I think CJ's hit the nail on the head with that last comment. It's likely gun lobbyists would be affiliated with shooter's clubs and I can quite easily envisage an atmosphere where such views are spread under the guise of safety training.

CJ et al,

There is nothing covert about it, the idea is to get kids to have a go and then if they're interested to take up the sport of target shooting and later branching out into other disciplines.
Same as do the football codes, Little Athletics etc.

Gun clubs are full of lobyists, I'd be surprised if one found a member anywhere who was not a lobbyist in the broadest sense of the term.
However this doesn't alter the fact that safety training in any activity ought to be a good thing.
If children learn no more than that there is danger associated with firearms, and that unlike the guns in video games they must be treated with respect and never pointed carelessly then something has been achieved.

The Sun Herald reported that Bob Green, President of SSAA on writing to his members, advocating introducing kids to shooting at an early age, also declared that:

"It doesn't really matter if they are five or fifteen."

Therefore, should I educate my five year old granddaughter on how to safely use a chain saw, drive a car or hand deliver a message for me to a recipient who lives 2 kilometres away?

Shall I, on educating her advise: There's no risk darling, providing you follow my instructions."

Last night's programme, 4 Corners, revealed that 3 American teenage boys, (one as young as fifteen) over three different incidents, will now die in prison - a result of their proficiency in the use of guns to kill their victims.

And I've yet to hear of a sensible argument for equipping children with the skills to use a gun, particularly pre-pubescent adolescents!

Fifty people had to die in immense shooting tragedies in Australia before better gun laws were implemented.

Our current gun laws are a constant irritant to the "Sporting" Shooters Association Australia where they remain intent on increasing membership and are now resorting to the exploitation of children.

Dickie, you need to take that in perspective. Yes, you should be teaching your 5 yo granddaughter about the safe use of cars, chainsaws etc - that doesnt mean that you need to let her use them just yet, but if she is likely to be exposed to them at any stage in her life, good messages about appropriate use and safety can never come too early. The younger these messages are given, the more that they are accepted as the way things are, rather than something that goes against what they might prefer (say fast driving, for example). I grew up on a farm around guns, and couldnt tell you when that message was given to me - it was far too early for me to pinpoint. Dad always made a point about disparaging irresponsible use (of cars and guns), and whenever he had a gun out, it was a safety lesson. Despite this, I wasnt allowed to use one until I was 16, although from aout 12 I was allowed to carry it for him, but with bolt removed (for a rifle) or cracked open (for shotgun). The main lesson - ALWAYS treat a gun as if its loaded and ready to go. Everything else with gun use should flow from that, and that's the important message that we can give to kids who are interested in gun-related sports.

I get your drift Country Gal.

However, my idea of educating any family members is by remote control. I would consider portraying only a picture of a gun to young family members and emphasising the inherent dangers of this lethal weapon, including the advice that users must never point a gun at any living being.

The prospect of any of my family members indulging in gun sports is slim.

I have no intention of showing family members how to shoot up a defenceless animal and then permit members to experience the "pleasure" of the kill, where the victim's head has been shot up or its entrails exposed and its remains left to rot or to be devoured by scavengers.

I accept that the gun is at times essential for specific industries, and that industry members may have difficulty in understanding other community members' feelings of revulsion when these guns are used for recreational past-times.

The ideological extremism within the shooting fraternity, endeavouring to influence politicians is cause for concern, particularly when statistics reveal that 350 fewer Australians are dying each year from gunshots compared to the '70s and 80s.

In addition, there remains the illegal ownership of guns in Australia which indicates that reform is required for more stringent regulations for the safer storage of guns and certainly for more responsible ownership.

Hi Dickie,
Good point, why on earth would one want to teach youngsters gun safety? This will inadvertantly teach them how to handle a gun.
In this day and age, I would suggest teaching them "how to dodge bullets!"