> http://www.goal.org/hotline.html
>
>6/28/00
>
> Sportsmen Dry Up Make-A-Wishing Well
>
> Make-a-Wish Foundation, which grants wishes to terminally-ill children,
was
> "adopted" by numerous sportsmen and gun owners back in 1996, after its
> Minnesota chapter granted one child his wish of an Alaskan bear hunt. At
> that time, in response to the complaints and abuse they received from
> anti-gun and animal-rights activists, the organization responded quite
> reasonably:
>
> We have a request to make. The animal rights activists fight with
> hunters all the time, across the country, over what's appropriate and
> inappropriate. Our request is that you go fight someplace else. This isn't
> our fight. We aren't about fighting... It is not appropriate to use this
> organization or the children it serves to advance a political agenda.
>
> Sadly, that common-sense approach to their charitable mission came to an
>end
> this April, when Make-A-Wish's Petri R. J. Darby announced that:
>
> After a thorough review of its wish-granting policies, the
> Make-A-Wish Foundation of America Board of Directors has voted to
> discontinue granting wishes that involve the gift or use of firearms or
> other weapons designed to cause injury. The decision was based on the
>unique
> and inherent danger involved in a wish experience that exposes the child
>and
> all wish participants to the hazards of an operational firearm or any
other
> deadly weapon. After searching for a method in which wishes involving
> firearms could be granted in a sufficiently safe environment, the
>Foundation
> has concluded that wishes and weapons cannot be combined in a manner in
> which safety can be reasonably reassured...
>
> It is the philosophy of the Make-A-Wish Foundation to find a way to
> grant each child's most heart-felt wish, no matter how difficult the
>request
> may be to fulfill. However, it is irresponsible to grant a child's wish if
> granting that wish exposes the child and other wish participants to
>enormous
> risk.
>
> Please know that children making wishes involving firearms will not
> be turned away from the Make-A-Wish Foundation. We simply will ask them to
> make another wish.
>
> "Unique and inherent danger?" "Exposure to hazards?" "Enormous risk?"
> "Irresponsible?"
>
> Reaction was swift. One Massachusetts gun owner commented, "While I had
> known about Make-a-Wish for some time, my financial support began when
they
> placed a child's desire for a hunt above political correctness. Now that
> they've decided to toe the party line, I can find many better uses for my
> money."
>
> Another noted, "Since there are 250 million firearms in the country and
>only
> 900 people died from accidental firearms use last year, firearms are among
> the safest products on the market today. The Make-A-Wish child would be
> safer conducting a shooting sport than taking a shower or driving to the
> store." A third added, "Assuming that one would take them at their word, I
> guess that means no more wishes involving climbing, swimming, bicycles and
>a
> heck of a lot of other things which have demonstrably greater injury and
> fatality rates than do firearms."
>
> One major Massachusetts volunteer fund-raiser for Make-A-Wish summed up
all
> our objections in his letter to Mr. Petri and the local chapters:
>
> Sportsmen have always been proud to donate time and money to MAW
> because we have always viewed the organization as one willing to stand up
>to
> politics and even public criticism for the sake of the children. When I
was
> collecting contributions and selling raffle tickets to sportsmen for MAW,
> most had no idea what MAW was until I mentioned "MAW was the organization
> that allowed the boy to go bear hunting when everyone else wanted them to
> refuse." Almost always, my potential donor would say, "Oh -- that's the
> organization that did that?" They would then give what they could --
>because
> of that one hunt.
>
> I think I speak for many sportsmen when I say we feel this move by
> the national organization is purely political, and that the reasons
> mentioned are simply excuses that could be overcome if the parent
> organization were not already biased against firearms. It is currently the
> politically correct thing to do to distance oneself from the shooting
> sports. It's wrong to do this in the face of thousands of sportsmen who
>have
> contributed to MAW across the country. You won't see another sportsman
> donate a cent as long as national has this policy in place.
>
> Our recommendation? "Hunters and other gun owners who wish to make
> charitable donations to children's organizations will not have to stop --
>we
> simply will ask them to make them to organizations other than
Make-A-Wish."
>
> You may also "wish" to e-mail Make-A-Wish officials
>
<maimailto
darby@wish.org,boston@wish.org,westmass@wish.org?cc=webmaster@goal
> .org> and tell them (politely) what you think of their new policy,
> especially if you have been a previous contributor.
