So Pegram, who founded Echo Firearm Training, recently began offering classes for children–even as young as six-years-old–to learn how to safely handle firearms.
“There was no other class like this,” Pegram told WBTV. “So, I decided to come up with it.”
In the concealed carry state of North Carolina, guns are part of the predominant culture in many kids’ upbringings. So why not teach children respect for firearms they already see all around them?
“It’s the parents’ choice of what their kids should be around,” Pegram said. “I’m just offering a class to let them learn to be safe if they’re going to be around them.”
Pegram’s children’s course takes about four hours and includes teaching them how to shoot. His child students use a Nerf gun during his lessons, but children who Pegram feels are advanced enough are allowed to shoot either a .22 or a nine-millimeter, under his strict supervision.
“A lot of times they’re not shooting a nine-millimeter,” Pegram said. “But once in a blue moon, if they know what they’re doing, and I know they can do it, we have done that.”
A North Carolina firearm training program is teaching children as young as 6 about gun safety — by showing them how to fire a weapon. https://t.co/uu9gZZ2XBt
— News 6 WKMG (@news6wkmg) May 22, 2019
Many parents seem to think the class is a good idea.
“My daughter’s five years old,” parent Bryan Moore told WBTV. “And thinking of her shooting a gun, it’s kind of crazy.”
Others have been more cautious. Rebekah Biercz told WBTV she thought the course seemed “like a bad idea,” but for older kids, it could be beneficial. “If we’re going to have guns in this country, one of the things we need is really strict training classes,” she said.
“On one hand, maybe it’s good to teach gun safety,” Moore added. “But then on the other hand, that would be my one concern, is it would make kids comfortable handling guns and could lead to more accidents, possibly.”
Nine-year-old Aiden Roberts told WBTV, “If you see a gun tell your parents. Never point a gun at people.”
These North Carolina kids and their parents seem to be benefitting from firearm safety courses overall.
What do you think?
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I’ve been advocating for the return of this for years. The Dems took away toy guns from their kids in the 60’s. I find it ironic that most of the mass shooters have been Democrats or come from liberal left progressive families!!!
There is one attitude: All Guns Are Assumed Loaded
The NRA’s Golden Rules are:
Always keep the gun pointed in a safe direction.
Always keep your finger straight and off the trigger until you are ready to shoot.
Always keep the gun unloaded until you are ready to use it.
Never point the gun at anything you don’t intend to destroy.
If every person learned & practiced this we have no accidents.
Young children should also learn:
If you see a gun and no adult is there,
STOP
DO NOT TOUCH
WALK AWAY
TELL AN ADULT
Everyone should attend a Home Firearms Safety Course. It takes 4 hours and doesn’t involve shooting. It will demystify guns which in and of itself makes them safer.
All that said, the best way to make kids gun safe is to take them to an NRA youth shooting program and let them participate. They will learn all this and get to shoot a gun safely under well trained leaders.
This could save lives amongst the children as they grow up. Knowing how to use and respect firearms could prevent young people getting killed in situations when law enforcement is involved. I’m not saying that all law enforcement situations the young die, I just believe by knowing about guns the young will know how to react in a way to prevent them from injury or death. This could also save lives in a home invasion when one or both of the parents are incapacitated and the child could use his or hers skills they learned to save the rest of the family and their parents. I taught gun safety in Wyoming for teens and I learned a lot more than I knew at the time, but never to kids this young. So I believe in this and wish they did the same thing in other states. Knowing gun safety when hunting could and will save lives. A lot of hunters who never had this program don’t really understand what could happen if they don’t properly know about guns and hunting. We taught them never to sound shoot (meaning don’t shoot towards sounds they hear) always check your line of sight. So much to learn. Michael Pegram you have my support good luck in your classes I hope you succeed in your classes.
For the same reason you get instructions on how to drive an automobile or motorcycle. At 6yr you learn to ride a bike. I have instructed all my children to respect guns and how to be safe around them, I would feel better if you all did the same.
Teaching safety at a young age can’t be bad
The best way to avoid accidents is to inform. If you make guns taboo, then any child will take the first opportunity to explore and find out for himself.
Teach children at a very young age to respect firearms, knives and other tools. let them handle them and show them how to not only use them but what happens if they are not handled correctly (and no I don’t mean shoot someone. Perhaps a melon demonstration.)
I started my son shooting a pistol at age 6. I taught both my son and daughter safe handling at an earlier age.
It’s like Sex Education. If parents aren’t going to do it the school has to take over. Sucks but it’s true.
I think that it is a real good idea
Good