Guns An Age-Old Part Of Family Culture In Appalachia
By Andre Teague/Bristol Herald Courier
Todd Sutherland of Gunslingers in Kingsport shows a selection of revolvers and semi-automatic handguns that are popular for home-defense and concealed-carry use.
The first thing Karla Schmutzler did after shooting her first deer was text message her friend, Todd Sutherland, who was in his Kingsport gun store with a customer at the time.
“I got hooked. Big time,” Schmutzler said. “You know, all the guys would go hunting, and it never really occurred to me to ask to go along. Because, you know, it’s a guy thing.”
But then she went with them.
In Appalachia, guns are an age-old part of family culture. “Down here, we’re mostly pro-gun. It’s part of who we are,” said Sutherland, who owns the Gunslingers store on East Stone Drive in Kingsport.
“There is nothing more fun than going to the range on a Saturday morning and plinking away with your kids,” he said. “It’s good clean fun.”
Bill Miller, a local National Rifle Association board member and gun club president, estimates that 85 percent of folks in Appalachia are in some way involved in a firearms sport. And, he said, Schmutzler represents the fastest-growing demographic: women.
By the handfuls, women are joining one of the oldest, richest and most cohesive communities in the region. “Women are saying, ‘We’re gonna take care of ourselves,’ ” Miller said.
In recent months, the thriving community of gun enthusiasts has been rattled by the election of President-elect Barack Obama and what it might mean for their favorite pastimes. Gun enthusiasts across the nation are stocking up on ammunition and guns, citing concerns about higher taxes and fearing future bans on some of their favorite weapons.
On the second full weekend after the election, more than 4,000 people attended a gun show at the Meadowview Conference Resort & Convention Center in Kingsport.
“We had an extremely large crowd compared to normal,” said Jeremy Pearson, manager of the RK gun show held Nov. 15-16. “It was the best one we’ve had here this year.”
And on Tuesday of that week, a group of old friends sat together in the clubhouse at the Kettlefoot Rod and Gun Club, sipping Styrofoam cups of coffee and exhaling laughter in toasty puffs of air. At the mention of Obama, one said: “Don’t even get me started.”
Perhaps most frustrating to local enthusiasts isn’t the upcoming threat, but that the frenzy is a mere symptom of the deep-seated frustration gun lovers have felt for decades of what they call a lack of understanding and prejudice from anti-gun camps.
“All through history, people have been afraid of what they don’t understand,” Sutherland said. “Taking guns away from us, all you effectively do is disarm honest people, because the criminal isn’t going to turn in his gun.”
At the Kettlefoot club, friends Wayne Wills and Terry Lovins, both lifelong members, talked about their club and the role it plays in their lives. Wills carried a manila envelope holding printouts of his favorite Thomas Jefferson quotes on the Second Amendment. He also brought National Security Council statistics that ranked hunting as one of the safest sports around.
“See, you’re more likely to get injured playing basketball,” he said.
Kettlefoot is the area’s largest gun club, stretching over 400 acres of wooded, mountain land in Washington County, Va. The club has about 800 members, 100 of whom have been there more than 20 years. The club boasts facilities for practically every avenue of the sport – a virtual playland for archers, hunters and competitive shooters, to name a few. Once a month, the club hosts a shooting event where families gather over warm meals and friendly competition.
“You come out here and you say, ‘I’m gonna shoot skeet today.’ And there’s four or five guys out there with you. One of them is a businessman, like me – we both run body shops,” Wills said. “And the other guy is a brain surgeon.
“Shooters are just people,” Wills said. “They’re just people with their hobby.”
At Sutherland’s Kingsport store, the owner is trying to keep up with increased business that has nearly tripled in recent weeks. He’s enjoying the profits, he said, but not the reason behind them.
“It’s good now, but it could hurt later,” he said.
“We’ve got regular guys who come in here often, and they don’t buy something every time,” Sutherland said. “It’s a community. They like coming here because they’re part of something. And everybody likes to feel a part of something. There’s nothing wrong with that.”
Schmutzler and her husband took a hunting trip to Texas to celebrate their wedding anniversary this year. Not only does she enjoy the sport with her husband, but it’s a family affair. Between them, they have eight children – girls and boys – and all of them hunt, she said. All but one of their kids have grown up and moved away.
“We go with our teenage son, and we laugh at all the weird stuff the animals do,” she said. “Half the fun is just calling the animals and seeing them. It’s not just about shooting.”
Yet across the board, the overriding sentiment is not that a hobby is under attack, but what the hobby means to the people who love it. The Second Amendment is part of American heritage and freedom, many said. When folks attack guns, they attack a way of life.
