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With the shooting in the Buffalo Tops Market, killing 10 and three wounded, and the Uvalde, Texas Robb Elementary School shooting, in which 19 children and two teachers were killed, not much was heard of the fires still burning in New Mexico (largest ever) and the first Hurricane Agatha to hit Mexico. It first killed 11 and thirty missing, then traveled across the Gulf of Mexico and hit southern Florida with 12 to 15 inches of rain as Tropical Storm Alex. Many people seem to be living in a bubble, yet ducking COVID, which is still catching lots of people by surprise.
Back to the first two on the list. I was a Hunter Safety Training Trainer for the DEC for over twenty-five years, and it was only near the end of that time, that the AR-15 was just showing up on the public market. I never saw it as a hunting weapon, and still don’t. It’s a killing machine invented for war, which is now being waged on children in schools and public events and places where there are lots of people.
Near the end of my thirty-five-year career as a Forest Ranger, as a peace officer, I did carry a side arm. It carried thirteen rounds and a clip on my belt with twelve more rounds, which was no match for an AR-15, which can hold one hundred rounds or more and be shot in a few seconds. I did wear body armor, but so do the people who have committed these horrendous shooting sprees. I have been a hunter since I could carry a gun. I shot rats at the dump behind the house with my trusty twenty-two, which I still have. I hunted small game, birds, and animals as I grew up, as we were a hunting family. Then big game deer and bear as I got older. I moved on to Elk and mule deer when I got the chance, hunting ethically. I did join the NRA for a short period, but left them when they were going in a different direction than hunters.
Now, when the NRA and Trump still say the best way to stop a guy with a gun is a guy with a gun. Well, at some of the mass shootings there was a guy with a gun and he with his handgun got taken out quickly, as he was out gunned by a guy with an AR-15. At the Robb Elementary School, there were several police officers with guns inside the school and yet the shooter was still shooting almost an hour after entering the school as children phoned 911 for help. This needs to stop as there are thousands of these military-type guns out there, so the laws need to change, and now.
Rusty Blackbirds. Photo by Gary Lee.
Back to the woods and all the beautiful wildflowers, birds, animals, and trees that are out there. Many of the places where I went looking at Loons, the shorelines of the lakes were lined pink with wild azaleas. These were a buzz with bees and hummers working the flowers. Normally, I see a hummingbird moth working these, but not this year. The yellow swallowtail butterflies and some small skippers were pollinating the flowers.
In many places where I had to walk through the woods, I saw Pink Lady’s Slippers and other wildflowers. Just today, June 7, I saw four different loons on a nest, which was a great day. Let us hope the rain coming the next few days isn’t like what they got down south, or these nests will be underwater. If you are out and about on the water and come upon a nesting Loon on the shoreline, back off. If you need to take photos, take them from a distance. Many times, you will not even see a sitting Loon. They go into the hang over position with their beak nearly in the water, as they try to hide from your passing.
If they do get off the nest, you should leave the area so she or he can get back on the nest and protect the eggs from predators. They must sit on those eggs for twenty-seven days, and both the male and female do sitting chores. Many of the Loons came back early this year and have gotten on nests sooner than normal. That means there will be chicks on the water earlier than normal. Most chicks come off the nests in late June and early July unless they lose their first nest. Some Loons on bigger lakes will usually re-nest not long after they lose the first nest. They will nest in a new location, as the first spot failed. If Loons have a successful nest one year, they will usually use the same spot the next year.
While I was out and about, I found a Rusty Blackbird nest spot, as the pair got upset when I was near the nesting area. This is the first time in several years that I found a pair of Rusty Blackbirds nesting. Years ago, there were little colonies of them nesting along some boggy brooks in this area. Then they just went off the radar, so it was nice to see a pair here again.
Fawns are being born, so watch out for them crossing the highway, but that’s another story. See ya.
Photo at top: Wild Azalea. Photo by Gary Lee.
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Thank you Gary for the truth.
