I do not agree with the proposal to open additional conservation areas to hunting in Northampton.
There is a tremendous amount of propaganda attempting to convince us that guns of all kinds are acceptable and even beneficial objects, and anyone who objects to them “doesn’t understand.” Guns are capable of causing death and indeed cause huge numbers of death in this country.
Not all gun owners are responsible and not all gun owners follow the rules. I see no justification for giving our conservation areas over to an activity that necessitates that the rest of us stay out of the conservation area for weeks at a time. In every hunting season we read about lethal accidents, often a non-hunter, often a person on his or her own land, who is hit by a bullet which does not respect property lines.
How far does a bullet travel from the hunter? Is the hunter able to accurately see that distance? How many deaths on conservation land are acceptable to the Northampton Conservation Commission?
Some years ago my husband and I were hiking on conservation land (posted with no hunting signs) with our black dog when a gentleman with a huge gun walked toward us on the trail. As we passed, he told us that it was bear season and our dog looked like a bear. We quickly left the area, as most sensible people would.
Hunting is not an activity that safely permits others to use the conservation areas. It does not qualify as an activity that allows for multi-use areas and should not be permitted in our conservation areas.
I wrote this letter days before the mass murder in the school in Florida. This country needs to stop its love affair with guns.
The Conservation Commission should not allow hunting on public land in Northampton.
Lisa Barondes
Florence