NRA Lobbyist Shoots Elephant in the Face and then Celebrates

WARNING GRAPHIC:

Wow, I could not stand to watch this all the way through. I realize the title(not mine) sounds baited and resonates a hotly debated issue. I know hunting is legal and I know the NRA is an organization with very diverse members, and not all who think shooting elephants in the face is par for the course of exercising our gun freedoms. I do not wish to turn this into an NRA bashing thread. What gets me is one, why the heck does anyone think blasting an elephant is good, cool, envious or whatever these days, and two, the stickler is the fact that this guy is a lobbyist, which directly represents the NRA imo and he goes and does this, as if rubbing it in the worlds faces to prove some point. How could someone lack such empathy to do this? It is cold hearted and imo evil(sometimes defined as having zero empathy). I think I am in good company too, so the incident just seems way out of line in terms of sensitivity to issues. Yes, if it is legal(for now) one could argue that point, but do they not consider that their actions may reflect on fellow members or the organization itself? I honestly think they do not ever consider this ,which makes them seem cold and detached. I hope that some NRA members will frown upon this and maybe write a letter or something, because these type of actions do nothing but stain any efforts for positive PR regarding guns and NRA.

“To hunt an elephant and to harvest and elephant and to bring the ivory back to camp is a very, very special occasion,” one hunter says.

Who is from another planet here, him for saying this and thinking it is normal or me for reading this and thinking wtf?!?!
My point(RANT!) is that big game hunting ESPECIALLY elephants, who have time and time again shown sentience more than most in the animal kingdom, seems friggin mad to me, and the fact that this is a rep fro the NRA just makes it worse.

Botswana announced in 2012 that an all-out ban on commercial elephant hunting would go into effect in January of 2014 over concerns of sharp declines in wildlife species.

Thank goodness!!! I am sick to my stomach now and must regain my faith in humanity.....again

I've heard of this story but refuse to watch the video, I feel physically sick just thinking about it . I hope he gets what he gives and I would happily watch that video!

All I have to say is, what IDIOT at NBC ever thought this would make a good television show?!? Wow... Don't try and out reality-TV the Reality-TV shows if this is how it ends up.

Second, this is a sick sick man. I can't put it any other way. He's a cold hearted, sick man. I'll let a little of my more compassionate side show and just say he needs help. Seriously. Psychological help, in my personal opinion.

NBC Sports Network Cancels NRA-Sponsored Elephant Hunting Show After Host Compares Critics To Hitler

reply to post by speculativeoptimist


That's just disgusting. My mother always said if I shoot it I have to clean it and eat it. Hope somebody stuffs the whole thing down his throat. Don't get me wrong, hunting is normally fine by me but why on earth shoot a sentient creature like that?

Notice how he snuck in under the 2014 ban?

Stand by for the "no true scotsman" defence.

eg. The person in the video is a lunatic, and not a "real" gun enthusiast.
No true lover of firearms would behave this way.

reply to post by alfa1

No true lover of firearms would behave this way.

I honestly wish I could agree with this, but the "no" in your statement is not accurate. Again I think these type of egomaniac are fewer than more, but there are numerous individuals like this that do these big game hunts. I just hope it becomes an outdated hobby(makes me sad to even qualify it as hobby), and people within the organization voice an opinion.
As a consumer, I chose to quit buying Jimmy John subs because their CEO does these type of hunts. The least we can do is exercise our consumer choices.

reply to post by speculativeoptimist

Ugh, that is terrible, when I joined the NRA as a child I can guarantee that I had no intention of shooting an elephant in the face. I don't think it is unreasonable to dispel the idea that this fellow's NRA affiliation is a factor in his decision to do that.

That said, I have on occasion brought up Allan Savory's massacre of 40,000 elephants in the name of 'greening' the desert that he later apologized for having discovered that he was thinking incorrectly.

What Could the Massacre of 40,000 Elephants Possibly Teach Us?

reply to post by Wrabbit2000

Thanks for the link Wrabbit and it just goes to show how some of us are worlds apart on what we think is right and wrong. The fact they created this show must represent their expectation for an audience who enjoys it. It just seems so out of place for the 21st century.

