Proposed Hunting of Mountain Lions
State Sen. Jim Nielsen (R-Rohnert Park) refers to the proposed California mountain lion hunt as a sport (Letters, Feb. 15).
Most sporting events worthy of the name provide for approximately equal weapons and rules for both sides in the contest, and a reasonable chance that either side might win.
How many would consider it “sporting” for the New York Giants to line up for a game against some high school football team? Yet the parallel to that occurs when in the name of “sport” we permit a guy with a high-powered rifle to line up against a dumb animal.
I agree that anyone who wants to own a rifle and use it to hunt animals, for whatever reason, should be permitted to do so. But I do object to the continuing prostitution of our language by referring to killing animals with a rifle as “sport.” It’s no such thing! Neither should we refer to hunting rifles as “sporting goods”.
Where did we go wrong?
JOE McARDLE
Carlsbad
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
