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Kids learn how to shoot, respect guns
Josey1
Member Posts: 9,598 ✭✭
HUNTING & FISHING: Kids learn how to shoot, respect guns
Anthony Watts, 13, of Tracy aims a .38 Bisley during a free shooting night.
BART AH YOU/THE BEE
Susan Rubert, 15, of Rescue shoots a lever-action rifle last weekend in Manteca.
By JOEL HOOD
BEE STAFF WRITER
MANTECA -- The firing squad lines up in a row of six at the back wall of the room. For some of them, this is the first time they've held a gun, so the initial wonderment these kids are feeling at this moment is right there on display.
One young boy in a green camouflaged T-shirt carefully picks the lever-action Winchester rifle from off the bench and slowly raises it to eye level. A boy standing to his right hasn't yet worked up that level of courage. Instead, he keeps peering around the room, as if asking himself if he's really about to do what he thinks he is.
The boys' targets are at the other end of the room, 25 yards away. They are small circular disks, about 12 inches across with a 3/4-inch bull's-eye. Most of the kids who come to these monthly events routinely hit at least the outer edges of the target, even the most white-knuckled beginners.
But only a select few in this room can boast of hitting the small, red bull's-eye. One of those is 4-year-old Maria Triano of Patterson. Maria's parents half expected their youngest child to want to spend the evening in the car when they brought her and her 8-year-old brother, Makayla, to their first free kids shooting night at the Manteca Sportsmen Club about six months ago.
But Maria, the product of a household that loves to hunt, unveiled a natural, if not somewhat frightening, affinity for target shooting. After about a 30-minute introduction with the club's lead instructor, Tony Acevedo, and after her parents calmed the nerves of other parents who objected to the idea of a 4-year-old toting a .22 caliber Ruger in the room next door, Maria was allowed to take part in the popular monthly event.
And to everyone's surprise, even her own, Maria had nailed the bull's-eye by the end of her second visit.
"The other parents were a little wary (of Maria participating) at first, and I can understand that," said Maria's mother, Dawn. "But I think that as long as the kid is paying attention to what is being taught, they're going to be OK. And also, I think in general small girls are a bit more accurate than boys. I'm not sure why that is."
Acevedo said Maria Triano and the other kids in his class are proof that children, in general, have the maturity to operate loaded guns, just as long as they are given proper hands-on instruction and are allowed to practice in a closely supervised environment.
Acevedo, a certified National Rifle Association instructor and former professional target shooter, began the free kids shooting night at the Manteca Sportsmen Club in 1994 with the idea that children who are living in homes with guns should get an introductory course in the safe handling of guns.
The free kids night is on the first Friday of every month and open to the public. Approximately 12 to 20 kids, ranging in age from 4 to 19, participate each month. There is no cost and Acevedo and his team of instructors, which also includes Jim Young, a retired military police officer and army marksmen, even supply the weaponry.
"The fact of the matter is, if you're a kid whose parents are hunters or are into shooting, there are going to be guns in the home," Acevedo said. "The most important thing you can do as a parent to protect your child is to get them over the mystery and excitement of being around a gun. Kids need to feel comfortable around them. Guns are serious and can be dangerous if a kid does not know how to handle them correctly.
"Here, we teach kids to respect what they can do, but also that there is a correct way to handle and care for them."
Acevedo spends about 30 minutes with the kids and their parents before anyone is allowed into the firing range. The kids with the most experience are the first to be escorted into the range. For less experienced kids or first-timers, Acevedo gives additional instruction and basic safety guidelines.
Rule No. 1: Don't touch the guns at the firing line until the instructor says it's OK.
No. 2: Always have the gun pointed in a safe direction (straight up or at the designated target).
No. 3: When handing someone a rifle, make sure the chamber is open so they know the gun is not loaded. Never hand a loaded gun to someone.
No. 4: Before loading the gun, check the barrel and chamber to see if there is any obstruction.
Acevedo also recommends that parents clean their gun in front of their child so they learn an appreciation for the mechanics that goes into building them.
"They are very, very patient instructors," said Richard Trader of Manteca, who accompanied his 8-year-old son, Richey, on a recent free kids night. "I like to hunt and I want my son to be able to come with me in a couple of years. I figured that it was best to have a professional instructor teaching him so that he doesn't pick up any bad habits and so he doesn't get frustrated with it.
"This has been a great experience for both of us."
For more information on the free kids shooting night at the Manteca Sportsmen Club, call 823-7919.
Joel Hood's hunting and fishing column appears every Thursday. He can be reached at 578-2300 or jhood@modbee.com
http://www.modbee.com/columnists/hood/story/4550001p-5569275c.html
"If cowardly and dishonorable men sometimes shoot unarmed men with army pistols or guns, the evil must be prevented by the penitentiary and gallows, and not by a general deprivation of a constitutional privilege." - Arkansas Supreme Court, 1878
Anthony Watts, 13, of Tracy aims a .38 Bisley during a free shooting night.
