7 ways children can have fun at the shooting range - the NRA goes full nutters

[Fred Sanders]

http://www.womensoutdoornews.com/2014/08/7-ways-children-can-fun-shooting-range/

Suggestions include cut outs animals and exploding targets.

Nothing like an exploding Barbie doll to keep up the interest of the little bored 7 year old tykes.

Watch out for the dead instructor with an Uzi bullet in his head, not much fun up in that.

......................

Posted by: Mia Anstine , August 20, 2014

"When children begin shooting, traditional bull’s-eye targets are perfect for working on safety skills. They’re also good for zeroing your rifle before hunting or competitions. However, if children continually shoot the same bull’s-eye target, they can become tired, exhausted or bored. As the boredom sets in, the effort that goes into shooting can deteriorate. In our case we have youth competitors, i.e. LG and friends, who train on a regular basis. Sometimes they want, or rather need, to have fun at the range. That’s when it’s time to introduce other types of targets to change things up, so children have fun at the range.

7 ways children can have fun at the shooting range include:".........

________________________________________________________________________________

[IronGate]

1. My children were all competition shooting by age 7.

All were expert marksman by age 8, no problems in later life.
So, other than some idiot giving a 9 year old girl a full auto Uzi, what's the problem?

[Fred Sanders]

2. My children were all national science scholars at age 7. So what is the point?

[IronGate]

5. What's your point?

Different strokes for different folks.

[Fred Sanders]

19. Dear NRA member....

Dear NRA-member:

Please stop funding this vile organization's political efforts with your membership fees. Your cooperation in this matter is greatly appreciated.

Thank you,

America's responsible parents

[IronGate]

35. Except I'm not a member of the NRA.

I'm a member of this gun organization.

http://www.theliberalgunclub.com/

[Eleanors38]

40. I prefer the Liberal Gun Club, thank you. nt

[blueridge3210]

3. Did you actually read the article?

No "exploding Barbie dolls". Sorry, fail again. Maybe you should post at GCRA; they seem to have a less discriminating palate. Less activity as well, however.

[Fred Sanders]

7. Yes, look what else I read in the article:

Exploding targets

These are on the top of the “fun” list. The resounding “BOOM” and puff of smoke is fun to see, hear and … smell. We shot some with a couple of LG’s teammates and had a BLAST.

Before we used Tannerite’s starter kit ($34.99), we consulted Tannerite directly, as well as explosives experts. We strictly adhered to the instructions to ensure the safest environment for the kids. We had a total of 5 adults supervising 3 children, and everyone had a great time. – you could tell from the huge smiles on everyone’s faces According to the kids, these were the “best of the best” at the range.

[blueridge3210]

9. So, in other words

Children/Youth having a good time shooting a variety of targets under close, competent adult supervision equals "exploding Barbie dolls"? Perhaps, if one wishes to engage in an honest discussion of firearms, one would do better to avoid making up falsehoods out of whole cloth?

[beevul]

10. Tannerite has been around a long time.

Every couple years or s, someone makes a big deal about it as if its unheard of.

It isn't.

[Eleanors38]

42. Still don't see 'Barbie,' only regulated game animals...

as silhouette targets. As the source you use said: Rabbit, squirrel and deer. ALL these animals are regulated game animals, not kitties & puppies. If one wishes to hunt, knowing the kill-zone is a good thing so the animal can be recovered for the dinner table. This is good practice.

You are about culture war, which inevitably involves fearful rhetoric concerning the corruption of youth, etc., etc. I'm glad these kids have more creative targets than old oil drums, tin cans and spent shotgun shells.

[Fred Sanders]

4. Children enjoy finding the kill zone on an animals body......

Animal shaped targets

These targets are fun to shoot while sighting in for hunting season. They also come in handy in showing new shooters where the kill-zone is on an animal. Targets with images of all sorts of species are offered by Birchwood Casey ($12.70). LG and friends shot paper rabbit, squirrel and deer targets at a recent competition.

