Family day at the gun range: 'She loves them'
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DOUGLAS COUNTY, Ore. - Michael Myhre says shooting firearms is a tradition in his family.
He went shooting with his dad, and now his 3-year-old daughter Easton loves to shoot guns with him.
"She loves them," he said. "She always wants to go bear hunting with me. We go hunting, we go shooting all the time as a family."
Officials with the Roseburg Police Department said teaching your kids how to be safe around firearms can be a good thing.
"Then it's not a mystery to the child," said Sgt. Jeff Eichenbusch of the Roseburg Police Department. "When they have someone that does have experience or knowledge that can help them be safer, so they actually know what to do and know how to handle them."
Sgt. Eichenbusch cautioned that people still need to take precautions when you have kids and guns in the home, especially if that child is too young to make proper decisions.
Myhre said his family enjoys shooting together, and he wants his daughter to respect firearms. "I'd rather have them know how to use it properly than to be scared of it," he said.
Myhre said he has taught his daughter to never point a gun at a person and to only point a gun at the intended target.
If you are interested in teaching your child gun safety and shooting, there are local programs that can help, like the Eddie Eagle program through the Douglas County Sheriff's Office.
Where are their glasses?
So why is this news? I took my son to see some sharks at the Oregon Coast Aquarium. Can we do a story on that too?
maybe this guy could help the lady who ran with a loaded shotgun to learn gun safety cuz she going to shoot her or her boyfriend.
Teaching children DOES demystify firearms. My own children are living proof of that. We start them very young by handing them a barrel with a toothbrush, a patch and some Hoppes and allowing them to hold and clean it. We take them shooting with us. We watch Eddie Eagle with them. We follow the safety rules and teach them to do the same. We are positive role models.
It is MUCH bigger than just teaching them to handle guns. We teach them RESPECT. (For others as well as themselves!) We teach them to follow rules, but also to be independent thinkers. We spend a lot of family time with our kids. Families, like the one depicted in this article...are the most important thing in a child's life! My children are growing up...some are grown and gone, some are still home...but I can very proudly say that ANY of my kids could safely disarm a firearm and render it safe.
As usual, Jason Kilgore (aka: Balder Dipstick) is talking out his azz. It is beyond me why it continues to tout himself as an authority on a subject that it so clearly knows NOTHING about. "Assault rifle"??? BWahahahaha!!!! ....Dumb$hit.
@SwiftlyJust I love the smell of Hoppes Number 9 in the morning...It smells like Victory!!
Gabby Giffords would love to join you along with her Husband Mark Kelly.Â
http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2013/03/14/Mark-Kelly-s-AR-15-Stunt-Provokes-Giffords-Photo-Leak
http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2013/03/09/Gabby-Giffords-Husband-Buys-AR-15-Announces-He-s-Not-Keeping-It-After-News-Leaks-Out
Ridiculous. Â they have ZERO credibility. Â ZERO! (giffords / kelly)
I think it's a good thing to teach a child about the use and safety of guns. More parents should take the time to educate thier childern about firearms. All we see and hear on televison are negative things and as we all know there are two sides to everything..
I question the mental Health of the Editor and the reporters at kval!Â
@Jane Clift The parent is being attentive (something that would probably solve a lot of problems in society), the child is being closely supervised and probably satisfying her curiosity as well as observing that the gun is loud and can do destructive things. I know it may be a different culture from your own, but don't be so quick to judge.
(the shotgun/watermelon demonstration is usually enough to convince most kids)
Personally, I'd start a little older than 3. There's nothing wrong with it though. He's being safe as far as I can tell, so good for him.
@PleaseBeSmart agreed.  3 is a little young to actually shoot, but watching and learning at the range is great.  I started my kids and grandkids at about 7 with "hands on".  Also chose the .410 single shot, and the bolt action .22 for starters.  No auto loaders, and no pistols until they were much older.
@PleaseBeSmart Yeah my youngest was 4 before I let her shoot the P22 or 15-22. LOL!
@Twistthewrist @PleaseBeSmart There really isn't a magic age for teaching kids to shoot. It's all about how you feel as a parent about your kid's responsibility level. We have young one that we adopted that is currently 9 years old. He isn't yet allowed to even take his BB gun out by himself....but he's getting closer. On the other hand, my youngest daughter was 2-3 when she first shot the .Ruger .22 revolver. She's very together, very smart and respectful. I could trust her to do exactly what I told her to do. It's just a very individual, parental choice:)
nothing like a bunch of douglas Co. yahoo glorifying guns and violence....typical
@Arcanobacter Hemolyticum It's kind of hard to take anyone serious whose screen name is "Strep Throat"
@Arcanobacter Hemolyticum Just because it's a gun, doesn't make it a violent hobby! Get a clue!
@Arcanobacter HemolyticumPlease use proper spelling, grammar, and punctuation  if you're siding with us.  If you're serious you wouldn't want to show up at a public debate in just your underwear either.  It's what separates us from said yahoos (in my case, Coos rather than Douglas). I'll like this post this time...
@J. Burton LOL! You have a lot more to worry about than spelling, grammar, and punctuation if you are allying yourself with Baldr. ;)
@Arcanobacter Hemolyticum Do you teach your kids to glorify personal attacks based on the county someone lives in?
@Arcanobacter Hemolyticum Guns? Yes. Vioence? Nope.
Uh-oh here come the anti's fearing an educated population. They'd prefer to keep people ignorant and fearful.
