Good Story
Gun safety starts early
By Christian Toto
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
If Hollywood were casting the part of a
gun-proud parent, it would never choose
Edwin Vieira. The Prince William County,
Va., dad looks more like a professor than
the stereotyped, tattooed, gun "nut" often
portrayed in editorial cartoons and
big-screen blood baths.
He'll never make headlines either - as
Rosie O'Donnell did when she outfitted
her bodyguard with a gun. Parents like Mr.
Vieira will just keep quietly teaching their
children how to fire and care for guns
safely.
Mr. Vieira and like-minded parents are
not ashamed to be ribbed by co-workers or
endure the tsk-tsking of neighbors who
believe handguns should be melted into
plowshares.
Gun-control activists use the 1998
shooting massacre of 12 students at
Columbine High School in Littleton, Colo.,
as an enduring political symbol - invoked
when the subject of teens and guns come
up.
Even fictitious youngsters shooting guns
can engender hysteria. The Drudge Report
posted a story earlier this month that a
screening of Mel Gibson's new film, "The
Patriot," drew gasps when a boy took up
arms against approaching Redcoats.
Putting politics aside
But a significant part of American
culture - the Edwin Vieiras of the country
- carry on as they have for years, teaching
their sons and daughters to handle
firearms. It is a family tradition, not a
question of politics.
Some of Mr. Vieira's neighbors don't
see past the stereotypes or the politics to
hear the value of teaching children to
handle weapons.
It's mostly the shooting that bothers
them.
"I get the impression of nervousness
about it [from them]," he said.
Parents who don't teach their offspring
gun safety themselves enroll them in 4-H
shooting classes, pay for private
instruction, or send them to safety and
shooting camps run by the National Rifle
Association (NRA).
The parents of children enrolled in Maj.
Fred Fees' shooting classes in Brentsville,
Va., often watch the rounds spit from their
children's guns at a safe distance - but
close enough to monitor and take pride in
their progress.
Maj. Fees' classes, and others like them,
will never get the big media exposure of
Columbine - unless tragedy were to strike.
Don't hold your breath waiting for that,
said Maj. Fees.
"We don't have mishaps on the range or
at home," said Maj. Fees, who blanches if
you mistakenly call a gun a weapon.
Virtually any object can become a weapon,
the Nokesville, Va., resident will explain,
from a rock to a candlestick holder.
In fact, the NRA has decided to take a
page from families like those in Prince
William who do not hide or back away
from their beliefs. At its annual
convention in May, the association
revealed plans for a series of
family-oriented restaurants that may or
may not feature electronic shooting ranges.
A rightful place in the world
"We are going to take our rightful place
in the world," said Charlton Heston, NRA
president during the association's
convention. The centers will have wild
game dishes - antelope steaks, venison
stews - on the menu, and they will sell
NRA merchandise.
Brian Morton's first response to the
NRA's plan to place one of the
NRASportsBlast restaurants in Times
Square was "unrestrained laughter." Mr.
Morton is spokesman for Handgun Control
Inc. in the District of Columbia.
"Politically, it's one of the most unwise
things they could do. If they want to glorify
shooting, a lot of Americans have a
problem with that," he said.
He said the NRA's strategy appears
"double barreled" - throwing red meat, or
hard-core propaganda, to its members
while appearing "family friendly" via its
proposed theme centers.
For the quiet segment of society that
Mr. Vieira represents, the terms family and
guns need not be mutually exclusive.
Maj. Fees, who calls himself "77 years
young," said he has never met a child who
wasn't fascinated by a gun.
He also wanted to add something else.
"I've never seen a child that was trained
correctly use a gun incorrectly," said Maj.
Fees, a barrel-chested man who also
served as a fighter pilot during World War
II and in Korea, and as a sniper. He is
certified by the state to teach the use of
shotguns, as well as rifles, not an easy
certificate to earn.
"My goal is to teach them the proper
way to use [a firearm] and respect it," said
Maj. Fees, whose students range from
8-year-olds to 19.
Mr. Vieira has more than enough gun
know-how to pass along to his daughter.
But he decided to lean on Maj. Fees'
considerable wisdom instead.
"I've been a shooter for many years, but
it's better to have someone outside the
immediate family teach [children]," said
Mr. Vieira, who enrolled his daughter
Mairin, 13, in Maj. Fees' 4-H Shooting
Sports Program.