If you want to talk about flowers and loons then stick to the subject. If you want to talk about gun control, you’re a typical leftist and frankly I am disgusted “you” served as a “peace” officer for 35 years. First let’s frame up my background. I grew up in NNY. I had ample training with gun safety as a young man with the help and guidance of my father as well as the required hunter safety course. Hunting comes with a great responsibility and respect as for the item you are about to dispatch. Secondly, I served in our countries armed forces and I understand the responsibility that comes with handling a weapon. Let me educate you on defense. If you are inadequately trained and inadequately outfitted the you are inadequately able to defend the oath you swore to defend. Let’s bring this back to the few atrocities that define your thinking. A weapon can be almost anything. We didn’t outlaw pressure cookers after the Boston marathon did we? I don’t see anyone running that campaign. We didn’t outlaw U-Haul trucks when they ran all of those folks in NYC over did we? I don’t see anyone running that campaign either. The weapons of choice are not what kills innocent people. It is the ambush predators that ultimately cause the carnage. By the time “you” show up to the fight, you are inadequately prepared to handle the situation. Regardless if it was a pressure cooker, a U-Haul or an AR style weapon. I can purchase a weapon with extended magazines of any flavor. So when I purchase a shot gun with 20 round mags in Virginia and come to NY to inflict extreme damage, is it the weapon at fault or the individual? Mental health awareness and early intervention is the key here. This is where the prevention occurs, not the removal of individuals rights. I have not committed a crime, but “you” want to interject your beliefs as the gospel without regard to my civil liberties. Again shame on you!
As usual, I read the comments before reeding the article, and this time I got confused. How does an article about wild flowers become a diatribe on guns? WOW! Well, after figuring that out, I decided to submit an article about wild azalais to the NRA. Let us see how that comes out.
Amen
Why can’t he write about anything he wants, any way he wants? You are free to not read it.
And you are one hundred percent true… If the topic was titled different I most likely would have never opened the article.
I guess the Adirondack Almanac is now allowing click bait.
Maybe it’s time to unsubscribe.
Andrew,
Your statement “I most likely would never have opened the article” & “maybe it’s time to unsubscribe” says more about your closed mindedness than the issue at hand. I’d personally rather you stay engaged because, though we disagree, your opinion is a valuable part of the back & forth of this very serious issue.
What very serious issue are we discussing???
Wildlife?
Gun control?
Bob,. I can certainly appreciate and respect everyone’s opinion. But what got into my crawl is the bait and switch title.
First, title an article on a subject then take 50 percent of that article to express opinions on current events of doom and gloom.
Secondly, the Adirondack Almanac is the publisher. My guess is nobody proofs what is getting published. My English teachers would have failed my writings if I switched the topics. Imagine going to the library and pick a book with the same title… how confused would you be?
I do share his concerns on current events and I am deeply saddened by the direction our nation has gone. But, it doesn’t take away that 50 percent of the subject being discussed has nothing to do with the title.
I don’t care how everyone here wants to twist the subject to justify the interconnections.
Let’s see if we can start an article titled: Spring peepers and Nesting loons… Then talk about abortion.
I have never been involved with any social media platforms because of the false narratives people like to spread. My wife and kids are engaged, but understand my choices and support me. I do subscribe to all things Adirondack because of my love for where I grew up.
And yes, I will see this thread through, but I will be unsubscribed at it’s end.
No, shame on you for obfuscating the issue with your sanctimonious statements. You can be killed by many things but we all the reality of the main instrument of murder in our nation.
As Gary says, ENOUGH!
Oh here we go with the cheerleading squad. My guess you live in that same one horse town all your life and ride sidesaddle.
I am okay with the fact you want to cast shame on me. For I am part of that long history of protecting your right to free speech.
I think you missed the point my friend. Murder “is” murder regardless of the instrument. Mental health awareness is the key and should be the primary focus.
I not debating the events are not horrific. I am expressing myself to the author’s choice of expression when the topic is about something else.
If you want to debate gun control, run it as the topic of conversation.
Speaking of murder in our nation. More people die from coronary artery disease caused by cigarette smoking, but as long as the government gets their tax revenue it’s okay? Cirrhosis of the liver caused by alcoholism, hypertension, diabetes, the list can go on and on with the same agenda. Legalization of marijuana is just around the corner. What about all of the illegal substance abuse in the town you live in. Is enough really enough??? When does this stop I ask.
C’mon get with the program. If you title your article Late Spring: Fawns, wild azaleas, and nesting loons then stick with your subject.
I think we should ban assault style rifles but NYS decides to require handgun like permitting and new age restrictions for common semi-automatic hunting rifles? These are not the military style rifles Bob describes? Bob? I don’t understand how this relates at all to these mass shouting incidents?
