Amidst the campaigns of presidential candidates for the 2016 election and debates among these candidates, animal rights and hunting have yet to be discussed. However, the topic of gun rights and regulations have been heatedly debated on and have been a major platform for candidates to express their views. Not only will the fate of gun rights and regulations effect the United States socially, but also environmentally. More regulation versus less regulation for hunting also could mean more action towards preserving animal populations versus a persistent killing of animals for sport with minimal regulation.
Florida’s Controversial Bear Hunt
Last Saturday October 24, 2015, Florida allowed a controversial bear hunt to proceed with an objective of killing 320 bears. Florida’s black bear population had grown to 3,500 bears and this growing population presented a safety problem to the residents of Florida. However, just after two days (Sunday), The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission announced a close to the hunt after an unexpected number of 295 bears had already been killed. Florida’s bear hunt brings up an important question of animal rights and its future in the political agenda of the federal government.
2016 Presidential Elections
Many of the major presidential candidates are divided along party lines regarding gun control. However, when it comes to animal rights and hunting, the line gets fuzzy and even seem non-existent.
Florida’s Controversial Bear Hunt
Last Saturday October 24, 2015, Florida allowed a controversial bear hunt to proceed with an objective of killing 320 bears. Florida’s black bear population had grown to 3,500 bears and this growing population presented a safety problem to the residents of Florida. However, just after two days (Sunday), The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission announced a close to the hunt after an unexpected number of 295 bears had already been killed. Florida’s bear hunt brings up an important question of animal rights and its future in the political agenda of the federal government.
2016 Presidential Elections
Many of the major presidential candidates are divided along party lines regarding gun control. However, when it comes to animal rights and hunting, the line gets fuzzy and even seem non-existent.
When looking at past statements and record of candidates, many are surprisingly advocates for recreational use of guns and hunting of animals. Clearly, there is not a distinction of party lines within this issue. However, when we compare the candidate’s stance on hunting/animal rights to their stance on gun control, we get a whole different picture where party lines are strongly still intact.
Even without labelling the Democratic and Republican candidates on the chart above. It is clear on who is in which party.
It is curious to see how candidates deal with hunting and gun rights. Many of the candidates believe that hunting should not have to be regulated more, but when looking at their gun control plan, the stringent laws that many of the candidates are proposing will affect hunters, the majority of gun owners in America.
For a candidate like Martin O' Malley who has such a strict gun control plan, hunters in his state have raised concerns about whether these laws will affect them. In response to these concern he stresses that he would carve out exemptions for hunting rifles and not interfere with Marylanders’ ability to “introduce a young hunter to the sport and the conservation stewardship ethic borne of that experience.”
"Let me be clear" he [Martin O' Malley] states, "We are committed to protecting hunters and their traditions. That’s why we specifically carved out shotguns and rifles from the licensing requirements of our bill."
It seems that there's two ways of thinking on this matter: either to separate animal hunting and gun control for violent acts against humans or putting both under the umbrella of gun control, but giving exceptions to some of these rules to accomodate to hunters.
One Northeastern University student, Michelle Park (1st Year, Business Major), believes that a reason for these two separate polar views seen in candidate stances on hunting and gun control is because hunting and gun rights are both sensitive issues--both involves guns and the second amendment, factors that “hit close to home” for many Americans. “But,” she further states, “candidates are focusing on gun rights because of the mass shootings that have occurred in the past years and, therefore, separating violent acts like these from traditional animal hunting.” Another Northeastern student, Sohan Shah (3rd Year, Finance Major), believes that in terms of hunting, guns are not the problem, rather the destruction of habitats are. He aligns his view with many of the candidates, believing that when it comes to animals, hunting and guns are not the problem and that conservation of animals should be a separate matter that has to do with finding a solution on how to stop the degradation and destruction of habitats. Both responded that although a candidate's view on hunting would change their image of that candidate, it would not sway their decision.
The future of hunting seems as though it will persist as it always has with minimal regulation. However, with the call to action for more stringent gun control plans by the public. Hunters may unavoidably have to face more regulations as well. Although the debates and gun control plans among the candidates focus mainly on human to human violence involving guns, the gun policies that they are shaping will also affect hunting and the preservation of animals, a point that should be kept in mind as we watch the 2016 Presidential Race unfold.