“Every freedom we have today was won by someone who knew how to use a firearm,” Sutherland said. “The Second Amendment is the one that stands when all the others fail.”
| (276) 245-2531
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Reader Reactions
How is this for mean and scornful
When I say there is blood and pain, I am not making any theoretical decisions, When I say that an innocent creature has been murdered, I am not imposing my morals on anyone you stupid ignorant piece of garbage! I am stating a FACT!
You should be on star search with the other retards of America, Dancing around the real topic is your true talent.
If I were talking to Jeffery Dahmer, would you expect me to be nice when he denies doing anything wrong for killing young men? To him it was just like blowing out a candle, sort of like you when you snuff life after life. So dont expect courtesy, because you are just as broken as he is.
What if it were YOU that the license to shoot were sold? I really expect an answer this time you moron. What if it were your child? What if a mountain lion ate your child? It would be the exact same thing as if he ate a rabbit. EXACTLY!
It is the same thing when a person puts a gun up to any animal and murders it for fun, as it is to murder a person! A human life to this planet is worth no more than any other animal. As a matter of fact a court even placed a value of my niece when she died as $212. The state will not value anything but a person who contributes money. Without money, you are no better than a dog. That Billy, is the reason murderers are sentenced. Because they stop people from paying taxes.
What about the fact that people spend thousands of dollars on hunting equipment and then turn around and say that it is to they can get cheap food? You didn’t touch that one either I noticed.
Where do you really think you get that right? Is it something that some one said God said? Let me clue you in on something, if there is a God, she doesn’t care one bit about you more than she cares about any other child that she has brought into this world. Not even a meal worm.
I will look into the links you provided, but trust me, I was in florida when overpopulation happened and it was no secret to anyone. The gaming commission absolutely forbid any deer to go for human consumption. Right now in Chicago, there are deer on downtown streets. You think I am making this up? I dont give a crap if you do. I was there many times when homeless organizations asked for the deer that were euthanized to be given to feed the hungry.
The absolute resounding answer every time was a solid “NO”. Even though the deer in Northern Illinois is almost completely corn fed, they are not considered clean enough to distribute to human populations.
Plus, your hunters trying to get rid of the meat is just another way to clear their consciences. I have had deer by by 15 different cooks, and only 1 of them could make it even close to being enjoyable.
You keep trying to show what good people sport hunters are, but you still wont even touch the FACT that they are murderers first.
BTW, I most certainly not an anti gun protester. I think there should be a gun in every house, and I think that you should have the right to blow the head off of anyone who would break in to your house. Most of all, the reason we have guns in America, has nothing to do with food. It is to make sure that the government doesn’t get too big for its britches. I agree on that one all the way.
I do not oppose hunting as a legitimate sport that deserves to be recognized; however, I do find hunters, and any individual who has no respect for wildlife, such as Eddie’s brother in law who shoots woodpeckers for fun, repulsive. I understand Eddie’s point, but to categorize all hunters as murderous wasters of life is not a fair assessment. Most of the hunters I know have a great respect for wildlife and a profound understanding of the laws of nature. They are also great contributors to programs that protect wildlife and their habitats. I would like to share a story. As I mentioned earlier, I grew up in Orange County, N.Y. That area being within reasonable commuting distance to N.Y.C., became a suburb during the mid seventies. As real estate and tax prices rose, the old generations of mountain folks were replaced by urban transplants who felt the same way as Eddie about hunting. Hunting literally went out of style in this wildlife habitat rich part of N.Y. The result was catastrophic for the wildlife, and the people who lived there. Since the natural predators were killed off, or driven out generations before, the wildlife population exploded. This resulted in unprecedented roadway accidents and related deaths. Severe famine gripped the wildlife community, and the presence of emaciated deer carcasses in the woods during the winter months became quite common. The animals starved to death. In an act of desperation, local wildlife management began killing herds, and issuing virtually unlimited deer permits to anybody who would take them. A similar situation is happening as we speak in northern N.J. and Pennsylvania. Bear hunting was outlawed in that part of the country sometime in the sixties. Since then, the black bear population has grown beyond management. Bears, being highly adaptable and intelligent creatures have found a new source of food in the suburbs. Now, instead of foraging in the forests for scarce food, they dig through garbage cans and run off with the occasional pet for a meal. You now have to carry a large caliber pistol or shotgun in the back yards of housing developments in highly populated areas, and rangers are often called in to “dispatch of” problem bears. Needless to say, they have reinstated bear hunting. These are extreme cases, but it seems that it is almost our duty to hunt these animals in the absence of natural predators. Personally, I would rather take a bullet rather than starve to death. But the issue of hunting is still a matter of personal choice. It is not a moral issue, but a personal preference. And hunters truly are the stewards of and protectors of wildlife in America. Of course there are irresponsible hunters, but they do not represent the majority.
