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Are Stricter Gun Laws in the Works?

Outdoors Magazine

Vermont --(Ammoland.com)- There is strong sentiment rising in the gun community that the Arizona shooting rampage will be used as leverage for the Obama Administration to push for stricter gun laws.

Certainly if New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg had his way, those laws would already be in place.

According to anti-gun activists like Bloomberg, 34 people are killed each day across America by firearms.

“Thirty-four people killed yesterday; 34 people killed today; 34 people killed tomorrow,” Bloomberg told MSNBC last week. “Every day, bigger than Virginia Tech — and nobody cares.”

To help support his agenda, Bloomberg recently released the results of an investigation revealing that in January, unlicensed dealers at a gun show in Phoenix sold firearms illegally. Two undercover investigators, hired by New York City, were able to purchase firearms from two dealers at the event. The buyers even tried to push the boundaries of the law by revealing they “probably couldn’t pass” a background check.

Unlicensed gun vendors are prohibited from selling firearms if they “know” or have “reason to believe” the buyer is banned from possessing a gun.

After the results of the investigation were released, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs dodged the question of whether or not the Obama Administration would be seeking stricter gun control laws.

“We believe that there are reasons that federal laws are on the books,” Gibbs said, “and the need … to strongly adhere to and follow existing law is important not just in the purchase of weapons, but throughout our civil life.”

Gibb’s then left the podium and refused to answer a follow-up question.

What does this mean for gun owners?
Over the past two years the Obama Administration has shied away from stricter gun control policies, knowing they would be difficult, if not impossible, to change. This was reinforced in February of 2009, when Attorney General Eric Holder promoted a return of the assault-weapons ban, which had expired five years earlier. Sixty-five House Democrats wrote to the White House condemning the proposal.

These philosophies appear to be changing in the wake of the Arizona rampage. The 16 Democrats on the Judiciary Committee recently sent a letter that urged Chairman Lamar Smith (R-Texas) to stage gun-safety hearings in response to the Tucson shootings.

Only time will tell what the second half of President Obama’s term will bring concerning gun control legislation. Second Amendment advocates should view recent events as a sign they need to remain vigilant in their efforts, or they risk seeing all the accomplishments of the previous 10 years washed away in an anti-gun tide.

Kyle Scanlon is the editor of Outdoors Magazine. Email him at kyle@elkpublishing.com.

About:
Each month Outdoors Magazine shines its spotlight on different areas of the outdoors world. Features and sub-features are multiple page spreads written by select experts in their fields. In addition to features and sub-features, each month Outdoors Magazine has over 40 columns written by real guides, industry experts, and the best in their fields. Our staff are die-hards who take the time out of their lives hunting and fishing to write. For more information, sponsorship opportunities, and expanded article descriptions, visit www.outdoorsmagazine.net.

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GroundHog Hunting
A “Woodchucks” Guide To Groundhogs

GroundHog Hunting

Outdoors Magazine

Vermont --(Ammoland.com)- For one day of the year they are the country’s most celebrated animal.

For the other 364 days most consider them a pest. They wreak havoc on an unprotected gardens and burrow underneath pastures creating tunnels that can collapse causing harm to cattle and horses. They are groundhogs.

Depending where you are in the country you might know them by a different name. In the East “woodchuck” is common. Some call them prairie dogs or gophers, but those are more western terms. The truth is gophers and groundhogs, while related, are different animals. Gophers only get up to 3 pounds while groundhogs can reach ten. Also, prairie dogs live in big colonies (thus those hunting videos where guys shoot hundreds of them a day) and groundhogs live in colonies of 4 –6 animals.

Some people also call them whistle pigs, but this is an older expression. It derives from a whistle-like sound the animals will emit when cornered. For the record, they are also known to swim and climb trees to escape danger.

Groundhog Day
Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania likes to take credit for the inception of Groundhog Day, but its roots go back further. It was a German tradition long before the early settlers of the small American town made it popular. If anything, Punxsutawney deserves credit for the holiday’s modern adaptation.

Groundhog Day is based on the European tradition of Candlemas Day. It falls on the mid-point between the winter and spring equinoxes. German folklore states that if the sun comes out on Candlemas, the hedgehog (or badger) will see its shadow and six more weeks of winter will follow. When German settlers came to Pennsylvania they continued this tradition, using groundhogs instead of hedgehogs to predict the weather.

Hunting Groundhogs
While the fat groundhog pictured on television the morning of February 2 might look cute, it is important to remember these animals are a very serious nuisance to farmers. While hunting them in the East is not as popular as it once was, most farmers welcome those who want to pursue the little beasts on their property. If you go out though, don’t expect a day full of shooting, the little critters are more difficult to harvest than people give them credit for.

A few tips include:

• Flies around a hole indicates it is active.
• Morning and late afternoon are the best times to hunt them. A groundhog’s den is 15 – 25 degrees cooler than the surface, meaning they will settle in them during the heat of mid-day.
• If you jump one and it runs into its hole keep an eye on the cavern entrance. Chances are that within 15 minutes (usually sooner) it will poke its head out to see what startled it and if the danger is still close at hand.
• If you are stalking a groundhog and it turns to look at you freeze. Most of the time it is the movement that scares them and they will go back to eating in 10 – 15 seconds.
• Groundhogs live to eat. They are vegetarians, and if they have a choice, will often eat alfalfa over other types of grasses.

Why Hunt Groundhogs?

• As we stated, groundhogs are a nuisance animal. Farmers and horse owners know this, and if you have ever tried to grow a garden where one is present than you understand this fact.
• Groundhogs are also edible. While it may sound unappetizing, they are vegetarians and their meat is highly prized in some circles – not to mention it doesn’t get any more organic. Most chef’s advise that you should roast them like you would roast beef. The younger, small ones are preferred table fare.
• The small tail of a groundhog is prized among fly tiers. Its thickness and texture is somewhat unique, and is used in the production of a handful of different types of flies.

About:
Each month Outdoors Magazine shines its spotlight on different areas of the outdoors world. Features and sub-features are multiple page spreads written by select experts in their fields. In addition to features and sub-features, each month Outdoors Magazine has over 40 columns written by real guides, industry experts, and the best in their fields. Our staff are die-hards who take the time out of their lives hunting and fishing to write. For more information, sponsorship opportunities, and expanded article descriptions, visit www.outdoorsmagazine.net.

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