[IronGate]

6. OK, aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand? nt.

[beevul]

8. Would you prefer they didn't know, and animals suffer...

Would you prefer they didn't know, and animals suffer when they hunt due to not being cleanly killed?

Or are you anti-hunting too?

[4b5f940728b232b034e4]

11. When you're talking about kids and "kill zones"...

It shows just how insane you people are. Thinking it is a good idea to teach a child to murder is stunningly a bad idea. What happens when they graduate to people?

[blueridge3210]

13. "Graduate to People"?

How often, if ever, does this happen? When hunting wild game it is ethical to try to make a clean shot in the "kill zone" in order to prevent the animal from suffering a lingering death. This is just basic wildlife management.

[Fred Sanders]

15. People are animals with the exact same kill zones....I think that is true.

[blueridge3210]

20. And your point is?

If forced to use a firearm in self-defense it is most effective to shoot center mass in order to stop the threat. Or do you want the intended victims of forcible felonies to be unable to effectively defend themselves?

[Duckhunter935]

16. so you are for the animals suffering

Most people who hunt start gun safety early and use age appropriate weapons. It is just good hunting to know how to shoot an animal so it will not suffer.

[Fred Sanders]

17. Not to worry, an Uzi, even in the hands of a 9 year old, kills animals instantly by mass force. Easy

[blueridge3210]

21. An Uzi would be a terrible choice for hunting wild game.

You may want to do some actual "research" on this issue. Just sayin'.

[Fred Sanders]

22. Or for firing in automatic mode at a firing range while your "responsible" parents video tape their

own criminal negligence causing death crime, and the lifetime traumatization of their little 9 year old pumpkin?

[blueridge3210]

24. And has anyone posted that this activity was a good idea?

No, I don't think so. Nice non-sequitur. Care to actually discuss the article you posted?

[Duckhunter935]

27. who said it was a good thing to fire that type of weapon

by a 9 year old girl or boy?

[Duckhunter935]

30. would have been much safer

to fire a full size rifle or even a heavy machine gun.

[discntnt_irny_srcsm]

32. Hey Fred

There's nothing responsible about that decision. Any safety critical decisions made without a careful assessment of all possible consequences and all possible coincident problems is highly irresponsible.


But were them parents keepin' their video tapes in a clip?

As you were...

[Duckhunter935]

23. so you know nothing about weapons, we know

not one person I have seen has said giving a 9 year old a fully automatic Uzi was a good thing. If you find one let us all know because all of us on this board seem to be in agreement on that.

Next an Uzi fire a 9MM round, not really big enough for hunting. A fully automatic Uzi is very hard to control and not very accurate so most rounds fired will miss. That does not even take into effect the shortness of the barrel. It is only good at one thing, carry concealed and firing in close quarters.

[friendly_iconoclast]

33. Culture warriors tend to take a casual approach to factual accuracy

They go more for emotional effect, which is why they can be defeated by those
who keep their cool...

[beevul]

38. Exactly correct.

Their relationship to truth and objective fact can be accurately categorized as being on the casual acquaintance level.

[gejohnston]

26. Out of the millions of kids who learned the very thing

from state game departments safely class (required to get your first hunting license in most if not all states. Probably required in other countries as well.) How many graduate to humans? almost zero. Almost all (99.9 percent) go right to people and couldn't tell the difference between a deer and an elk. They know where their food comes from.

In Canada, a 12 year old can buy rifle or shotgun ammunition and go hunting or target shooting (generally, unless a condition is placed on it) without adult supervision with a minors permit. In some cases, a kid can get one as young as nine (usually substance hunters).
http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/cfp-pcaf/fs-fd/minor-mineur-eng.htm

[Kalidurga]

34. My father was a hunter

as far as I know he never hunted humans. I reckon most hunters never hunt humans.