“Also, even the game control units have many times been approached by feed
the homeless organizations for using the meats from over populated animals,
and it is repeated rejected because the meat is “Not fit for human
consumption.“
When you argue that hunting is immoral, you are attempting to impose YOUR views of morality on everyone else. When you will not state the basis for your moral judgment other than “Its just wrong cause I say so” there is no way to discuss the issue and it is pointless to attempt to change your personal opinion. But when you make assertions about the workings of the physical world there are actual facts to deal with. And the actual fact is that hunters donate tons of meat to the hungry every year. This goes on in every state, but I have provided links to states that you would deem full of those ignorant hicks you don’t hate. (ignoring all your mean insulting scornful remarks)
http://www.h4hungry.org/
http://www.huntersforhungry.org/
http://www.schuntersforthehungry.org/
http://www.tacaa.org/hunters.htm
www.arkansashunters.org
“There are abundant deer now because they have economic value to the state.“
That is partially true. The state is very concerned about money, and no matter what the income comes from, they will take it. If prostitution was legal, they would be happy to provide little 15 year old prostitutes for everyone.
You just dont get it do you. “Here, give us our money and you can blow some-ones head off.“
Whether it be a snail, a rabbit, a deer, or a little girl, putting a bullet through its head for fun is just sick. I am fully versed in evolution and the history of this planet. I know how cruel life has been all the way up until now. But Gathering food for the family has now become perverted. Limited income families find themselves going hungry because daddy needs a thousand dollars of hunting supplies and toys, so that he can go get meat that would have cost him $12.95 at Krogers.
Also, even the game control units have many times been approached by feed the homeless organizations for using the meats from over populated animals, and it is repeated rejected because the meat is “Not fit for human consumption.“
You still refuse to admit that there are living breathing creatures that are very human like in countless ways, that you are murdering for fun. You dont even have the depth to realize that in many cases there are far wider shock waves that go through the wildlife community when you savagely murder anything in this manner.
And for the umpteenth time. It is not hunting for food that is wrong.
Pretending to hunt for food is wrong, and also hunting for fun and pleasure is wrong.
And you are right, this isn’t a discussion, I am pointing out blood pain and death, and you just keep saying there is none, its only good clean fun. But I am betting that if it were your blood, you would be a little concerned. I would be right up there telling everyone that it was wrong if it were you that was the target of everyone’s “Fun”. And of course there would be the others like you who would just try thier best to discredit me.
Hey JH,
I think you may have gotten the wrong idea about my last statement. There is a very large Mormon sect that resides in a couple of areas of america, Nevada and Idaho have large population of them and marriage to very young girls is commonplace.
I do realize that there are Hillbillies everywhere, but even though the true definition of a hillbilly, is a Wisconsin dirt farmer, the appalachians just happen to be world famous for being isolated from the world and for being illiterate. My brother in law is almost the same age as I, and he cannot read or write. Excuse me, ex-brother-in-law. The same one that killed the woodpecker.
You may be interacting with some of the luckier people from this area, but the documented fact is, the the Appalachians are the most repressed area in America. Not including the native american population. That is another tragic tale.
I have seen toothless illiterate people in California to NY. Literally. The KKK has its largest headquarters in Chicago. There are ignorant people everywhere, but the people in this area are exceptionally sad, and I not only fight against the senseless slaughter of innocent creatures, but I fight to get better education opportunities for the children in our area. I feel I could have done so much more with my life had there been education opportunities available to me that other children had in more populated areas.
The reason I live here is because I love the people here, and it is my home. Well, most of the people. I dont Hate the rest, I just feel that the world would be a better place if they could be educated.
First thank you JH, as a southerner of sorts I am sensitive about this. It is the reason I started on this ‘discussion’ (if it rates that term)
Now, eddie. You compared out of control expression of the sexual instinct with hunting. I pointed out that if anything regulated hunting is , like marriage customs, a controlled expression of that instinct. To deny either instinct completely would be an effort to alter human nature with such results as we see in the social engineering experiments around us.
You are woefully ignorant about the funding of wild game habitat. All the shooting hunting and fishing supplies have a special tax on them. That tax was instituted at the request of sportsmen and, along with license fees, pays for land, land maintenance, and game protection and stocking programs and enforcement of regulations. The only time in American history a tax has been instituted with people requesting it, and asking that ONLY they pay it.
