more guns

The Dailytakes blog seems to think folks shouldn't be questioning the fact that one of the biggest proponents of the concealed carry bill and the effort to get younger and younger kids carrying loaded weapons, Rep. Scott Gunderson, owns a gun store. It's a legitimate question. Why? It's called a conflict of interest since Rep. Gunderson stands to gain something from the bill. This is something normally frowned upon when it comes to folks introducing legislation.

In fact, if you look at Gunderson's legislation list, you see he is trying to get the age lowered to any point he can. He has introduced this bill to let 10 and 11-year-olds hunt. And he also sponsors the bill to let eight and nine-year-olds hunt. He'll take more guns sales any way he can get them.

Ask yourself if it would matter if Rep. Gunderson sold shoes instead and introduced a bill to eliminate sales tax on the sale of shoes. Would you think he stood something to gain by this bill to increase shoe sales? Would people be crying foul?

I'm not against hunting. I've got a freezer full of venison and I'm quite certain my son will go hunting someday. I just don't think he should have that loaded gun in his hand when he is in third grade. Third grade. Go watch a playground of third-graders this week and try to picture them with loaded guns in their hands in a thick woods where it can be really hard to see and other people are also walking in the woods. How do you even handle therapy for an eight-year old that accidentally shoots his or her father while hunting? It happens with 12-year-olds so don't think it isn't going to happen with younger kids.

And really, do you want to be the one within arms length of an eight-year-old carrying a loaded gun? I don't.

You want more kids to take up hunting Mr Gunderson? Work harder to set aside more public lands for people to use instead of fighting with Governor Doyle over Stewardship money. I hear more people complain that public hunting grounds are too crowded to be safe than I do those calling for more kids with guns. Test more deer for CWD to make sure it isn't spreading and give more people confidence that the state is really getting a handle on this problem. The blow CWD dealt to hunting over the last couple of years will not be undone by letting eight-year-olds hunt. Better monitoring of the problem will.

This bill will not increase the number of kids that will take up hunting for a lifetime. Kids will either like hunting or they won't no matter what age they start. It may however, cut some of those lives short.