Spec, this guy is a lobbyist and possibly not even a member of the NRA. He only represents the NRA to Congress, not the public. I have little respect for lobbyists as a profession and even less for those who would kill elephants. That said, it is the money generated from licenses that allows African governments to set aside land and hire rangers to protect the wildlife there. I can't stand trophy hunting as such but for now it pays the bills and protects the elephants from local tribes who would do the very same thing and sell the ivory on the black market.
It's a poor solution at best. These animals deserve the protection developed nations could afford to pay were it a higher priority politically but shamefully we waste our money on military and spying.

ETA: I didn't read Wrabbit's response about how this show was sponsored by the NRA. Very bad call IMO. Many members are hunters but trophy hunters are a tiny segment of their constituency. This is one of the biggest reasons I never like Teddy Roosevelt. He spent a year in Africa doing nothing but shooting the largest animals he could find.

reply to post by greencmp

Yea I am sure if some type of global poll was taken, killing elephants would be surely be in the minority these days, but does it matter? Glad to see them getting protection Jan 14, but I bet the hunting increases between now and then.

Mis-leading title of the OP.

These a-holes aren't US born.

This video is just trying to stir up crap for the NRA.

Am I'm not a bleeding heart. Go ahead and kill an elephant (IF)
you plan on eating it.

one more thing....elephant hunting?...really?

What's next?....cow hunting?

reply to post by Asktheanimals

possibly not even a member of the NRA.

I'd bet the farm that he is friend, but I get your point, as well as the licensing for profits idea and how locals poachers do destruction too, but this guy is representing westerners, the nra and hunters, so imo it is worse when he does it, especially in a celebratory manner televising it for others to relish.

These animals deserve the protection developed nations could afford to pay were it a higher priority politically but shamefully we waste our money on military and spying.

Too true and as always, I appreciate your input hombre.

reply to post by rival

one more thing....elephant hunting?...really?

What's next?....cow hunting?

No.. I wouldn't think of cow hunting for the comparison. I'd think of Whaling and the herding and killing of Dolphins. That's what comes to mind on this. I really have no respect on any level for sport hunters. Not everything on 4 legs needs shot, either. A few animals stand out for behavior in social groups, demonstrated intelligence and sheer longevity. Just my thoughts....

There is a very real line that can be drawn between "hunters of food" and "trophy hunters."
And it's not some easily moving line, it's pretty well known and defined out here where I roam.

There are people that come from hundreds, if not thousands of miles away, to do just that.... try and show the other man that you are better, taxidermy said head and mount it on a wall in your library - den, whatever. They pay to play.

Woo woo, look at that rack.

Those people are what I like to call "head hunters."
I'd like to think that they have no reason to be doing such things, other than for personal gain... it's simply machismo. Its kinda like... "Hey look what I did." It's simply one-upmanship, or a status figure thought.

Now it's a totally different aspect to have the need to hunt game to survive, and that is subsistence hunting.

While I don't hunt big (or any) game, I know plenty of people that do.. and it is only a sport to them.
None of them have any meat in the freezer.

/Rant off

reply to post by telemetry

Agreed telemetry and thanks for the clarification. Shame the elephants suffer the worse, secondly are some of us who witness this type of misplaced machismo, via a televised production.

reply to post by speculativeoptimist



Well mine was a rant.... regardless of how it came off.
Perhaps some don't see mano y mano, and that's fine.
Not trying to argue with anyone anyway.

Regards,
T

Trump Junior with the tail of the dead Elephant in his hand, the body of the Elephant which he killed is at his feet! Note also the Big Man Hunting Knife!



Proudly with the Leopard which he shot!

Brave man with big gun!

I recall a thread, probably from last year, in which there were photos of tourists from Europe who had come to Africa on holiday and they were proudly posing with a Giraffe, lying dead after they shot it! Really nice!

Found the Giraffe thread: www.abovetopsecret.com...

I think these people should be given a 5 inch knife, If he can kill a Lion with it, then he deserves the trophy pictures.

reply to post by luciddream


Aand then be forced to eat it, that's why so many people hunt isn't it! We only kill for food! We always eat what we kill! Let's see him eat an elephant! Brave man, shoots animals from the back of a 4x4, or a lion in an enclosure!