Sorry, Gary non Bob.
Hi Melissa. You cut off comments recently on an article when we posters ‘strayed’ from the subject of the article. I guess you think it’s OK for the author of the article to stray from his stated subject. In the 1st paragraph no less.
Gary’s comments about guns do relate to hunting, which is linked to the nature topics of his column. I appreciated hearing his thoughts about semi-automatic guns, as compared to hunting weapons. It was refreshing to hear a knowledgeable gun-owner explain why an AR-15 is not a hunting weapon – and why guns don’t “protect people from guns.” And yes, we need better mental health services, but the vast majority of mental health patients are more likely to be victims of violence than to commit violent acts.
As a lifelong member of the scribbler fraternity I commend Gary Lee for the skill and the breadth of knowledge his columns brings to readers of the Almanack, and I also applaud our editor, Melissa, for exercising her oversight with the lightest hand possible in order to stimulate thoughtful discussion.
We need to realize that ecology deals with the interconnectedness of everything that affects our world – both natural and human caused. Anything less than that runs the risk of being merely a soothing balm to enable us to continue our tunnel vision. Thus, with a frown, we may just look away from the horrors of Uvalde and Buffalo and Ukraine and even the attempt to overthrow our democracy on Jan. 6, 2021. We just dismiss it all and pretend that all of it isn’t part of a spreading ecological danger that will overwhelm us if we don’t do something.
So Gary is right to apply his vision and long experience to remind us of disparate issues that may seem unrelated at first glance, but which are all interconnected . Moreover, they are vitally important, and must be dealt with by all of us, – not just our young people – if life on earth is to continue to be viable .
Perfect!
Exactly!
If you want buy in from gun owners don’t target popular hunting rifles like NYS has done with their new (probably unconstitutional anyway) regulations that goes way beyond assault style rifles. Gun control advocates claim they have no interest in limiting things like common hunting implements – then they target them? What am I missing?
Paul, What you are missing is this was never intended to be a gun control debate.
My original comment was in response to the misdirection of the topic in which I share a common interest with Gary. I have long enjoyed Gary’s articles, but when you apply the first 4 paragraphs of this article to the atrocities of current events and personal life choices and opinions, it mutes the original topic of discussion and the reason I came here, and for that I am upset and disgusted.
The Adirondack Almanac is not the platform to persuade one persons views onto another, regardless of the author. Unless the topic being discussed is intended for that reason, I suggest they say in their lane.
It’s fair to say that some folks will disagree with my views and I respect that. However, If you want to talk about mother earth and all of her glorious creatures, then I suggest you keep politics and religion out of the discussion. Don’t preface with the doom and gloom and jump right back into the article. If I wanted the doom and gloom, I certainly would not come to The Adirondack Almanac for that.
Andrew:
In my judgement, anyone who claims, as you appear to, appreciates and is sensitive to the flora, fauna and life in the Adirondacks and doesn’t understand the connection is at the very least lacking in prospective.
Gary,
You’re certainly qualified to make comments about guns as any of us are. I was also brought up in a hunting family and have owned guns since I was a youngster. I have had a carry permit for over forty years. I totally agree with your assessment that AR-15s are not hunting rifles. They are guns meant for warfare. Machine guns( also military style guns) have been illegal for years. I believe AR-15s should be banned for the general public.Military and police should be the exception No amendment to the Constitution is absolute. We have a responsibility to protect our youngsters and general public. This would be a good first step.
“the AR-15…. I never saw it as a hunting weapon, and still don’t. It’s a killing machine invented for war..”
> Amen! I am far from anti-gun and I’ve been saying it for many moons…. there’s no need for these AR-15 guns to be in anybody’s hands! Not even cops! They should be off the market period! How many more defenseless little, innocent children will it take to get this?! The democrat leaders are stupid. Always they come off like they want to take away “your guns”, they never clarify that it’s these semi-automatics ‘only’ that should be illegal……..until recently, as for the first time just recently I heard Biden clarify the same. It’s about time Biden as by not doing so all you were doing is firing up the “God, Guns, Trump” crowd, and we know how loud they are! I don’t think it matters either way with them!
