Delaware might get a handgun-only deer season:

Under a bill passed last week, Delaware hunters will have a one-week deer hunting season in which only large-caliber handguns can be used. Hunting with handguns had not been allowed at any time previously.

Hunters will be allowed to use pistols ranging from .357 caliber to .50 caliber to hunt on private property south of the Chesapeake & Delaware Canal.

According to the article, 47 other states already allow hunting with handguns, so it’s not like this is some kind of radical proposal that will turn Delaware into the Wild West and make the streets run red with blood. And isn’t hunting one of those “legitimate” uses that define what kinds of guns we can own? Still, no article about guns would be complete without a little balance:

But Hank Sundermeyer of Newark thinks [Gov.] Minner should take a second look at the issue. At a time when gun violence is on the rise and the nation is in the midst of a war on terrorism, Sundermeyer said he thinks handgun hunting sends the wrong message.

“To say that 47 other states allow this isn’t much of an excuse,” said Sundermeyer, a retired DuPont Co. engineer. “At a time when more handguns are being used in crimes, we shouldn’t be doing things that encourage the proliferation of handguns.”

Don’t forget The Children, Mr. Sundermeyer!

John Thompson [president of the Delaware Sportsman’s Association] said the type of guns covered under the bill aren’t favored by criminals because they’re hard to conceal. Under the proposal, pistols would have to have a minimum barrel length of 5.75 inches and could have barrels of up to 12.5 inches. The bill also would allow hunters to equip their pistols with telescopic sights.

They’re Evil Assault Sniper Handguns! I want a bayonet lug on mine.

Posted in uncategorized on May 22nd, 2005 by Thibodeaux | RSS 2.0 |