Writing Pro Hunting Letters.
With the Victorian duck hunting season around the corner there is a heap of debate and letters to politicians, editors and websites. These letters are usually emotive, irrational and have little to do with reality. These letters usually come from the anti hunters/gunners.
The problem is that they have quantity. Whilst hunter’s are getting better at letter writing and getting our voices heard we are not as loud as the anti’s. All is not lost though, we have facts, rationality and intelligence on our side. Hunters & Shooters come from all walks of life and actually know what they are talking about because we live hunting and shooting. Some anti’s live it too, most do not however. Most letters from anti’s are rubbish, they are short on facts and surplus on emotion and lies.
So with that mammoth introduction I thought I would write up a few hints on how to write a great pro hunting letter. One that will be noticed and it doesn’t have to be long it just has to do the following:
Use Facts:
Whenever there is a debate on hunting or gun control usually the facts and statistics are on our side. There are a myriad of websites out there that have the resources you need to get your point across. You want to go to websites like: Australian Bureau of Statistics or Australian Institute of Criminology or use Google as your friend to help you find the information you need. A hint with this though is to try and find reliable sources or better yet peer reviewed papers on the very thing you are writing about. You don’t want to use things that are not facts as there is more than enough evidence to support our stance on hunting and shooting and if you botch it up you can have an opposite effect to what you were trying to achieve.
Be Straight & To The Point:
Unlike this post, your letters don’t have to be nor do you want them to be long-winded. You want your points to be clear and concise. You want to make your stance clear and make an impact with what you are saying. Politicians are more likely to read it and remember it if you are clear on your position, editors and moderators will be more interested in publishing your letter as well. Get to the point and take out the fluff! It also makes writing them easier so you can write more.
Do Not Be Emotive & Abusive:
In any debate, the first to use emotion rather than logic & evidence are usually the side that will use. Whilst we can be commenting on emotive topics it is clear to take emotion out of it and use facts. Whilst emotional responses can make an impact they are often not based in fact and rationallity is lost. If posting in a comments section or in reply to someone do not call them names, do not get personal, attack their argument and not their personality. Anti’s love attacking us with stereotypes and name calling. Take the high ground and know that you do not need to stoop to their level to win the argument.
Spelling, Punctuation & Grammar:
This one is important. Not all of us are blessed with great spelling or letter writing skills. I’m not, I’ve worked damn hard to change how I write and I still don’t consider myself to be a good writer. You MUST spell check your letter using and Australia dictionary in your word processor you also have to proof read what you have written. It is a good tip to read it outloud to see how it will sound and also to get someone else to read it.
Follow these tips and you will be well on your way to helping further the cause of hunting and shooting. We need to get our point across we need to make it clear and we need to not let the anti’s win with their emotional, abusive and uneducated drivel. We have the high ground, we just have to win the mindshare of the undecideds and we can do this by polishing up our pro hunting letters.
I hope this is insightful to you all and remember to get your letters out there we have to counter the argument the anti’s spew from their rear’s and let people know how it REALLY is.
Happy Hunting!
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Category: Keith Drain's Column
A lie left unchallenged becomes the truth. — Tom Gresham