“there were several police officers with guns inside the school and yet the shooter was still shooting almost an hour after entering the school as children phoned 911 for help. This needs to stop as there are thousands of these military-type guns out there, so the laws need to change, and now.”
> And look at where it happened! Texas, home of the American Taliban, where they recently passed a law allowing 18 year-olds to buy AR-15’s. ” It’s not the guns” Ted Cruz shouted out just hours after this happened! Nope, it’s forks and knives Ted! Thank you Gary!
Paul says: “Why can’t he write about anything he wants, any way he wants? You are free to not read it.”
> Some people just don’t like to hear the truth Paul! It bothers them tremendously evidently.
Gary:
Great Article! Enjoyed your prospective and perhaps it is because I agree with it. The nature portion was beautifully written. The view on guns is, in my view, is written from a personal experience and rationally and logically presented. As with most in opposition to the banning of automatic, military weapons and conceal carry their arguments are constitutionally in error and completely irrational.
My family and much of my life is Adirondack. From Au Sable Forks to Old Forge.
My communications tell me none of the rational hunters want anything to do with these military style weapons.
Thank you for you work and clear thinking.
Bob Meyer says: “Your statement “I most likely would never have opened the article” & “maybe it’s time to unsubscribe” says more about your closed-mindedness than the issue at hand.”
It came to me recently! The mania around the conservative leadership in this country. It’s not really leadership it’s obstructionism and self, it’s not the American people, etc…………. it’s the conservative base. It is they who are okay with little boys and girls getting shot up to pieces in elementary schools, it is they who have the ‘extreme right-wing’ politicos saying, “It’s not the guns.” I mean after all, that base is what keeps them in power, their votes are more important than little boys and girls, more important than ‘a little party that got out of hand’ – viz, the insurrection. Why else their denial? Their escapism from reality? They need their ignorant base, and I don’t say that as a partisan jab though I know it will be taken as such. Thank you again Gary!!
Andrew says: “Murder “is” murder regardless of the instrument. Mental health awareness is the key and should be the primary focus.”
The citizenry of every country deals with mental health issue Andrew, yet every country does not have even close to the issues we have here in this ‘great’ country of ours, especially mass killings of little boys and girls, though some countries are starting to see some of this…..which has its roots here. It must be the forks and knives we possess.
“More people die from coronary artery disease caused by cigarette smoking….. cirrhosis of the liver caused by alcoholism, hypertension, diabetes, the list can go on and on with the same agenda. Legalization of marijuana is just around the corner. What about all of the illegal substance abuse in the town you live in.”
You’re trying to justify mass shootings by throwing in peaches & cream aren’t you Andrew?
JohnL says: “Hi Melissa. You cut off comments recently on an article when we posters ‘strayed’ from the subject of the article. I guess you think it’s OK for the author of the article to stray from his stated subject. In the 1st paragraph no less.”
Yep, it’s a mindset….if one does not identify, suppress! Suppress black voters and the poor, the handicapped….. It’s all the same! As plain as day to see!
Louis Curth says: “…… runs the risk of being merely a soothing balm to enable us to continue our tunnel vision. Thus, with a frown, we may just look away from the horrors of Uvalde and Buffalo and Ukraine and even the attempt to overthrow our democracy on Jan. 6, 2021. We just dismiss it all….”
Not ‘we’ as in you and me and some others of us Louis!
“…..it mutes the original topic of discussion and the reason I came here, and for that I am upset and disgusted.”
Surely there are worse things to make you feel such Andrew. Who are you kidding!
Jack says: “I believe AR-15s should be banned for the general public. Military and police should be the exception”
You’re wrong on this Jack! Why should the police be the exception? Why would they need assault-style weapons if the citizenry don’t have them? They never needed them in the past! If the police are allowed to have them then so should the citizenry! It’s one or the other, either nobody is allowed to have them or we all are allowed to have them. It cannot be one way!
It’s fair, IMO, to allow the writer to insert his personal belief within his article- as long as everyone is free to do the same, without having your comment deleted, as JohnL as stated rightly, which AA has done in the past.
The issue, to me, is not that he inserts his opinion, the issue is when one side of the debate is so narrowly focused when in fact the rise in mass shootings is indeed, very multi-faceted, needing healthy, robust debate from all POVs. Merely passing of stricter gun laws and the slow erosion of our 2nd Amendment will not get the desired result of preventing murders, no matter how noble it’s intent.
