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There have been bills proposed in state legislatures around the country to allow
assisted blind people to hunt deer etc. Naturally the uninformed, the anti gun,
and the people who don’t like hunting have used this as a catapult to rip into
hunters, the NRA and anyone else connected with supporting this type of
legislation. I would like to take some space here to clarify what is involved
here. These people are not totally blind! They do have considerable eyesight
gone as to not make it a safe hunt alone.
Imagine yourself as a person who loves the outdoors and especially the thrill of
the hunting seasons. You have done this all your life and you still get goose
bumps every time the season rolls around. Then one day you seem to have an eye
affliction. You head off to the doctor and he tells you “I hate to have to tell
you this Joe, but you are going to lose some eyesight. Your optic nerve is
affected here and there is absolutely nothing we can do to help you in this
situation.” A feeling comes over your whole body of a very cold chill! All your
life you have been able to see and now you will become disabled to an extent
from having your entire good vision. The first thing that goes through your mind
is “How will I be able to ever hunt or shoot again? Is it all over for me and
will I never be able to enjoy the thrill of the hunt again?”
This is a very traumatic time for a person. A quick flush of depression
immediately overwhelms your body. Then you must tell yourself, “Ok I’m not going
to be completely blind, so am I going to give up and vegetate or go on and do
the best I can with what the good Lord has left me with?” It takes some strong
determination on that person’s part to say yes I will go on and do the very best
with what I have.
After the blindness has set in he thinks. I have lost too much eyesight to
really hunt safely unless some one goes with me to help. Surely the wife isn’t
going to get up at three A.M. on a Saturday to go and my buddies have their own
deer to bag.
Then someone in the state legislature feels for you and proposes that you may
legally hunt with your handicap provided some one escorts you to make sure it’s
a safe hunt. You are thrilled to death. Someone volunteers who will guide your
steps—carry your gun—tell you where the deer is coming from and this legislation
makes the exception for you, that you may use laser sights to make a clean kill.
A person who would not be able to do what he loves, except for this kind of
legislation, has gotten some of his freedom back and all the anti yo yo’s can do
is make ridiculous fun out of it. Why can’t someone like Jay Leno say that this
is a great thing and we should applaud all people involved for helping these
people out, to return to the wild and do the thing they always loved to do? May
God bless them for their efforts!
If it involved any other thing that was treated in the same way they would
applaud it, but because it’s hunting they choose to ridicule and tear it up to
no end. We as outdoors men and women need to stand up for this when any one
around us makes a joke out of it. I choose to say and I hope you will too, God
bless everyone involved in helping these people to return to their favorite
outdoor adventure despite the handicap they deal with bravely day after day! I’m
sure it creates that bubbly feeling right at the very bottom of their rib cage!
Don Bekeleski
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