I was at the local range trap shooting over the weekend, and I observed a father and his 2 teenage boys, target shooting their .223 and an occasional shot from a.308. I was fine with his supervision and the instruction, but something bothered me a bit.......they were practice shooting at a target that was a full picture of a human. It disturbed me, and I have gotten over it...but I am thinking of what the message was to these young men. I would have been fine if it was a silouette, or a round target they were shooting at, but a full blown picture of a person coming thru a door just surprised me a bit. I grew up in a very rural community, learned to shoot with the Boy Scouts at the local National Gaurd building around 1962. I love to shoot and will continue to do so, but the message to youth at an impressionable age is important as well. I don't want to start an agrument here, and yes I have moved on with the issue....but some honest opinions would be welcome.
AR Target Shooting
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I was at the local range trap shooting over the weekend, and I observed a father and his 2 teenage boys, target shooting their .223 and an occasional shot from a.308. I was fine with his supervision and the instruction, but something bothered me a bit.......they were practice shooting at a target that was a full picture of a human. It disturbed me, and I have gotten over it...but I am thinking of what the message was to these young men. I would have been fine if it was a silouette, or a round target they were shooting at, but a full blown picture of a person coming thru a door just surprised me a bit. I grew up in a very rural community, learned to shoot with the Boy Scouts at the local National Gaurd building around 1962. I love to shoot and will continue to do so, but the message to youth at an impressionable age is important as well. I don't want to start an agrument here, and yes I have moved on with the issue....but some honest opinions would be welcome.
I agree with you bkt514, our society is desensitizing our youth. Instead of teaching our kids to shoot someone take them out clay target shooting or rabbit and squirrel hunting.
I have nothing against AR's but they are not for kids, my opinion and not looking for a argument on AR15 or 2nd ammendment rights, its common sense.
I have nothing against AR's but they are not for kids, my opinion and not looking for a argument on AR15 or 2nd ammendment rights, its common sense.
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Maybe it would have been better to have them shooting at something more realistic like a zombie target.
You know part of owning firearms is for protection from those who may do us harm. Our biggest threat comes from the criminals in our very own Country or worse our own neighborhood. Those crooks, thieves and low life's that would do us harm are human targets. Practicing on a proper size and pictured target makes sense to me.
With the proper upbringing and instruction, I see nothing wrong with it.
You know part of owning firearms is for protection from those who may do us harm. Our biggest threat comes from the criminals in our very own Country or worse our own neighborhood. Those crooks, thieves and low life's that would do us harm are human targets. Practicing on a proper size and pictured target makes sense to me.
With the proper upbringing and instruction, I see nothing wrong with it.
I wouldn't read much into it, a paper target is just that, and the kids are smart enough to know it.
My Grandmother used to worry about us kids watching the Three Stooges and acting out their antics and getting hurt. Thing is, we did act them out but you soon learned that you had to be aware like Larry to block that poke to the eyes from Moe.
My Grandmother used to worry about us kids watching the Three Stooges and acting out their antics and getting hurt. Thing is, we did act them out but you soon learned that you had to be aware like Larry to block that poke to the eyes from Moe.
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Have you seen the "Call of Duty" videos games? Get on you tube and look them up. That paper target wont worry you anymore.
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I suggest you probably ought to skip watching "The Patriot" then.
Guess I'm trained from another time . No one on here agree it would be better served to teach kids to shoot at bullseye, deer ,rabbit or fox targets or shoot clay targets instead of some home invasion guy coming thru a door. This country isn't so bad that a bogey man is around every corner or doorway.
While this sort of thing is not to my taste, a lot of things in society aren't, these days. Without seeing what the target in question actually looked like, it's hard for me to pass judgement.
But there has been one major change on the issue of guns since we were all growing up - we now have a Supreme Court decision that CONFIRMS GUN OWNERSHIP AS AN INDIVIDUAL RIGHT BASED IN SELF-DEFENSE - not a collective right based on military service, or "hunting." That is absolutely huge.
