LI'L HUNTERS

Ken Perrotte, an "outdoors" columnist, spins a new study showing twice as many youngsters as adults disapproving of hunting: In the survey, "33 percent of youth disapproved of hunting compared to 17 percent of adults" - but that's because kids naturally grow to like hunting as they reach adulthood, not because the adults of the future will disapprove of hunting. Right. Whatever. The fun part is the call for more inculcation of our nation's youth into the joys of hunting, so they'll be sure to preserve this wonderful tradition.

That's what 16-year-old Jon William Romano was apparently doing when he strolled into Columbia High School earlier this month with a new shotgun and 20 rounds of ammunition. He shot at and missed two students, then shot a special-ed teacher in the leg while being tackled by an assistant principal. Gosh, where'd he get a new shotgun? "Over the weekend, Romano and his mother drove to the Pistol Parlor gun shop in East Greenbush where she bought him a Winchester Model 1300 pump-action shotgun. Barde allegedly filled out a federal gun-purchase application indicating that the weapon was for her son, who was too young to buy it but who intended to take up hunting." If only he had waited to take a hunting course before he started shooting... he could've been sure to hit and kill those first two students! Not surprisingly, the Fund for Animals is calling this a "Wake-Up Call" for New York to raise the minimum hunting age to 18.
UPDATE 2/25: In related news, Mr. NRA Family Values, Ted Nugent, is a deadbeat dad. How will this son ever grow up macho and morally correct if Ted's never even met the boy, let alone taken him hunting? Tsk, tsk.