>
>
>*************************************************************************
>
>6/28/00
>
> Sportsmen Dry Up Make-A-Wishing Well
>
> Make-a-Wish Foundation, which grants wishes to terminally-ill children,
was
> "adopted" by numerous sportsmen and gun owners back in 1996, after its
> Minnesota chapter granted one child his wish of an Alaskan bear hunt. At
> that time, in response to the complaints and abuse they received from
> anti-gun and animal-rights activists, the organization responded quite
> reasonably:
>
> We have a request to make. The animal rights activists fight with
> hunters all the time, across the country, over what's appropriate and
> inappropriate. Our request is that you go fight someplace else. This isn't
> our fight. We aren't about fighting... It is not appropriate to use this
> organization or the children it serves to advance a political agenda.
>
> Sadly, that common-sense approach to their charitable mission came to an
>end
> this April, when Make-A-Wish's Petri R. J. Darby announced that:
>
> After a thorough review of its wish-granting policies, the
> Make-A-Wish Foundation of America Board of Directors has voted to
> discontinue granting wishes that involve the gift or use of firearms or
> other weapons designed to cause injury. The decision was based on the
>unique
> and inherent danger involved in a wish experience that exposes the child
>and
> all wish participants to the hazards of an operational firearm or any
other
> deadly weapon. After searching for a method in which wishes involving
> firearms could be granted in a sufficiently safe environment, the
>Foundation
> has concluded that wishes and weapons cannot be combined in a manner in
> which safety can be reasonably reassured...
>
> It is the philosophy of the Make-A-Wish Foundation to find a way to
> grant each child's most heart-felt wish, no matter how difficult the
>request
> may be to fulfill. However, it is irresponsible to grant a child's wish if
> granting that wish exposes the child and other wish participants to
>enormous
> risk.
>
> Please know that children making wishes involving firearms will not
> be turned away from the Make-A-Wish Foundation. We simply will ask them to
> make another wish.
>
> "Unique and inherent danger?" "Exposure to hazards?" "Enormous risk?"
> "Irresponsible?"
>
> Reaction was swift. One Massachusetts gun owner commented, "While I had
> known about Make-a-Wish for some time, my financial support began when
they
> placed a child's desire for a hunt above political correctness. Now that
> they've decided to toe the party line, I can find many better uses for my
> money."
>
> Another noted, "Since there are 250 million firearms in the country and
>only
> 900 people died from accidental firearms use last year, firearms are among
> the safest products on the market today. The Make-A-Wish child would be
> safer conducting a shooting sport than taking a shower or driving to the
> store." A third added, "Assuming that one would take them at their word, I
> guess that means no more wishes involving climbing, swimming, bicycles and
>a
> heck of a lot of other things which have demonstrably greater injury and
> fatality rates than do firearms."
>
> One major Massachusetts volunteer fund-raiser for Make-A-Wish summed up
all
> our objections in his letter to Mr. Petri and the local chapters:
>
> Sportsmen have always been proud to donate time and money to MAW
> because we have always viewed the organization as one willing to stand up
>to
> politics and even public criticism for the sake of the children. When I
was
> collecting contributions and selling raffle tickets to sportsmen for MAW,
> most had no idea what MAW was until I mentioned "MAW was the organization
> that allowed the boy to go bear hunting when everyone else wanted them to
> refuse." Almost always, my potential donor would say, "Oh -- that's the
> organization that did that?" They would then give what they could --
>because
> of that one hunt.
>
> I think I speak for many sportsmen when I say we feel this move by
> the national organization is purely political, and that the reasons
> mentioned are simply excuses that could be overcome if the parent
> organization were not already biased against firearms. It is currently the
> politically correct thing to do to distance oneself from the shooting
> sports. It's wrong to do this in the face of thousands of sportsmen who
>have
> contributed to MAW across the country. You won't see another sportsman
> donate a cent as long as national has this policy in place.
>
> Our recommendation? "Hunters and other gun owners who wish to make
> charitable donations to children's organizations will not have to stop --
>we
> simply will ask them to make them to organizations other than
Make-A-Wish."
>
> You may also "wish" to e-mail Make-A-Wish officials
>
<maimailto
darby@wish.org,boston@wish.org,westmass@wish.org?cc=webmaster@goal> .org> and tell them (politely) what you think of their new policy,
> especially if you have been a previous contributor.
>
>
>*************************************************************************