Beachcomber  & Times Press
Outdoor Report  
By Mark Sampson
12/12/99

    I got an unexpected call last month from my 12-year-old nephew who lives 
in Virginia.  He couldn't wait to tell me that he had just shot his first 
squirrel.  Matthew and his father had just returned from a trek in the 
mountains and for the first time he was more than just a tag-a-long.  This 
time Matt was a full-fledged hunter, carrying his own gun, and totally 
responsible for his own actions.  He was elated!
    The gun was a .22 caliber bolt action that my brother and I gave him last 
year for Christmas.  Don't worry, the gift was OK'd months in advance by my 
sister and brother-in-law.  After all, gun is not the kind of thing you just 
throw at a family and say "well sis, better be nice to the kid from now on, 
remember - he's armed"!
    Matt had already spent plenty of time following his father and uncles 
through the woods, practicing at the target ranges, and learning the basics 
of gun cleaning handling and safety at the basement workbench.  He handles 
his gun carefully and with as much respect as anyone I know.
    A couple weeks ago while on a hunting trip with my brother, I watched his 
six-year-old son handle and shoot his newly acquired BB gun.  The prudence 
little Luke took as he stood in front of a target, cocked the gun, clicked 
off the safety, carefully aimed, and slowly squeezed off each shot was 
heartwarming. Obviously, the strict lessons on gun safety that my father 
drilled into my brother and I were being wisely passed on our 
family's next generation of hunters.
    This all came to mind today as I read an article on troubled youths.  
Included where some statistics on gun related homicides committed by minors.  
The writer was, in a subtle way, making an argument against guns.  In light 
of this country's recent and very tragic school shootings it's no wonder so 
many folks are ready to think this way.  But, at the risk of sounding like an 
NRA spokesperson, the problem and solution lies not in the gun, so much as 
the mind and training of the one holding it.
    In the wrong hands, guns can be instruments that can create tragic 
consequences.  So are knifes, chain saws, cars, rocks, 2x4's, and even 
"words" for that matter.  But just like everything else on the list, guns - 
if used properly can provide immeasurable benefits.  When it comes to guns 
and children, it all starts at home and that puts a huge burden of 
responsibility on the parents.
    Parents who choose to bring their children up around guns must instill 
upon them not only safe and proper gun handling techniques, but also a keen 
awareness of the horrible consequences of improper use.  Far too many kids 
spend hours a day racking up millions of video game points while blasting 
away at bad guys and bystanders.  At the touch of a button shots ring out and 
the blood flies.  If they get "killed" three times, or reach the "next 
level", pressing another button cleans up the mess and starts the whole game 
over where it started.  Somehow I see this as being a tad bit 
counterproductive in learning about the true meaning and value of life.
    I find it curious too that Hollywood has apparently decided to teach us a 
new gun handling technique.  Just when I finally gave up on trying to figure 
out how actors are continually able to squeeze 8-10 shots out of a six 
shooter, I've come to realize there's now a new way to hold a pistol.  
Instead of holding the weapon upright (like it was designed to be held) 
actors are now holding their guns sideways when they fire.
    Since holding a gun at this 90° angle would, in reality, make the sights 
totally useless, it took me a while to figure out what the purpose of this 
technique might be. The only thing I can figure is that for actors who are 
accustomed to doing "take" after "take" before they get the (film) shot 
right, this knuckle up grip must be more ergonomically correct and something 
they do to try and prevent the condition of corporal-tunnel.  Gee, what great 
role models these moviemakers are producing these days!
    While I make light of Hollywood's gun-play, it is indeed a serious matter 
that too many of our youths are learning about guns handling from television 
and video games.  The shooting sports offer so much opportunity for young 
people to learn to learn about good healthy values, self-control, and 
responsibility.  But just as we wouldn't toss the car keys to a child who's 
never driven before, it is critically important that parents etch the lessons 
of gun safety into the into the brains of our children who might use them.
    So many hunting seasons have past since my father gave me my first rifle. 
 It is perhaps one of the greatest tangible gifts he ever gave me.  Still, to 
this day I cannot look at the gun without hearing him lecture me on hunting 
ethics and safety.
    This Christmas a lot of young folks will be waking to find a long slender 
package under the tree.  Inside will be their very first Remington, Marlin, 
Winchester, or perhaps just a spring-action Daisy or Red Rider.  No matter 
the size or type, a gun is a gun, and all must come accompanied with a 
parent's commitment of guidance as well as a demand for safe and ethical use