I can't find a link to the piece that just aired, so I apologize in advance.
Martin Bashir just aired a piece about the NRA's latest video marketing, where children as young as 11 are being taught to use a firearm. That is well and good, as I support the right to bear arms, actually like guns (a sentiment not often shared on DK), and honestly believe that education is essential for responsible use.
What shocked me was what was being taught. The kids were using high-capacity assault rifles to shoot at a mannequin of a "zombie", replete with a shot counter (over 1000 rounds), and a mannequin that oozes blood. To not find this reprehensible would mystify me.
I like guns; always have. It's not the kick when the shot goes off, but the skill showed when a target is capably hit. The only reason I don't hunt is an extreme case of frostbite in my youth which makes an early-morning tree stand untenable. I also love to cook, so the two go hand in hand.
I have always believed strongly in the right to defend one's home, a belief only stronger now that I have a 2 year old. If you break into my house at 2 AM, I will find a way to stop you. And yes, I'm a touch vindictive in that type of situation - you're not walking out after threatening my family. My wife is implicitly anti-gun, so....well, anyone married can understand why I still have no pump action shotgun.
And I can shoot well. Ever since LASIK surgery, I can concentrate my vision well enough to shoot fleas off a dog at 50 yards+. But this latest video has undercut any and all arguements that may have once been made in the NRA's defense.
If you shoot any animal 1000 times you had best be on a diet, or have a penchant for lead poisoning. You're not eating that.
If you shoot a 3 dimensional humanoid target (called a zombie or not), you have to admit you are no longer training for hunting or defense. Last I checked, one or two rounds in the head was all that was needed to stop a felon. And, in my estimation, if you put a weapon with a thousand live rounds into the hands of someone who has yet to reach the age of reason (12 years old, last I checked), you are abetting the legally insane.
Like I said, I like guns, I would like to have one in the house for defense...but a new level of FRACKIN' NUTS may have just been acheived.