Part of what that means, is those of us who grew up in the 60s, 70s, or farther back, need to not be so attached to our "sportsmen and hunting" cultural concept of gun ownership. That is not what it is about any more, whether you like it or not. That may be what you grew up with. But it ain't what it is.
The nominal, statistically-average American gun owner is no longer a hunter. He/she is a handgun owner and CCW holder. And I for one am glad to see this change. Let's get it right out there, and be frank about what guns were originally invented for. They are martial instruments first, sporting tools second. In my opinion, the hunter/sportsman cultural theme did a CRUMMY job of protecting gun rights, and we might as well admit that, and sever ties with it. The idea that the Second Amendment was about hunting was easily-manipulated by the Left, and the historical cultural attachment of gun ownership to hunting, sporting, or whatever did nothing to prevent the Assault Weapon ban when Bill Clinton signed it into law. It actually helped it, if anything.
What changed this past time around, was shall-issue CCW in 49 states, and a legion of newly-minted gun owners in part because of it. When you make gun ownership personal and relevant to the urban and suburban citizen, you take it out of its stranded rural cultural context, and make it harder for the Left to marginalize.
The potential to use guns to defend yourself is now recognized in Supreme Court case law as what the founders were trying to ensure when they wrote the Second Amendment. Let's roll with that. I'm not crazy about what you described at the range, but I'm not prepared to throw up the red flag, either, as long as they're being safe. A whole lot of parents are teaching their kids a whole lot of irresponsible and/or harmful things that don't involve guns in any way. Shooting "bad guy" targtets with guns? Meh.
But there has been one major change on the issue of guns since we were all growing up - we now have a Supreme Court decision that CONFIRMS GUN OWNERSHIP AS AN INDIVIDUAL RIGHT BASED IN SELF-DEFENSE - not a collective right based on military service, or "hunting." That is absolutely huge.
Part of what that means, is those of us who grew up in the 60s, 70s, or farther back, need to not be so attached to our "sportsmen and hunting" cultural concept of gun ownership. That is not what it is about any more, whether you like it or not. That may be what you grew up with. But it ain't what it is.
The nominal, statistically-average American gun owner is no longer a hunter. He/she is a handgun owner and CCW holder. And I for one am glad to see this change. Let's get it right out there, and be frank about what guns were originally invented for. They are martial instruments first, sporting tools second. In my opinion, the hunter/sportsman cultural theme did a CRUMMY job of protecting gun rights, and we might as well admit that, and sever ties with it. The idea that the Second Amendment was about hunting was easily-manipulated by the Left, and the historical cultural attachment of gun ownership to hunting, sporting, or whatever did nothing to prevent the Assault Weapon ban when Bill Clinton signed it into law. It actually helped it, if anything.
What changed this past time around, was shall-issue CCW in 49 states, and a legion of newly-minted gun owners in part because of it. When you make gun ownership personal and relevant to the urban and suburban citizen, you take it out of its stranded rural cultural context, and make it harder for the Left to marginalize.
The potential to use guns to defend yourself is now recognized in Supreme Court case law as what the founders were trying to ensure when they wrote the Second Amendment. Let's roll with that. I'm not crazy about what you described at the range, but I'm not prepared to throw up the red flag, either, as long as they're being safe. A whole lot of parents are teaching their kids a whole lot of irresponsible and/or harmful things that don't involve guns in any way. Shooting "bad guy" targtets with guns? Meh.
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The Second Amendment has never been about hunting.
In fact, the Pennsylvania delegation wanted the Second Amendment to include the right to hunt, because of abuses in England and Europe where wild game belonged to the king or were the domain of landowners who were royalty. It was pointed out that because there was no royalty in America such an addition would not be needed and it was dropped.
In fact, the Pennsylvania delegation wanted the Second Amendment to include the right to hunt, because of abuses in England and Europe where wild game belonged to the king or were the domain of landowners who were royalty. It was pointed out that because there was no royalty in America such an addition would not be needed and it was dropped.
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