If we really want to solve the problem, we have to get to the root. Will any law stop someone that has entertained a murderous thought to the point where it becomes embedded within as intent, and then manifests in action? The EASIEST thing to do is blame Trump, the NRA (which has been around since 1871), gun laws, or lack of. More laws may make us ‘feel’ better & safer, thinking that will solve the issue, but it will not. Such evil as mass shootings is unthinkable to any rational mind, therefore, evil is denied as a reality that exists.
I grew up around guns. My grandfather was a gunsmith and my father, brother and everyone they hung out with owned, shot and collected guns for many various reasons, not just hunting. Some even carried their guns to school as children and as teens, they hung them on wracks inside their trucks.. Yet, not one killed another person. Ever. It was never even an entertained thought to do so. The logical question should be, “What has changed in our society in just a few decades where the rise of evil/mass shootings has become common?” Could there be answers hidden in plain sight other than passing more legislation or abolishing the 2nd Amendment?
We have to be open to evaluate everything, not just laws. From the violence we watch, calling it entertainment, the real-life murderous games that simulate mass murder being played by kids with malleable minds, to the breakdown of having the security/support of a family, purposelessness, addictions, as well as a disdain for faith, healthy authority and moral convictions in general, and how they all have played a role in every “mass killer’s” biography as a common thread. Why do we overlook all of that, focusing only on the ‘gun’ , when every issue listed has contributed collectively resulting in these evil outcomes. Tending to focus on one thing: NRA, Trump & gun control is narrowmindedness at best..
If we want to truly solve the problem, we have to look deeper, wider and even at the unseen because everything that is unseen, becomes seen, whether it is good or evil . We have to be open to recognizing and confronting every facet of this ugly black cloud that has resulted in mass shootings, which is now hovering over all of our communities, and stop promoting political one trick ponies that rarely actually solve anything and only make things worse for everyone, while patting each other on the back surrounded by armed security.
Thanks, ADKr, for saying all the things that needed to be said about solving a much more complicated issue than our politicians want to admit. Or attempt to solve, for that matter. Awesome post!
ADK, Good rant, I concur,
On June 14th, the day we honor our flag, we would do well to also reflect on our civic duty as Americans . A good point of reference can be found in the creed, written by William Tyler Page in 1917. His words offer a patriotic vision to remind us all of the civic duty of citizens to uphold the Constitution and America’s precious democracy:
“I believe in the United States of America as a Government of the people, by the people, for the people; whose just powers are derived from the consent of the governed; a democracy in a republic, a sovereign Nation of many sovereign States; a perfect union, one and inseparable; established upon those principles of freedom, equality, justice, and humanity for which American patriots sacrificed their lives and fortunes. I therefore believe it is my duty to my country to love it, to support its Constitution; to obey its laws; to respect its Flag; and to defend it against all enemies.”
Happy Flag Day!
“the slow erosion of our 2nd Amendment…..The EASIEST thing to do is blame Trump, the NRA (which has been around since 1871), gun laws, or lack of. More laws may make us ‘feel’ better & safer, thinking that will solve the issue, but it will not.”
I’m all for the 2nd Amendment ADKresident, but nobody needs weapons of mass destruction! Nobody! Trump ‘is’ a part of the problem as he is so arrogantly divisive, just one nasty dude! We ought to be ashamed of ourselves for putting him on a pedestal! We need less of this! We need to build bridges not walls! The NRA, just like any corporation, is all about dues, making money. It’s okay to protect people’s rights to bear arms, but to go against laws which might just protect little children, and whomever…. all for the bottom line – this is not what I would consider moral ‘values’ which, in general, this society lacks.
Well said Charlie!
This is the sad truth. Obfuscation of the facts by the likes of Trump & NRA apologists cannot change the reality we are living and dying with in our nation. There are many examples, including in our own history, of what can and has been done to vastly improve our personal and communal safety and of coming together with common decency and rejecting those who divide us with intolerance.
ADKresident says: “I grew up around guns. My grandfather was a gunsmith and my father, brother and everyone they hung out with owned, shot and collected guns for many various reasons, not just hunting.”
