There are lots of shooters that only relate to the paradigm that long shots are taken out of desperation, when a hunter can't get closer.

Bowhunters make the same type of statements about guys that shoot deer at 70yrds.

The fact that I CAN get close to deer is irrelevant, because of the fact that I CAN kill them cleanly at 600yrds with a rifle or 70yrds with a bow. Taking a long shot doesn't mean I'm desperately taking the only shot I can get - it means I have game within my effective range for the weapon I'm carrying, and I'm leveling a shot that I'm proficient enough to take.

If a guy really wanted to walk around with a ruler in his pocket, you could ask - I don't know why anyone ever shoots 50yrds, it's too risky and deer will run off... It's no more true than saying someone shouldn't shoot 500yrds or 1,500yrds for those reasons, but it's just as ignorant.