Late development of rational judgement ts not the only issue here. Most of Australia’s population live in a low-risk environment and that can have all sorts of ramifications for behaviour.
Having been a buffalo shooter I’ve shot with professionals. And then I had to join a pistol club when I acquired such a weapon (for protection against crocodiles etc while I was carrying out biological surveys).
I soon quit after hearing the boasts of some about illegal caches of weapons they kept. I figured I’d take my chances with the animals. And that was not a decision I took lightly. Anyone who remembers the spread of horns on Charlie in Crocodile Dundee 1, should be able to imagine the consternation I felt on returning to camp to find a similarly equipped buff standing next to my tent. I was alone, in a remote area, and completely unarmed.
My fellow buffalo shooters like my semi-traditional relatives, don’t need gun to prove they are men. My relatives shoot only what they can eat (and what they don’t have as dreamings), and then wade out into crocodile-infested swamps to collect the birds. Maybe that’s the answer!
