Rifle Survey Says...

...or should we be more concerned with what the survey asks than the results?

I just took the Gun Tests Rifle Survey at http://www.gun-tests.com/surveys/. (I think you can see and take the survey without having a subscription to Gun tests.) The survey was short but not sweet in my opinion. I was quite concerned when I read question number 3 which asked what is the primary type of shooting you do with your rifle. There were a few things wrong with the question and with the options they allowed as answers. I was concerned to shoot off an email to the editorial staff at Gun Tests. I only mentioned my concerns with the options they gave for the answers and did not bring up the problem I have with the question.

My concern with the question is that they asked what is the primary use of your rifle. Do you see it? Maybe I am just too anal but I think that them asking you about your "rifle" as opposed to "rifle(s)" is a problem. Do they imply we should only own one rifle, do they assume most of us who own a rifle only own one? I did not mention, maybe I should have done so.

What I did mention, in my email to them, was that I was really taken aback by the options they allowed for answers to that question. The options were: target shooting, plinking, varmint hunting, deer hunting and big game hunting. As I pointed out to them - deer hunting should fall under the big game category unless they are hunting on another planet. What concerned me even more was that a much better overall usage of a rifle or rifles was left out. Why wasn't self defense included among the options? As I said to them, I hope they are not implying that self defense is not a legitimate use of a rifle. If such is the case it might indicate a leftward lean by the staff at Gun tests. I certainly hope not and I am awaiting their reply that hopefully will indicate otherwise.

All the best,
Glenn B