If you are going to talk about hunting and self protection, then you are inevitably going to talk about the primary modern device behind each of these activities: firearms. There are three primary legitimate purposes for owning, maintaining, and acquiring skills in regards to firearms:
1. Protection
2. Hunting
3. Sporting Activities
Depending on where you live in the world, the order in which these three functions are arranged (according to various criteria, including government regulation, and citizen involvement) may be different.
A 2005 Gallop poll found that 4 in 10 Americans have a gun in their homes, including 30% who say they personally own a gun and 12% who say another member of their household owns it. (Note: These results show essentially no change from the same poll taken in 2000.) This same poll found that American gun owners stated they own firearms for the following reasons:
• 67% – Protection
• 66% – Target Shooting
• 41% – Hunting
(See: Article: “Gun Ownership and Use in America.” By Joseph Carroll. Gallup Poll, November 22, 2005. http://www.gallup.com/poll/20098/gun-ownership-use-america.aspx)
For our purposes at ErmegencyPrepWorld.com, our main focus is upon the hunting and protection applications for firearms. However, it should be noted, for those who choose to own a firearm, that target shooting is highly encouraged and should be a regular practice. Like with all tools and skills, in order to be adequately affective and proficient (as well as safe in this case), practice and regular use is indispensible. When it comes to firearms, target shooting is the most common method of receiving this practice. In this light, it is often said (and we agree) that a gun owner should fire at least a thousand rounds through their firearm before they really know their weapon, and are able to be safe and efficient with it – which is the name of the game if you ever HAD to use one.
Obviously, there are many other skills and devices (besides firearms) that can and should be considered when it comes to hunting and personal protection. For more info on these, see the other pages listed in this section, as well as our section on Skills and Training.
