These Aren’t Georgians, And They Don’t Think Like Us

Imagine if one person had the power to get you kicked off your hunting property.

What if one anti-hunting, anti-gun neighbor moved in and had the ear of the right official and succeeded in getting an ordinance passed that banned you from hunting your own property? Just one person who is just good enough at spinning untrue, emotional claims of safety issues, good enough to get TV stations to run stories of residents “held hostage” in their own homes because of dangerous hunters.

Sound far fetched?

Well, it’s going on in Bibb County right now, where there’s talk of a county-wide ordinance that would ban discharge of a rifle within certain distances of any residence, including your own. One commissioner, who professes to be an NRA member, said a 1,000-yard restriction should be enacted—for safety’s sake. Imagine if shooting a rifle was banned 1,000 yards (6/10ths of a mile!) from any direction of any house, including your own? Bibb County hunters are having to fight this insanity, right now.

There’s a migration of people to Georgia, much of it from states and cities that don’t have the hunting and pro-gun heritage we grew up with.

New York, California and Illinois are bleeding residents. Almost 3.2 million people left those states in recent years, and according to the U.S. Census Bureau, they’re coming mostly to Florida and Texas… and Georgia.

Ironically, these people are fleeing ridiculous state taxes and frighteningly high crime rates (despite the strictest gun laws in the country). President Trump stopped states like New York from allowing state residents to claim huge state and local tax deductions. States like New York and California had ridiculously high local taxes, but residents could get that money back from the federal government through crazy deductions. Essentially, New York Gov. Cuomo charged his residents a crazy high state tax, but they got that money back through federal tax reductions—money paid by folks in other states, like Georgia.

Trump said no more.

Now they’re moving here, where the taxes aren’t so high and the quality of life is much better. But many of these people are bringing their big-city politics. They’re supporting politicians who are anti-gun—and who ironically want to drastically increase taxes.

The population in Georgia has grown more than 10% since 2010. Today, 82% of the state’s population live in urban areas. The Atlanta area will add 2.5 million more people by 2040. Think about it—that influx alone is how many people live in Charlotte!

Remember the huge push to get Amazon to move to Atlanta? What if the bigwigs in Atlanta had lured a tech company that brings 50,000 wiz kids from Seattle and California, the type who are really good at protesting and voting?

They come here for our way of life, but they bring their ideals, including anti-hunting and anti-gun leanings.

We can we do? Start local. Make sure elected officials are on our side.

What does your sheriff think about hunters and the Second Amendment?

If you’re on Facebook, follow the Oconee County Georgia Sheriff’s Office. Here’s what Sheriff Scott Berry posted on Aug. 20, 2018:

“Dove season opens Sept. 1. If you aren’t from here, or you are from some big city like Chicago, New York, anywhere in New Jersey or Miami, it is going to remind you of home. People known as “dove hunters” will gather in big packs and surround what we call a “dove field.” Men armed with shotguns will attempt to hunt doves, which are small, impossible-to-hit targets that will remind you of those scenes of Iraqi anti-aircraft fire around Baghdad that were shown all over the world. Why is this important to you, our Yankee, big city neighbors? Don’t call us. Don’t call 911 to say someone is shooting… let it remind you of home, where gunfire blazing is just a background noise of everyday living. We know they are shooting. In fact, most of my deputies will be on a “dove field” participating in the shooting. Dove hunting is a rite of passage in the South, especially around Oconee County. Calling us won’t make it get any quieter.”

God Bless him.

We need more sheriffs, commissioners and legislators who think like us.