Kids’ Birthday Party at the Shooting Range

WFAA-TV reports:

[A new gun range will have two rooms for] birthday parties for kids.

“One of the reasons we’re doing this is, when I had my boys, I didn’t have a place to take them and educate them about how to handle a gun safely,” Prince explained. “I really want families to be able to take their kids here and teach their young shooters how to shoot safely.” …

“The age limit is eight years old. You have to be tall enough to get above the shooting table,” Prince said. “They’re not gonna be left unattended. Parents are gonna be one-on-one, or if there’s not enough parents we’ll have range safety officers here to show them how to do it safely.” …

“It makes me very nervous,” [said Dawn McMullan, a local gun control advocate]. “I think eight-year-olds, developmentally, can’t tell the difference between play and reality sometimes.”

“And also to put it in a party or game atmosphere just seems to not respect a gun as much as we should respect guns,” she said.

But Prince said respect is exactly what he’ll be teaching.

“We truly believe it’s a right and a privilege to shoot and to bear arms,” he said. “But you have a responsibility to know how to do it well. It’s your responsibility to know how to take care of your gun and know how to use it.”

“Ignorance is not bliss in this situation,” he added. “Until they outlaw guns, people are gonna have access to them and should have access to them. And they need to be educated. Take the mystery out of the guns.” …

Thanks to Opposing Views for the pointer.

Powered by WordPress. Designed by Woo Themes