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Disclaimer: Granted every part of the world has a different perspective on this topic. This is mine.
Remember this: It's a dangerous thing when a baby cuts its teeth on a live bullet.
In South Carolina, if you are born after the year 1979, you must pass a Department of Natural Resources approved Hunter Education course before getting your hunting permit or license. This is to protect all involved in hunting. This ensures sending the newly licensed hunter out with confidence on what to do or not to do. Due to hunting accidents, where people have shot their own relatives or unassuming teenagers, it's necessary. It doesn't stop negligence. Hopefully, lowering the limit of accidents through hunter education is beneficial. With these regulations being said, the DNR can't regulate parents who put guns in the hands of their underage offspring, or limited in understanding or common sense (as the parent seems to lack this as well) on their private property. They are taking the safety of their child's life into their own hands. When do parents ever learn they don't have control of all situations?
I woke up from a bad dream this morning and a fever. I logged on to waste time before I woke my son up to go to school. I saw a picture of what I consider a baby, age 5 or 6, posing with a high velocity rifle.
I thought about all the things I read lately about Hunting and its image on the world stage.
Does this image before my eyes, which is not the one above, something that should be allowed to promote hunting itself? As a person, representing themselves on the behalf of hunting, should one advertise such a thing as a positive image in the public eye? As a viewer should I give the good-ole-boy slap on the back at success, before he's found himself as a man? If the rules say, a certain age for your protection, why would a well meaning parent put their child in harms way?
On several occassions, I have seen parents, under the assumption they can handle anything, fall short and the child get hurt. What if the gun were to go off prematurely? While the child, who most likely will be in between the arms and legs of the squatting parent, could get a concussion or worse. I thought these were reasonible questions.
I don't know of any gun company that would have such a picture to sale their weapons?
If there is, they have balls--literally.
Gun safety is a part of hunting. The Department of Natural Resources, your fellow hunter, and you have to have confidence in the fact they are not enjoying a day's excursion with a complete moron. If a parent lets an underage child toy with a gun, even unloaded might lead that baby to believe its okay to touch it or stick it in its mouth. Of course tragedy will ensue but I would think that common sense would dictate there are some things you do not do with your child at an early age? Or am I just a stupid maternal zealot?
Four stories I will tell about shooting a gun:
Story #1
My son stayed over at my uncle's house one weekend. I didn't know my uncle was taking his boys and my son out hunting. My son, who comes back, was 6-8 years old at the time. I didn't know till much later what had occurred.
Spring forward to age fourteen. I decided I would take my son out to sit in the deerstand. He didn't have a gun because I didn't want him to fumble with it and shoot himself. I just wanted him to get use to sitting in a stand with patience and observe. Putting to much off on a kid can be overwhelming. First off, his nickname is Chicken Little. He got that at school. He was afraid to crawl up the ladder but he got up there. At that he was accomplished. I told him to wait on the deer. He tells me in earnest, "You aren't going to give me a gun are you?" I told him no. I asked him why he would wonder about that. He then tells me, "Uncle Mike took us hunting and shot the gun off right beside my head. Every since them I am afraid of them."
I was upset at my Uncle. This meant my son was to overcome this fear of the loud noise a gun makes. At age 6-8, my son has developed a phobia when he shouldn't have. This is what I mean about trying kids before their time. All indian children are sent out to be alone. They learn who they are and what path they might take. There is a limit on when that is to be. Other well meaning people, taking it upon themselves to do the work of someone else, can really screw up your time with your kid.
So last hunting season I took my son to my father's house to give him the opportunity at learning about the rifle I was using which was a Winchester Marlin 30/30. Its loud as a cannon but has very little 'kick' or recoil. I told him to take his time. He never shot it because he shook like a leave in the wind. Not even with ear plugs. The only thing he told me he could think about was that loud boom noise coming out of my Uncle Mike shotgun. He since won't go hunting or pick up a gun except for a pellet gun or BB gun. He has no interest in them--at all. I am not going to stand over him like a drill sargent and shame him into it either. I'm not totally heartless.
Story #2
When I was little I remember playing outside with my two brothers. My two brothers had been give BB guns to practice with. One day while out playing, I was standing by my dad's brand new Ford Truck. The door to it was open. My brother shot at my head with the BB gun. He missed my head. The little metal ball hit my dad's truck window and shattered it. I started crying because they had already been tossing firecrackers on me. I was covered with burn marks. My dad was gone and my mother was in the tower watching for smoke. When my dad came home from farming, and found his window broke, he demanded to know what had happened. Once the confession was out on shooting at me and breaking the window, my dad whipped my brother's behind. He then took the BB guns and carried them outside to demolish them with a sledge hammer. I found them lying on the ground the next day, all bent to pieces. I think my brother was 8-10. My dad wouldn't let him fire a real gun until he was 15-17.
Just goes to show what kind of mischief children can get up to. They don't understand the misery they can do to one another. Might not be as good as the time my middle brother blew a hole in my dad's truck floor with a shotgun.
Story #3
One day my older brother got it into his head that he was going to teach me how to shoot a shotgun. I think it was a Remington or a Browning. He takes me outside and is demostrating how to put gun shells in and out. He tells me I might have to shoot someone one day if they are trying to mess me up.
I am probably about eight. He's got me out between my dad's welding shop. Out in the horse pasture, there is a wire running out to the woods, with chlorox bottles and milk jugs for the birds to nest in.
My brother shows me how to shoot the gun. He then hands the gun to me. I remembered the metal burnt my hand. It was so heavy, I could hardly raise it. I was afraid. I wasn't sure if the gun would kick me and put my shoulder out. I remember hearing my relatives complain about this. My brother once shot a gun that caused him to have bruises on his shoulder.
I'm standing there trying to balance this gun. I wasn't doing it fast enough when my brother let off on a tirade of speech so loud it bothered me. At some point all I heard was, "shoot it! shoot it! shoot it!" repetitively; not a very good experience.
I let the gun fall. My brother pointed to the milk jug and said, "Aim and pull the trigger." He started to yell again. Out of general fright, I pointed the gun up with all my strength, closed my eyes and pulled the trigger. I felt like I had set off a big crate of roman candles. The gun was smoking. I felt ill then handed him the gun. I asked him quite angrily, "Are you satisfied now?" He replied, "Okay." Then walked off with the gun. I actually hit the milk jug. Blew it all to pieces. I don't know how I did that.
Story #4
I had a teenage male relative out boating around on the lake. A duck hunter opened fire and shot him right in the chest. He killed this cousin. My understanding was the shooter was drunk.
I have seen articles where a man shoots his girlfriend while hog hunting, hunter shoots uncle during a moose hunt. There is some debacle of aim and trigger pulling which sends someone to the grave. It doesn't have to happen. These stories are ones with adults. Add kids in there and you've got yourself a fine mess. Kids or teenagers have an unlimited ability to not do as they are told, rebel, or destroy some stuff, if not each other. Don't even get me started on paying attention. When you're young, you don't think you can die. Anyone can be killed. Of course there are little adults.
Adults making sound solid decisions, where the image and follow through on hunting's part occurs, needs to be developed. Not displaying pictures of underage minors holding guns, doing hunting activities when they are not legally able to do it, should be one of many considerations. If a child sees it enough, they might think they can do it too. Once the parents leave the gun unlocked or leaning up side the doorway, there is Death's opportunity.
You can't bring a child back from the grave or any person even with Frankenstein science. Once the damage is done, the parent or person responsible will never be able to live with themselves again. Why make a situation when there doesn't have to be opportunity for disaster?
Death loves opportunity.
Written by: W Harley Bloodworth
~Courtesy of the AOFH~
