9 Year Old Accidently Kills Gun Instructor

[Nyoibo]

I wonder - does this range (or a similar one) offer an "American History" package, where you shoot a smoothbore musket (revolution and war of 1812), a muzzleloading rifle (civil war), a single-shot .45-70 Government breechloader (opening of the West), a Krag Jorgensen, a M1903 Springfield (WW1), an M1 Garand (WW2 and Korea), an M14 (early Vietnam) and an M16 (late Vietnam to present)?

That would be neat.

[lordlundar]

I wonder - does this range (or a similar one) offer an "American History" package, where you shoot a smoothbore musket (revolution and war of 1812), a muzzleloading rifle (civil war), a single-shot .45-70 Government breechloader (opening of the West), a Krag Jorgensen, a M1903 Springfield (WW1), an M1 Garand (WW2 and Korea), an M14 (early Vietnam) and an M16 (late Vietnam to present)?

I doubt it. I don't think the staff has the common sense to know, let alone teach, how to load anything prior to cartridge based ammunition.

[s_stabeler]

I doubt it. I don't think the staff has the common sense to know, let alone teach, how to load anything prior to cartridge based ammunition.

I'm honestly surprised they are able to load cartridge-based ammunition correctly.

[Shangri-laschild]

I do think that on the subject of children shooting guns, it matters how and the situation, and the child. My sister and brother in law go shooting every weekend. Whether they need to or should own guns aside, it's what they do. As a result, my niece who is 5 has been out shooting. If she's shooting a handgun, someone is standing behind her with their hands on her's. If she's shooting a rifle same thing unless she's shooting laying down in which case someone is next to her (not next to the gun so as not to be at risk) and ready to grab the gun if they need to. Having been there when they've let her shoot I know that if she tried to move the rifle, she wouldn't be able to move it away from down range before someone stopped her. The only guns she shoots are all .22 and always with enough supervision to keep things safe.

She is a curious and resourceful kid. Yes they keep the guns locked away where she can't get to them but they still are aware of the type of kid that she is and for her personally, teaching gun safety without physically shooting would not work. Just like how education methods in schools aren't one size fits all. They are doing what they can to teach her as early as they can (within reason) about gun safety because they want it drilled into her head. They don't force her to go out shooting, she enjoys it. They also don't let her shoot beyond her ability. That child never should have been allowed to shoot that kind of gun and it's sad that it happened.

Not all kids need to be taught that young or with that method. I don't see a problem with it if the kid can handle being taught that young and grasp the seriousness of it either. My niece isn't allowed any sort of toy gun because her parents don't want her to think of guns as toys. They want her from the start to think of them as something that is dangerous and to be handled with respect and seriousness.