- Susan Kim
Learn More
See what politicians are doing in terms of animal rights and see their voting records:
http://www.hslf.org/assets/pdfs/humane-scorecard/humane-scorecard-2014.pdf
An interesting podcast that shows guns and legislations from the view of a professional hunter:
http://www.radiolab.org/story/rhino-hunter/
Sources
http://www.politico.com/story/2015/10/jeb-bush-oregon-campus-shooting-stuff-happens-214386
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/mar/26/marco-rubio-takes-aim-at-dc-gun-control-laws/?page=all
http://members-of-congress.insidegov.com/l/315/Marco-Rubio
http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/oct/11/bernie-sanders-democrat-gun-control-record
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/06/us/politics/bernie-sanders-hillary-clinton-gun-control.html
http://www.npr.org/sections/itsallpolitics/2015/06/24/417180805/bernie-sanders-walks-a-fine-line-on-gun-control
http://www.ontheissues.org/Environment.htm
http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/twist-the-shoot-with-ted-cruz-sweepstakes
https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/in-the-loop/wp/2014/04/24/the-day-after-cruz-posed-with-a-tiger-skin/
http://www.forwardprogressives.com/marco-rubio-forget-dead-lion-focus-fetuses-instead/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2015/06/15/heres-your-cheat-sheet-to-jeb-bushs-political-career/
http://www.ontheissues.org/Jeb_Bush.htm
http://www.hslf.org/assets/pdfs/humane-scorecard/humane-scorecard-2014.pdf
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/mar/26/marco-rubio-takes-aim-at-dc-gun-control-laws/?page=all
http://www.myfoxboston.com/story/30346140/wildlife-agency-floridas-2015-bear-hunt-ends-after-2nd-day
http://www.politico.com/story/2015/10/jeb-bush-oregon-campus-shooting-stuff-happens-214386
http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2015/10/05/3708954/clinton-gun-control/
https://www.thedodo.com/trump-speaks-on-sons-hunting-1275724124.html
It is curious to see how candidates deal with hunting and gun rights. Many of the candidates believe that hunting should not have to be regulated more, but when looking at their gun control plan, the stringent laws that many of the candidates are proposing will affect hunters, the majority of gun owners in America.
For a candidate like Martin O' Malley who has such a strict gun control plan, hunters in his state have raised concerns about whether these laws will affect them. In response to these concern he stresses that he would carve out exemptions for hunting rifles and not interfere with Marylanders’ ability to “introduce a young hunter to the sport and the conservation stewardship ethic borne of that experience.”
"Let me be clear" he [Martin O' Malley] states, "We are committed to protecting hunters and their traditions. That’s why we specifically carved out shotguns and rifles from the licensing requirements of our bill."
It seems that there's two ways of thinking on this matter: either to separate animal hunting and gun control for violent acts against humans or putting both under the umbrella of gun control, but giving exceptions to some of these rules to accomodate to hunters.
One Northeastern University student, Michelle Park (1st Year, Business Major), believes that a reason for these two separate polar views seen in candidate stances on hunting and gun control is because hunting and gun rights are both sensitive issues--both involves guns and the second amendment, factors that “hit close to home” for many Americans. “But,” she further states, “candidates are focusing on gun rights because of the mass shootings that have occurred in the past years and, therefore, separating violent acts like these from traditional animal hunting.” Another Northeastern student, Sohan Shah (3rd Year, Finance Major), believes that in terms of hunting, guns are not the problem, rather the destruction of habitats are. He aligns his view with many of the candidates, believing that when it comes to animals, hunting and guns are not the problem and that conservation of animals should be a separate matter that has to do with finding a solution on how to stop the degradation and destruction of habitats. Both responded that although a candidate's view on hunting would change their image of that candidate, it would not sway their decision.
The future of hunting seems as though it will persist as it always has with minimal regulation. However, with the call to action for more stringent gun control plans by the public. Hunters may unavoidably have to face more regulations as well. Although the debates and gun control plans among the candidates focus mainly on human to human violence involving guns, the gun policies that they are shaping will also affect hunting and the preservation of animals, a point that should be kept in mind as we watch the 2016 Presidential Race unfold.
- Susan Kim
Learn More
See what politicians are doing in terms of animal rights and see their voting records:
http://www.hslf.org/assets/pdfs/humane-scorecard/humane-scorecard-2014.pdf
An interesting podcast that shows guns and legislations from the view of a professional hunter:
http://www.radiolab.org/story/rhino-hunter/
Sources
http://www.politico.com/story/2015/10/jeb-bush-oregon-campus-shooting-stuff-happens-214386
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/mar/26/marco-rubio-takes-aim-at-dc-gun-control-laws/?page=all
http://members-of-congress.insidegov.com/l/315/Marco-Rubio
http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/oct/11/bernie-sanders-democrat-gun-control-record
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/06/us/politics/bernie-sanders-hillary-clinton-gun-control.html
http://www.npr.org/sections/itsallpolitics/2015/06/24/417180805/bernie-sanders-walks-a-fine-line-on-gun-control
http://www.ontheissues.org/Environment.htm
http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/twist-the-shoot-with-ted-cruz-sweepstakes
https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/in-the-loop/wp/2014/04/24/the-day-after-cruz-posed-with-a-tiger-skin/
http://www.forwardprogressives.com/marco-rubio-forget-dead-lion-focus-fetuses-instead/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2015/06/15/heres-your-cheat-sheet-to-jeb-bushs-political-career/
http://www.ontheissues.org/Jeb_Bush.htm
http://www.hslf.org/assets/pdfs/humane-scorecard/humane-scorecard-2014.pdf
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/mar/26/marco-rubio-takes-aim-at-dc-gun-control-laws/?page=all
http://www.myfoxboston.com/story/30346140/wildlife-agency-floridas-2015-bear-hunt-ends-after-2nd-day
http://www.politico.com/story/2015/10/jeb-bush-oregon-campus-shooting-stuff-happens-214386
http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2015/10/05/3708954/clinton-gun-control/
https://www.thedodo.com/trump-speaks-on-sons-hunting-1275724124.html