I cringe whenever I hear it said or read it in the hunters' press. Hunter's don't use them, at least not for hunting, so let's not tell people that we do. Weapons are instruments of war and destruction, and include things like bazookas, AK-47s, MX missile systems and such.
Hunters use things like firearms, shotguns, rifles, handguns, archery equipment and such.
Don't confuse the two in speech or the written word. Connecting hunters with weapons wages psychological warfare against hunters. End of story. Safari Club International, with more than 37,000 members in 85 countries, is a charitable organization that promotes wildlife conservation and education, hunting as a wildlife management tool, services for people in need, and advocates on behalf of hunters for the preservation of hunting traditions worldwide.