‘30-50 feral hogs’ briefly took center stage in gun debate
Days after two devastating mass shootings revived the national conversation about gun control, a horde of feral hogs (briefly) ran away with it — and exposed the chasm in the debate between rural and urban America.
It began with a tweet from singer and Alabama native Jason Isbell.
“If you’re on here arguing the definition of ‘assault weapon’ today you are part of the problem. You know what an assault weapon is, and you know you don’t need one,” he tweeted.
William McNabb, of El Dorado, Ark., responded. He suggested that firearms are necessary to manage the invasive swine — specifically, 30to 50 of them.
“Legit question for rural Americans — How do I kill the 30-50 feral hogs that run into my yard within 3-5 minutes while my small kids play?” Mr. McNabb replied.
Twitter users pounced, andthe jokes spread.
The thought of a pig gang spawned thousands of memes that poked fun at the idea of semiautomatic rifles as a vital tool in wild pig home defense. An 8-bit game was quickly developed. “Simpsons” writer Bill Oakley created a mock episode script titled “Bart Gets 30-50 Feral Hogs.”
But for some users, the hogs also represented the partisan stalemate in the gun debate.
Pig problems
Researchers say wild pig attacks are rare. But there are more than 6 million of the porkers scattered across at least 35 states, and they’re a nuisance in the Southeast, the U.S. Department of Agriculture says.
The hogs tend to raid crops, drive out native species and transmit infectious diseases to humans, according to the Berryman Institute, an organization based in the Department of Wildland Resources at Utah State University.
And pig hunting is the most popular method of pest control — but not necessarily the most effective, researchers with the institute said. Hunters are usually able to kill only adult pigs, and pigs can reproduce as early as 6 months old and have litters of six piglets or more several times a year.
Texas produced uniquely Texan solution: Shoot them from low-flying helicopters. Hunters there can legally rent a helicopter seat and shoot hogs with AR15-style rifles.
But Texas Parks and Wildlife has warned: If you’re going to hunt wild pigs to protect land or for sport, an AR-15-type of firearm may not be enough to pierce its tough hide. The agency instead suggests heavier, hunting style rounds for rifles.
Pigs are smarter than they seem, too. Persistent hunting can teach pigs to avoid an area and move to where they’re harder to catch, according to researchers from the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture.
Trapping and euthanizing are the most effective method of wild pig removal, the Berry man Institute found.
Urban/rural divide
The hubbub over hogs helped illustrate the divide between voters in rural and urban areas at the center of the gun debate.
Wild hogs obviously tend to stay in places that are wild; urban New Yorkers haven’t reported many sightings overthe years.
And despite evidence that gun ownership is less prolific in rural states than it once was, the areas remain a stronghold.
A survey from the Pew Research Center found that 46% of Americans in rural areas said they own a gun, compared with 19% in urban areas. Among rural Americans who’ve owned or currently own a gun, nearly half got their first firearm before they turned 18.
According to a 2018 CNN exit poll, voters in rural areas are far more likely to oppose strict gun control measures than their suburban and urban counterparts.
And when CNN asked voters which issue they deemed more important — protecting the Second Amendment or controlling gun ownership — 65% of rural respondents prioritized gun rights.
Hunting is more common in rural areas too, and rural gun owners are significantly more likely to name hunting as the primary reason they own a gun: nearly 50%, according to Pew, versus 27% of urban gun owners.
The feral pig memes might be good for some dark humor. But when it comes to reaching a solution to end gun violence, they may be a reminder of a big divide.