This is the way to teach children about firearms. It was how I was raised. We all knew the safety and rules of firearms, and knew that they can be a whole world of fun, but at the same time can be extremely dangerous.Â
Education is the key in areas like this, and many others, but they need to get their education from the best teachers they have: Their Parents, about these important subjects.Â
If only more parents would actually take the time to teach like Michael Myhre, by example.
@EUGENE541Â I grew up around guns, too, with a father who was a hunter and collector, and taking Boy Scout shooting lessons, complete with the Four Rules of safety. Â And yet, I can remember my stepbrother playing with my mother's loaded, unlocked revolver with his friend, and a teen friend of mine who took the same Scout shooting lessons with me shot himself to death with his father's gun. Â
@Baldr Odinson @EUGENE541 Can't blame the gun for an operator of it lacking respect for the gun... (No, I'm not cold hearted, just stating the obvious).
@Baldr Odinson @EUGENE541 So YOU had gun safety lessons as a child and didn't shoot anyone, your step-brother did not get gun safety lessons and played with improperly secured firearms and to top it off you had a friend with a mental health problem that chose to take his own life. Sounds like all the things pro-gun has been pushing for; firearm safety being taught to youth and better access to mental health. You sir are a hypocrite to your own cause.
@Baldr Odinson Me too. And where I grew up it wasn't uncommon alcohol was in the mix cuz there wasn't much to do but shoot and drink. Talk about dangerous! Curiosity killed the cat and kids will be kids, so better no one have access to dangerous weapons. Guns, knives/stabbing weapons.
So disturbing. Â Exposing young children to guns doesn't "demystify" guns to them, it just glorifies violence to them and puts them in harm's way. Â If you doubt me, ask the parents of Stephen Ogg. Â He was unintentionally shot to death by a younger sibling, even though they grew up around guns and lived ON the grounds of the Emerald Empire shooting club: Â http://kidshootings.blogspot.com/2012/01/boy-living-at-gun-club-accidentally_10.html
@Baldr OdinsonGive me a break, Baldr. Â How exactly is shooting paper targets glorifying violence? Â People like you cannot separate shooting for fun and for learning versus shooting to murder. Â An analogy would be a not exposing kids to kitchen knives so as not to glorify knife violence.
You should not own guns, and I suspect many gun owners would not feel comfortable with you holding or operating a gun near them. Â Some of the people I fear the most are those who have an irrational fear of guns (you).
Besides, that's not a terrible choice of a gun for a kid to learn on. Â It's probably a .22LR (think higher power pellet gun). Â It's light, low-powered, has low recoil, and is easy to use. Â Even an AR-15 is low-powered enough for some kids to use. Â Would you prefer she start on the much more powerful .300 win mag? Â It is, after all, typically a boring hunting rifle - no scary looking cosmetic features that would make you call it an assault rifle.
@Baldr Odinson lmao
You're a grouch & a marxist all in one. Btw what she is shooting is not an assualt rifle. It's a .22 long rifle. A very small cailiber firearm that is perfect for her size. You can tell this when you look at the picture of the magazine outside of the magazine well. I also started teaching my son firearm safety & the basic understanding of how one works at the age of 3 with a .22 LR. He is still well aware many years later that they are not toys & they should never be handled except in a specific & proper way, for a specific & proper purpose.
@Shofoeshore Its because the gun is black, that's what makes it an "assault" rifle.
@Baldr OdinsonYou and I are on the same page. Â I even watch to make sure my kids aren't exposed to any weapon glorification of any type. Â This includes fantasy and historic fiction of swords and martial art ninja stuff I remember was so popular in the 80's. Â I recall plenty of, "harmless," ninja pretend accidents in my day.
@J. BurtonÂ
@Baldr Odinson You say that you make sure your kids aren't exposed to any weapon glorification and you have a Jack Burton image AND nic?Â
'splain yerself Jack...
Notice she's shooting an assault rifle. Â Her fingers are so tiny, she has to use two of them to pull the trigger.
@Baldr Odinson Notice she's shooting a 'pistol'.Â
Also notice that you have very little actual knowledge on a subject that you devote so much time to...
@ST4 @Baldr Odinson He's CORNFused!!!!!Â
Baldr Odinson1 day ago
Notice she's shooting an assault rifle. Â Her fingers are so tiny, she has to use two of them to pull the trigger.
@Baldr OdinsonYour original post claimed it was an, "assault rifle." Â Now you are calling it an, "assault weapon." Â Which is it? Because apparently it is not a .22 caliber pistol according to you.
@Baldr Odinson Geeze, Jason, can you GET any more pussified?  LOSER.
@ST4 @Baldr Odinson @Nocturnal DaydreamerCheck yourself.  As defined by the original Assault Weapons Ban, this weapon is defined as an "assault weapon", given that it is a pistol with a magazine that attaches outside the pistol grip and has a barrel shroud suitable to be used as a hand-hold.  Feel free to verify that with the original legislation, "ST4".
@Baldr Odinson @Nocturnal Daydreamer It's a .22 caliber pistol.
http://www.hk22rimfire.com/index.php?page=416-pistol
Feel free to verify with the ATF.
@Baldr Odinson @Nocturnal Daydreamer `I'm not the one that defined it. I am simply stating a fact.
@Nocturnal Daydreamer @Baldr Odinson You define "pistol" very differently.
@Baldr Odinson Oy! Seriously?!?Â
@Baldr Odinson Oh good grief, Baldr!! THIS AGAIN?! Do we REALLY need to go over the definition of an assault rifle AGAIN?
@Baldr Odinson Hey genius, all rifles are "assault rifles." A bat can be an "assault" bat, so could a knife, or anything for that matter. An assault weapon is anything used to make a physical attack.
This is awesome! Education is key!Â