[IronGate]

36. Hmmm.

My children didn't graduate to people, so, your little rant is classified as pure

[Eleanors38]

43. Other than "pot leads to heroin," what other W.O.D. metaphors have you?

All hunting instruction materials I know of show kill-zones. And these SHOULD be shown so that game recovery is improved.

A teen should be shown how to drive safely; staying within the lines, turning, parking, etc. That can't prevent the rare F.U. "graduate" from intentionally jumping a curve and plowing down pedestrians, perverting the safety skills he/she has learned.

This "you people" is not insane. Junk your droll culture/prohibition war.

[sarisataka]

12. My daughter is learning

The vital areas on animals in order to make clean kills. It is important to learn the ethics of hunting- avoid an unnecessary suffering to the animal, pass on the shot unless you are sure of a clean hit...

The big difference is that she is an archer.

[NYC_SKP]

14. Your cartoon is broken.

Here, I'll fix it.

If anything helps sell more guns, it's the shortsighted, emotion-based, senseless types who call for immediate action, AWBs and limitations on hardware.

Not surprisingly, in reasonable anticipation of such new stupid restrictions, many go out and buy what they can while they can.

Does the NRA push this? I don't know but I do know that if idiot legislators would be more thoughtful, then there'd be nothing to push.

[Duckhunter935]

18. I started shooting around 8 or 9

I find target shooting can be a very fun and challenging sport.

From another post, quite amazing

[Fred Sanders]

25. Takes all kinds. Some 8 or 9 year olds are at math or soccer camp or tossing ball with their Dads.

[gejohnston]

28. Which are not mutually exclusive

anymore than the false jock/nerd dichotomy.

[Duckhunter935]

29. yep, that is the great thing about the USA

we allow choice, you do not seem to want to allow others their choice.

[friendly_iconoclast]

31. Certain commenters seem bent on proving an old slur to be true:

"A liberal is someone who will defend to the death your right to agree with them"

Fortunately, most of us here are progressives and not Third Wayers...

[Eleanors38]

44. And it's not just either-or...

What are the odds the girl in the video is pretty damned good with other arts & sciences? I know what the safe bet is.

[IronGate]

37. Yep,

called parental choice.

[ileus]

39. My kids are happy just knocking down plates at the range.

[DonP]

41. My grand kids love the plates, spinners and the "roll around" .22 targets

The hard rubber cubes, balls and such that bounce and roll when they're hit are cheap and last forever. I've had adults ask if they can shoot them too.

Between those and the Zombie animal "Shoot and C" targets it keeps it interesting for them. Reactive targets make a difference for kids and a lot of adults too.

Using the Ruger Bearcat and the single shot Savage bolt action "Brave" is fun for them and keeps ammo consumption down too.

[Fred Sanders]

45. Of course many adults love things that explode and make loud noises just like juveniles do.

Buy them some fireworks. No chance of shooting someone like your firearms instructor dead in the head in an activity with no redeeming value I can see.

Burger and bullets, kids, get on your camo suit! Bring Fluffy for the fun time shooting party...

[blueridge3210]

46. Do you actually read what you post?

No one has been injured while setting off fireworks? Is that your argument? Again with the fail.

[clffrdjk]

47. Wait did you just suggest fireworks as a safer alternative to target shooting?

activity with no redeeming value I can see.

That is a personal problem that you will have to eventually get over.

Burger and bullets, kids, get on your camo suit! Bring Fluffy for the fun time shooting party...

hell yea when and where?

[ileus]

50. Fireworks are dangerous.

QC of cheap Chinese fireworks is no existent.

[ileus]

49. Speaking of 22....I actually found 22 in stock and at normal prices this weekend.

I did hit the range with my new CZ over the weekend. Arrrrrrh!

[Duckhunter935]

51. 22 seems to be coming back

I have received several alerts of it being in stock


Fireworks are safe

[ileus]

52. I see it in stock, but still at stupid prices mostly.