As an NRA Endowment member, life long hunter, competition shooter, custom rifle builder, member of three gun clubs, and occasional archer, I too am concerned with the light that is shed on the shooting sports.
The Make a Wish Foundation is a 501C3 organization that depends entirely upon donations and volunteers for its survival. Granting wishes to the thousands of children from all the different background requires some give and take as far as what can be presented. There are just some things that cannot be accomplished and sacrifices have to be made for the greater good.
Let’s face it. In the world we live in today, Hunting is controversial. Years ago, when first presented with the request for a hunting wish, a real ruckus was raised from some of those in our society that do not believe hunting is something that a child should be involved in. Threats, (even phoned in death threats to Make a
Wish people), were made from so called supporters to withdraw, and there was even the threat of a liability issue that was raised. Expertise was also lacking in putting a hunt together so Make a Wish deferred to folks that were better able to do a hunting wish. The tolerant left strikes again.
Hunt of a Lifetime is setup to do just this and deserves the support of outdoorsman and youth supporters everywhere. They do not have to send the kids to Disneyland, bring families together from around the world, give a young girl the wish of being a super model for a day, send a boy and his father to the Peterbilt factory, helicopter a boy up to a private fishing pond so he can catch a fish before he dies, put on a Christmas ball and shopping spree for the kids at Childrens Hospital, I could go on and on but this is the kind of stuff Make a Wish does daily. Hunt of a lifetime can focus strictly on hunting and by narrowing their focus, they can survive on support mainly from hunters and the hunting industry. Plus they can specialize in hunts and do a better job. I tip my hat to them. I love Ted Nugent and support just about everything the Motor City Madman does, but on this, I think he spoke without knowing the whole situation.
Right or wrong, by setting a policy of no hunting wishes, Make a Wish avoided the controversy, kept the funds coming in and has granted thousands of less contentious wishes to kids in need of a little bright spot in their troubled life. You could say they caved in, but they are still in business and I believe they are doing a lot of good in these kid’s lives. As a hardcore redneck, diesel driving, hunting, shooting, fool, they still have my support.