Ryan Schaecher
Well-Known Member
That is true to some degree, the directors must be 21. I was 16 at the time. The director was always on the range if firing was taking place. I was not the director, but I was in instructor. I would not sign the merit badge card, but would sign the section that indicted all requirements were complete.
I am an Eagle Scout with 53 merit badges (yes 53).
Shooting anything is not 100% safe. As I stated, I had a scout light off a round with my head right next to the receiver. I still have some ringing in my ears from that and that was 12+ years ago.
Would I let a scout do what I was doing? NO! Would I let another staff member (other than my director) do what I was doing? NO! Was it the best thing to do to show what a shotgun is capable of? Debateable. I think it was just fine. Others will disagree. But others will also say that teaching anyone about firearms is reckless. It's all a matter of opinion.
I knew my range. I knew what could and shouldn't be done on my range and where. Was there a chance that pellets could have come back at me? Yep. Did they? Nope. Why? I beleive it's a pretty simple reason. Between the distance, the angle, the low power loads, the soft dirt, etc.
The first time I had seen this particular example done, it was done by an NRA instructor ON MY RANGE - STRAIGHT DOWN onto the branch. That is POINT-BLANK. 4' with a shotgun is not point blank. With the open (and nearly worn out) chokes we were using, I would be lucky if at 4' we could pattern more than 70-75% of our pellets in a 10" circle.
I guess that my friends who take deer at 10' with a .300 Win Mag or 7mm Mag are not "safe" either since they are using an exponentially higher power round just a bit further out.
That's not to say that things havn't happened before that I learned from. However, the example that I used at Scout Camp was more than sufficient, more than safe for the scouts (who I was entrusted the safety of) and generally safe for myself and my director (who btw would have stopped me had he seen anything he would disagree with).
Yes, I misspoke. She cannot own a firearm of anytype until 18 legally (except airrifles, which I believe is 16 to purchase). That does not mean that on or around her 5th b-day or Christmas, Kwanzaa, Ramadan, Diwali, Yule, Hanukkah, Boxer Day, whatever I can buy a youth sized .22 that I can teach her on. My father-in-law has already stated that he will be doing the same (yes, my wife and I have talked about all of this and are in agreement on topic). It's not a bad thing to get a 5-year-old interested in firearms, plain and simple. If I can do my best to encourage the next generation of sportsmen/women I will certainly do so. They will be getting youth memberships into the NRA as well. It's time that all generations stand up and recognize the importance of and understand our Second Amendment rights.
