no subject

[lotesse]

Here is a thing that I learned about the gun culture last year: even if you own a gun to hunt in order to feed your family, for large meat animals, shooting is the least of it. The meat has to be processed, and the equipment needed is large and expensive. My ex did his hunting on a friend's farm, to have easy access to their processing equipment. Other hunters in the area bring their kills to local butcher shops, where they have to pay a fee for processing.

You can't "feed your family" effectively as a hunter unless you're willing to invest in a lot more than just a gun. And if you have to rent processing equipment, then I don't see why having to rent your gun would be any more onerous.

Comments

[executrix]

IIRC in Switzerland it is mandatory for every household to OWN a rifle, but it's also mandatory to keep it locked up in the police station.

[lotesse]

Do you know what the rationale is for the everyone-must-be-armed policy? What are they preventing/assuring? It sounds like basically a citizen defense preparedness measure.

If the guns were all under lock and key with the police, you wouldn't need to worry about toddler shootings, domestic violence incidents, stupid drunk ppl with guns ... I don't like the idea of having to own one myself, but if I didn't have such bad associations, maybe it could be just another tool.

[executrix]

The theory is that in case of invasion, everyone will collect their guns, Although it would have to be a pretty stupid invader who didn't make the copshop the first place they went.*


*Mind you both Napoleon and Hitler thought invading Russia in the winter was a good idea.

[lotesse]

Ok, that makes some sense. In the US we've got the big standing army; and I doubt that most of the modern "militias" would be able to contribute much in an invasion situation. For one thing, drones!

[ilyena_sylph]

...

renting the guns.

What a fascinating idea.

I mean, you'd have to rent every time you wanted to practice, and that would probably get expensive really fast, but.

[lotesse]

It's how a lot of people in my hometown managed skiing, renting equipment from the resort on arrival. My sib and I had our own skis for a while, because my parents had a work relationship with one of the resorts and were able to buy some of the old rental equipment when the business updated their inventory. The big difference is that you'd have to practice/hunt within convenient distance of the rental warehouse, so you wouldn't be able to roam the woods or shoot cans in your backyard ... but tbh i'm not sure those are the best ideas ....