I carried a gun in New York City for more than a decade. In that time (and even to this day), I would have killed anyone who was a threat to my life or the life of someone I loved, or even an innocent bystander. I would have done so, not without remorse, for it would surely have haunted me for the rest of my days. Yet, when asked to go hunting on many occasions by many friends, I would always decline.  This was never understood by those who had done the inviting. They would posit that if I was willing to kill a human being, why would I refuse to kill an animal? I would simply answer that I refused to kill anything that didn’t deserve it. They would reply, “But, you eat meat?” Yes, that’s true, but I don’t have to kill the steer myself.  Is that hypocrisy? I don’t know.  Killing a living thing takes something away from you that can never be regained.  I won’t kill an animal, unless they are a mortal...(Read Full Post)