The reason you cannot understand the idea of hunting causing wildlife to come back is that you are ignorant of economics. When something has no economic value, people do not take care of it. There are abundant deer now because they have economic value to the state. Many landowners in Texas maintain land for all manner of wildlife so that they can get hunters to pay to hunt there. As a side benefit, non-game wildlife live on the same land. If they cannot do this, they will just plow it under and plant corn. The wildlife suffer. The state lands are the same way. The state makes money off of hunters thus it benefit’s the state to have wild land for the game to live on. Without this the state would just sell the land cheap to developers. African nations were persuaded by people like you to ban hunting. As a result there was no incentive to protect the land and wildlife was devastated. Some have realized their error and are undoing the damage, reinstituting hunting and building up the wildlife with fees collected from hunters. And in some cases they have been restocking African wildlife with animals raised on Texas game farms.
Eddie, I must interject on your comment about the portrayal of Appalachian southerners as back wards hicks. I am relatively new to the area. I was born and raised in Orange County, New York, (60 miles north of Manhattan) and I would like you and anybody else reading this article to know that my hometown in N.Y., and many others like it, cultivated uncouth, uneducated “hillbillies” well beyond any extreme I have witnessed in the south. In addition, this town had a very large, and active KKK membership. It pains me to see southerners accepting and believing in propaganda that was used by the union to promote hate, and bolster anti-southern sentiment for the war effort. This myth unfortunately, has embedded itself in American culture. I can assure you that every state in the U.S.A., and every country in the world has a demographic you could deem as “hillbillies.“ The south is very rich in culture and people of good upbringing. This article may be talking about “Guns, an Appalachian way if life”, but this is far from an issue that is unique to this area.
What!!?? Desire for sex vs. lifelong celibacy? Who said anything about celibacy? You dont get to change comparisons to suit your own needs.
I am talking about the selfish people who think they have a right to . Many of them live in communities that actually condone behavior of this nature, and our government does nothing about it. I would face the same denial of any wrong doing if I were to confront them with what they are doing, Just the same as I do with you. So if you think you can convince me it is right, think about convincing me that child molestation is right too.
Wildlife preservations are funded by the federal government who gets taxes from EVERYONE, not just hunters who feel that since they are paying for the wildlife, they get to kill it.
TH federal game commission pays people to keep count of the wildlife available to shoot so they can collect the money for licenses to shoot them. They do stock fish to keep lakes in fish. But without the license, people would just kill everything. Wildlife license fees have never purchased a single inch of dirt.
Your last sentence makes about enough sense as the government lifting a ban on the black plague so that more people will live. Really Billy, think about it. Nothing killed, and wildlife fails to rebound. Kill things, and wildlife makes a comeback??
Your analogy, as usual, is inept. The proper comparison would be with the instinctive desire for sex vs. lifelong celibacy. Wanton sexual license is obviously destructive. But required celibacy has also failed. Healthy civilizations have found balance between these extremes in the institution of marriage. This allows human nature to be expressed in a healthy manner. In the same way, wanton destruction of wildlife was a disaster. Laws and regulations and codes of behavior were instituted to allow man not only to express his instinct and fulfill his physical needs, but also to enhance the natural environment and all wildlife. What wild habitat and animals there are now are almost entirely funded and maintained by the people you despise. Countries that have tried hunting bans have found that without this economic incentive, both the wildlife and its habitat are quickly lost. Some of those countries have realized their error and are now reinstituting hunting to SAVE the wildlife.
I hate to keep beating the dead horse, but I know several people like their animals that way around here.
The only clear reason that I have gotten from anyone here that would explain the enjoyable part of killing for pleasure, is nature and instinct. Fortunately, I haven’t gotten a lot of the religious zealots screaming that “we are the only thing on the face of the earth that matters, and that animals were put here just for us to do with as we please.“
But back to the Instinct and natural function topic. Someone said that we are predators, and that we will go crazy if we dont kill something. (Ya I know I am simplifying,“ sue me.
But think about that. What would happen if we just gave in to our natural urges? I think our first natural urge is of a reproductive nature. And any doctor will tell you that the younger the mother, the healthier the baby. But what does society think about a 50 year old man who takes a 12 year old girl and has physical relations with her?
Nobody can say it isn’t a natural desire. And Horrifically, there are still places in America where it is still considered a “TRADITION” to take a child bride.
Just as your old world tradition of murdering for fun is. All of these barbaric “traditions” will be seen for what they are, and will be shunned as an embarrassing part of our past.
Dont think so? Sit back and take a look around you. Watch movies, why is it that people from this area are always portrayed in movies as being so dumb? If someone from N.Y. or L.A. were to come here, what else is there for them to see? If you dont like it, change your attitude and your behavior.
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