My grandfather, Robert G. Stehlin, was a gunsmith. He owned a sporting goods store in Brooklyn. He worked for Grumman in the 1930’s and whenever the top military brass came into that structure they went right to my grandfather to have their arms fixed, cleaned, inspected or whatnot….that’s how good my grandfather was with guns. My dad shared this with me, plus I know this from notes and letters left behind. I have a blueprint of the mechanics of a gun that my grandfather drew. When he went hunting in the 19-teens, on up into the 30’s & 40’s, etc…my grandfather was the one who always bagged a deer when nobody else did; he was a marksman and was known for such in his day! He respected guns, knew how to handle them, etc.
I have a story which he wrote in 1917 when he was hunting black bear up in Raquette Lake. It is a most excellent short story. He was in them woods way back then when he took aim at a black bear, or what he thought was a black bear initially (and which did indeed turn out to be a black bear), until he saw smoke which he thought to be smoke from a cigarette. His buddies were in other parts of the woods and so my grandfather thought that maybe it was one of them so he lowered his rifle, did not take the shot. It turns out that the smoke he saw was from the breath of a black bear. I bring this story up to reveal how cautious my grandfather was with a gun. He hunted ducks all over Long Island back in the days before the marshlands started disappearing to development, New York City inclusive. He hunted the fields which eventually turned into LaGuardia Airport. He came from the womb with a gun in his hands it seems to me.
My dad hunted early-on in his life, and three of my brothers all owned guns and hunted with them (one still does), all of them very professional in their sport far as I know. So there’s been guns in my family as long as I can remember and I have no problem with guns…………. The issue here is guns for hunting and guns for mass shootings. There was never such a thing as semi-automatic guns with clips that hold fifty rounds for hunting deer back in the day ADK. No hunter needs them, nobody needs them, and so they should be taken off the market so that at the very least not as many little children will get blown to pieces from them…saving even one life would be worth the effort.
A fruitcake is going to find his way to execute his horror no matter what we try to do to stop it, but just maybe we can keep the numbers down and save some children’s lives, or blacks, or Jews, or whomever. It’s not about taking anybody’s guns away, it’s about preventing mass shootings from guns which none of should have in the first place!
“Tending to focus on one thing: NRA, Trump & gun control is narrowmindedness at best..”
> It’s a mix of many things ADK, and it’s not narrow-minded if such things as you mention above are part of the problem ADK, which they are. We cannot fix things if we’re going to do it piecemeal only, if we choose to do away with one antagonist while being okay with another!
“If we want to truly solve the problem, we have to look deeper, wider and even at the unseen because everything that is unseen, becomes seen, whether it is good or evil . We have to be open to recognizing and confronting every facet of this ugly black cloud that has resulted in mass shootings.”
> You are so right on this and it goes further back than you think, 200-plus years minimal, and then some. If it took 200 years to get into the woods, it is going to take 200 years to get back out… so the adage goes. I see no hope! So where do we begin? I suppose this is a start as we’re talking about it, but you and I (per se) don’t have the tools, we’re pitted against one another. We are polar opposites many of us, one sees black & white, another sees rainbow colors. It might have to take a catastrophe which affects all of us, even the rich, for us to come down to earth ADK. Obviously we haven’t reached that point as yet! I feel we’re getting close though!
It’s evident that ole Andy isn’t a Guns N’ Roses fan. Rock on Gary.
“From the violence we watch, calling it entertainment, the real-life murderous games that simulate mass murder being played by kids with malleable minds, to the breakdown of having the security/support of a family, purposelessness,…”
> All of what you say is ‘right on’ ADK! We’ve always had violence, but we’ve never had it in our faces as we do nowadays via all of the mediums, which is surely a contributing factor to our dysfunction. It is no coincidence that you will hear, after some horrific event, some witness say, “It was just like a scene out of a movie.” There are so many threads to this! Supporting war is one of those threads. Being okay with what we’re doing to our only home, the Earth, the rape and pollution of it, is another. If we don’t care for a butterfly why should we care for our fellow beings, etc………………
There is so much written on this dating back hundreds of years that I am aware of. But who reads? And if we do read how do we get past all of the fluff which does nothing to increase intelligence. Nothing is new under the sun. And to think that there’s a school of fools out there who would just love to do away with public education! We have miles to go before we peacefully sleep!
Good stuff here. Assault weapons, AR’s, AK, SKS being made for shooting people, have bad karma and disastrous social costs