BART AH YOU/THE BEE
Susan Rubert, 15, of Rescue shoots a lever-action rifle last weekend in Manteca.
By JOEL HOOD
BEE STAFF WRITER
MANTECA -- The firing squad lines up in a row of six at the back wall of the room. For some of them, this is the first time they've held a gun, so the initial wonderment these kids are feeling at this moment is right there on display.
One young boy in a green camouflaged T-shirt carefully picks the lever-action Winchester rifle from off the bench and slowly raises it to eye level. A boy standing to his right hasn't yet worked up that level of courage. Instead, he keeps peering around the room, as if asking himself if he's really about to do what he thinks he is.
The boys' targets are at the other end of the room, 25 yards away. They are small circular disks, about 12 inches across with a 3/4-inch bull's-eye. Most of the kids who come to these monthly events routinely hit at least the outer edges of the target, even the most white-knuckled beginners.
But only a select few in this room can boast of hitting the small, red bull's-eye. One of those is 4-year-old Maria Triano of Patterson. Maria's parents half expected their youngest child to want to spend the evening in the car when they brought her and her 8-year-old brother, Makayla, to their first free kids shooting night at the Manteca Sportsmen Club about six months ago.
But Maria, the product of a household that loves to hunt, unveiled a natural, if not somewhat frightening, affinity for target shooting. After about a 30-minute introduction with the club's lead instructor, Tony Acevedo, and after her parents calmed the nerves of other parents who objected to the idea of a 4-year-old toting a .22 caliber Ruger in the room next door, Maria was allowed to take part in the popular monthly event.
And to everyone's surprise, even her own, Maria had nailed the bull's-eye by the end of her second visit.
"The other parents were a little wary (of Maria participating) at first, and I can understand that," said Maria's mother, Dawn. "But I think that as long as the kid is paying attention to what is being taught, they're going to be OK. And also, I think in general small girls are a bit more accurate than boys. I'm not sure why that is."
Acevedo said Maria Triano and the other kids in his class are proof that children, in general, have the maturity to operate loaded guns, just as long as they are given proper hands-on instruction and are allowed to practice in a closely supervised environment.
Acevedo, a certified National Rifle Association instructor and former professional target shooter, began the free kids shooting night at the Manteca Sportsmen Club in 1994 with the idea that children who are living in homes with guns should get an introductory course in the safe handling of guns.
The free kids night is on the first Friday of every month and open to the public. Approximately 12 to 20 kids, ranging in age from 4 to 19, participate each month. There is no cost and Acevedo and his team of instructors, which also includes Jim Young, a retired military police officer and army marksmen, even supply the weaponry.
"The fact of the matter is, if you're a kid whose parents are hunters or are into shooting, there are going to be guns in the home," Acevedo said. "The most important thing you can do as a parent to protect your child is to get them over the mystery and excitement of being around a gun. Kids need to feel comfortable around them. Guns are serious and can be dangerous if a kid does not know how to handle them correctly.
"Here, we teach kids to respect what they can do, but also that there is a correct way to handle and care for them."
Acevedo spends about 30 minutes with the kids and their parents before anyone is allowed into the firing range. The kids with the most experience are the first to be escorted into the range. For less experienced kids or first-timers, Acevedo gives additional instruction and basic safety guidelines.
Rule No. 1: Don't touch the guns at the firing line until the instructor says it's OK.
No. 2: Always have the gun pointed in a safe direction (straight up or at the designated target).
No. 3: When handing someone a rifle, make sure the chamber is open so they know the gun is not loaded. Never hand a loaded gun to someone.
No. 4: Before loading the gun, check the barrel and chamber to see if there is any obstruction.
Acevedo also recommends that parents clean their gun in front of their child so they learn an appreciation for the mechanics that goes into building them.
"They are very, very patient instructors," said Richard Trader of Manteca, who accompanied his 8-year-old son, Richey, on a recent free kids night. "I like to hunt and I want my son to be able to come with me in a couple of years. I figured that it was best to have a professional instructor teaching him so that he doesn't pick up any bad habits and so he doesn't get frustrated with it.
"This has been a great experience for both of us."
For more information on the free kids shooting night at the Manteca Sportsmen Club, call 823-7919.
Joel Hood's hunting and fishing column appears every Thursday. He can be reached at 578-2300 or jhood@modbee.com
http://www.modbee.com/columnists/hood/story/4550001p-5569275c.html
"If cowardly and dishonorable men sometimes shoot unarmed men with army pistols or guns, the evil must be prevented by the penitentiary and gallows, and not by a general deprivation of a constitutional privilege." - Arkansas Supreme Court, 1878