Kids' program teaches gun safety and skills
It teaches best way to prevent tragedy is to show children how to use weapons
Updated 7:26 pm, Saturday, July 7, 2012
Houston police officer Karl Pederson is all too familiar with the consequences of a curious child coming into contact with a gun. During his 27 years on the force - 15 spent working at Texas Children's Hospital - he's seen too many kids die in gun-related tragedies.
"All the children's deaths have stuck with me," the 49-year-old father of two said. "Any time a child loses their life, it's just crushing to me, and I think it can always be prevented."
For some, prevention means keeping kids as far away from guns as possible. For Pederson, it means placing a loaded gun in his kids' hands.
In June, he sent Kaitlyn, 12, and Kody, 9, to Best Shot Camp, a summer camp sponsored by the National Rifle Association that teaches kids as young as 8 how to handle and fire rifles. The six-day camp at Best Shot Range in Friendswood incorporates the NRA's Basic Rifle Course into the curriculum, awarding kids with a lifetime certificate.
"It dispels curiosity," Pederson said of the camp. "People think, 'Well I don't have guns in my house,' but their friends and neighbors do. You can't always watch your kids, and if they've never been taught about guns, ignorance is a dangerous thing."
Best Shot Camp
What: A six-day, 2-hour-per-day camp for ages 8-16
Where: 4425 FM 2351, Friendswood (1.5 miles west of Gulf Freeway)
Next camp: July 16-21
Information: 281-648-7468; bestshotrange.com
Consider it the camp mantra. Ask parents, camp organizers or even the campers themselves, and they'll tell you gun education curbs curiosity. But the belief also is controversial.
Caroline Brewer, director of communications at the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, declined to comment directly on Best Shot Camp because she was unfamiliar with it. But she said gun-education programs don't dispel curiosity.
"We do know from a tremendous amount of research from independent scientists who study the effectiveness of educational programs like the NRA's Eddie Eagle Gunsafe Program, which has been going on for years and years, is that it's absolutely ineffective from disabusing children from interest in guns and from keeping them away from handling guns," Brewer said.
"And we think that that's important because eight children in this country die each day from guns and the majority die from guns that they access in their homes."
Konnor Strayhorn, a 12-year-old cheerleader from Friendswood who had never fired a gun, said she signed up for the camp in case she wanted to buy a gun for protection when she's older. The first day of shooting she struggled. The next day she was able to hit an aspirin with a bullet at 15 yards. Her cheerleading friends were surprised when she told them she'd spent a week handling guns.
"They said, 'It seems scary,' " she said. "I'm like 'No, you have to learn the safety rules and then you'll be OK.' "
The $150 camp fee covers gun safety, basic firearms knowledge and marksmanship. Included in the cost, which can be adjusted for families on a budget, is a T-shirt, rifle book and the use of protective gear, ammunition and a rifle. On the final day, parents are invited to attend a shooting demonstration by the campers.
On a recent Friday morning, 16 kids trickled into the lobby of Best Shot Range around 8:30 a.m. before taking a seat at a long table where they were greeted by owner and chief instructor Matt Fleming, 53.
"Today you'll get to shoot moving targets," he announced, prompting some campers to perk up with excitement and at least one to pump his fist. "This is better than video games because it's real!"
Despite the early-morning start, the campers, who ranged in age from 8 to 15, seemed focused as Fleming led them through the previous day's homework, a detailed, 50-question quiz that included questions such as: "Rifling causes a bullet to spin, providing stability in its flight. A rifling barrel is made up of: a) lands and grooves; b) chamber and grooves; c) bore and chamber; d) all of the above. The answer, for those who don't know, is "a."
After pasting aspirin tablets to paper targets in an exercise that was reminiscent of arts and crafts, the kids were off to the indoor shooting range, but not before they put on protective eye and head gear. Several other instructors joined the group to pass out rifles and ammunition. The few giggles and squirms evident in the lobby disappeared once the campers were on the range. Asked later about the campers' seriousness, Fleming said he sets behavioral expectations high on the first day.
"Sure, the kids get excited a little bit, but they understand that if you can't follow these rules, you can't shoot," he said. "You can't be a good marksman if you can't manage your emotions."
Brewer said that she believes even mature children are at risk around guns.
"The curiosity around guns is just too strong," she said.
Asked about the wisdom of exposing children to guns regardless of their emotional maturity, Fleming stood firm. He believes shooting teaches kids how to incorporate discipline and patience into their lives, calming unruly behavior in the process.
"As these kids grow up, they're going to have to learn a hundred other things that require the same kind of skills that they've learned in shooting," he said. "Why would you not want your kids to learn the skills that they'll need to survive in life?"
Back on the range, one of the most outwardly focused campers was also one of the youngest. Kaitlin Del Re, 8, approached each shot methodically, loading and aiming her toy-sized pink rifle with precision.
Kaitlin had been to the range before with her father. Amy Del Re said she was surprised, and slightly nervous, when her daughter jumped at the chance to attend the camp. Before registering Kaitlin, she inquired about the camp's safety standards and class size.
Del Re said she was won over by the prospect of her daughter learning more about gun safety.
"It's not your typical, girly extracurricular activity," her mother said, noting that Kaitlin also is attending sewing camp this summer. "But she's well-rounded."