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Linefinder
Posts: 7,856 Senior Member
I need a sounding board, if you will.
Linefinder
Posts: 7,856 Senior Member
I have a 17 YO great-nephew, a lifelong German citizen, (I've laid eyes on him thrice over the years) who is visiting his grandparents (my sister and BIL) for a month in a very small town in the mountains of Colorado. The views are great, but at 17 YO there isn't much to appeal for a whole month and I can understand that.
Anyway, I get a call that he wants to shoot a firearm, since being in Germany, he's never had the opportunity, not even an airgun. I agree to take him to the range this coming weekend, with the stipulation it'll be rifles only.
I remember this morning that it's only a couple weeks until early rifle season for elk here, and the local range will be an absolute zoo.....waiting for a bench, and a time limit for firing once you finally get one. And you know the goobers on your left and right likely won't be goobers you'd choose to hunt alongside. And bringing a complete newb into that environment wouldn't be exactly fair to them either.
I call this morning to point this out and suggest another time might be better and I'd take a vacation day to do it mid week. I was quickly informed that he was adament about firing a handgun, and to make matters short, I was equally adament that wasn't going to happen, that I wasn't taking a person who's only experience with firearms came from Hollywood onto a busy gun range with a handgun. Of course, I've ruined his vacation.
At another time of the year, I'd not be so hardline about it. OTOH, I'm not inclined to take a newbie to the range that's adament about anything at all.
Was I the jerk I feel like, or correct with running with decades of experience?
Mike
Anyway, I get a call that he wants to shoot a firearm, since being in Germany, he's never had the opportunity, not even an airgun. I agree to take him to the range this coming weekend, with the stipulation it'll be rifles only.
I remember this morning that it's only a couple weeks until early rifle season for elk here, and the local range will be an absolute zoo.....waiting for a bench, and a time limit for firing once you finally get one. And you know the goobers on your left and right likely won't be goobers you'd choose to hunt alongside. And bringing a complete newb into that environment wouldn't be exactly fair to them either.
I call this morning to point this out and suggest another time might be better and I'd take a vacation day to do it mid week. I was quickly informed that he was adament about firing a handgun, and to make matters short, I was equally adament that wasn't going to happen, that I wasn't taking a person who's only experience with firearms came from Hollywood onto a busy gun range with a handgun. Of course, I've ruined his vacation.
At another time of the year, I'd not be so hardline about it. OTOH, I'm not inclined to take a newbie to the range that's adament about anything at all.
Was I the jerk I feel like, or correct with running with decades of experience?
Mike
"Walking away seems to be a lost art form."
N454casull
N454casull
Replies
You are 110% correct in your decision.
JAY
Adam J. McCleod
I understand if its not possible, but is it possible to go shoot anywhere else? Like here one would think you could go to the Everglades and shoot anywhere, but you cant. Or take him to a indoor range and let him shoot a .22 pistol? If not and you do not feel comfortable let him be mad.
While we have millions of public acres here, there are times you leave them alone for the folks that are out there trying to bring home some meat.
IMO, it was just the wrong time with an unfortunate attitude.
Mike
N454casull
A professional instructor with a rented gun might be just the thing?
Your position is on the money as far as I'm concerned as I would have made the same choice.
-Mikhail Kalashnikov
Gun control laws make about as much sense as taking ex-lax to cure a cough.
Bring the handgun and see how he does, if you deem him worthy, you can always get it out for him.
How easy it is to make people believe a lie, and [how] hard it is to undo that work again! -- Mark Twain
Mike,
a thought just occurred to me. If it's not too much trouble, you could take him out to Wilma's. I doubt that you would have to fight a crowd, and he might even get to shoot a prairie dog or two. I'm not sure about hunter safety requirements for shooting pdogs on private land, though. And, unless the regulations have recently changed, he doesn't need a hunting license to shoot prairie dogs on private property.
And, if you like this idea, secretly carry your 9 with you. If he behaves himself, consider rewarding him by letting him shoot a few rounds through it.
You might even invite your BIL along, or the kid's parents if they also made the trip.
Just don't break out the .270, though. Waaaaaaaaaayyyyyy too much gun for a 17 year old boy.
As for those who commented on shooting on public land, there's no law against it. There is a law against shooting live trees and such, and you would be well advised to wear hunter orange. I'm also not sure if a game warden would believe that you were just target shooting while a hunting season is in swing (rifle bear, archery elk, perhaps something else). Add to that the possibility that you just might be messing up someone else's hunt. It may just be one of those things best not done.
Gun control laws make about as much sense as taking ex-lax to cure a cough.
― Douglas Adams
Something just didn't feel right from the start, but I think it was the "adamant" about shooting a handgun part that gave me a particularly hard case of, "Well, screw you then, kid".
This was my great-nephew....turned out he'd already tried to enlist my 38 YO nephew, but he turned him down flat. I guess it runs in the family, sort of.
Mike
N454casull
"Nothing is safe from stupid." - Zee
Rank does not concur privileges. It imposes responsibility. Author unknow
George Carlin