I hate the idea of "It's ethical if it's legal" because it puts your ethics in the hands of legislators. It also leads to the strange conclusion that something can be ethical in one state and unethical in another. To me, ethics transcends state boundaries and applies more broadly across one's own take on a sport or activity.
I do have concerns about hunting's image (and I consider my own image as a hunter), not because of those who are against hunting but because of those on the fence. Those fence sitters can be engaged by our noble past and rustic image, (who isn't excited by a picture of a guy on ridgeline glassing for elk with his bow in the grass beside him?). Or they could be turned into antis when they are repulsed by someone elk hunting with a 50 BMG or blazing away with a 30 round AR. Polls regularly show that the majority of Americans are non-hunters who are moderately ambivalent about hunting.
These discussions usually confuse 2nd amendment rights with hunting privileges. Intelligent people realise that hunting is a privilege that exists basically at the whim of the non-hunting majority. Behave accordingly and I suspect you'll always be "ethical".
"behave accordingly and I suspect you'll always be "ethical". " Well, yea & pretty much defines ethics. It has to do with behavior & not which type of weapon they carry.
Any of ya'll that think using an AR for hunting is wrong need to take it up with our oldest gunmaker, Remington.
http://www.remington.com/products/firearms/centerfire_rifles/Model_R-25.aspHere is what Remington says about their new R-25 in Big Game Calibers, "Remington is excited to announce the Model R-25, a modular repeating rifle designed for Big Game Hunters." They go on to say they introduced the rifle "with the hunter in mind". Maybe those who feel an AR is "unethical" should tell Remington & their marketing people how they are in error.
Zumbo the Dumbo tried it & it hurt us. It hurt us because right after he made his stupid remarks the anti's grabbed the info & ran with it & this set us back a little. They pointed to Dumbo & said, see, you don't need those to hunt.
Rem instead correctly realizes that we can educate the hunter & the hunter can correctly educate others just as Dumbo incorrectly influenced others. Rem is right & I thank them for sticking to their guns, no pun intended. If people don't think that teaching people that guns aren't inherently bad, auto or not is the correct way to go then they are ignorant of the process. And it is a process, the anti's understand that & the use of incrementalism. If we don't take advantage of the process, the anti's will & do. The AR becomes unneeded for anyone, then the Bolt Gun becomes a sniper rifle. Handguns, nay those are used in crimes. Hence, this is where the education comes in that guns are not inherently evil, otherwise they
ALL become evil.
And yea, Swampman that is why I mentioned the bolt gun, I understand incrementalism & I guess you don't.