Discipline and etiquette
Mr. Vieira wouldn't think of plunking a
teen-ager behind the wheel of a car
without furnishing driving lessons. Guns
should be no different, he said.
"There are rules to be followed, and you
have to maintain that," he said.
The lessons don't simply involve
bullet-riddled targets. Matters of etiquette
and discipline come lockstep with their
lessons.
"It creates a sense of responsibility," he
said. "There's all sorts of significance built
into it."
"They never had a lax behavior [around
guns]," he said of his own children. "Now,
they're more polished as they go along.
They're at the adult stage, they've learned
all the basics to where it's instinctive."
Maj. Fees, whose cap covers a
military-ready crew cut, runs a tight ship.
His rough-hewn voice booms throughout a
recent shooting class. It's a far cry from a
yell, but its potency resonates with the
students. It gets his troop of students
moving, with little horseplay or
undisciplined steps.
He fixes you with a stare that makes you
feel like a shave-tailed private. Then his
face dissolves into a smile. His students
love it when that happens. The pugnacious
instructor holds a strong, affectionate bond
with them.
Not everyone is on the same page as
Maj. Fees and his pupils, though.
Arinn Dixon, the violence-prevention
director for Physicians for Social
Responsibility, doesn't think guns belong
in the hands of children. Period.
Gun critic fires back
"Gun education may be beneficial, but it's
not the right answer we're looking for,"
Miss Dixon said. "We believe children
should never have access to guns."
Allowing children such freedom "puts
the responsibility on the child to not have
an accident with a gun," she said.
"There are so many problems with the
teen years . . . access to guns can only lead
to suicide [or] other things."
She dismissed the belief of parents - and
even Maj. Fees - that lessons demystify
guns in the minds of youngsters. She called
their conclusions "anecdotal."
Miss Dixon opposes not just 4-H's
teachings, but that of the NRA's Eddie
Eagle program.
She mocks the warning NRA mascot
Eddie Eagle gives children - "Stop. Don't
Touch. Tell an adult" when they see a gun.
It is the NRA's favorite counterpunch to
critics who say the Fairfax-based
association sends children a dangerous
message by its very existence.
"Eddie Eagle . . . never says to kids that a
gun is dangerous and can kill you," Miss
Dixon says.
Sen. Charles E. Schumer and Rep.
Carolyn McCarthy, both New York
Democrats who have been vocal in their
calls for gun control, did not return
repeated calls for comment.
David Silbur, professor of psychology at
George Washington University, said
shooting classes can be positive, as long as
enough care is invested in the program.
Classes don't harm, they help
"Until society decides to limit private
ownership, there is a great virtue in
teaching people respect for the weapons
they use," said Mr. Silbur, who has worked
as a private consultant for the U.S. Secret
Service and taught courses in the
psychology of guns and violence for more
than two decades.
"I don't think [the classes] can do
harm," he said, even if taught to children
from at-risk communities. "The more a
person knows about weapons, the more
likely they'll have some sense of what they
can do."
Part of a child's preoccupation with guns
stems from a culture that transfers
near-cult status to anyone brandishing
one, he said.
"The media . . . perpetuates the
shoot-em-up hero as someone to be
emulated," he said.
The country's view of the two killers at
the high school in Littleton, Colo., is
beginning to fade. Times passes. Passions
cool. Politicians, however, continue to feast
on the carnage.
Mr. Vieira refuses to blame the school
killings on guns.
"[Columbine] was a moral problem, not
a gun problem. That wasn't an accident
with guns," he said.
Anita Sager from Manassas, Va., said it
is foolish to link Columbine with
gun-shooting courses.
"The kids who are using the guns
[recklessly] are the ones who don't know
about safety," Mrs. Sager said.
When it comes time for class, Maj. Fees
makes sure the parents help out, even
lending a hand teaching the course.
"Every time a parent brings me a child, I
hand them two applications," he said. "The
one thing I'm not is a baby sitter."
Mrs. Sager grew up in a household with
guns, though she never shot one herself.
Females outnumber males
"My dad shot guns, but us girls didn't shoot
. . . that was a boy thing," Mrs. Sager said.
That isn't the case today. Maj. Fees' class,
for example, is predominantly female.
When Mrs. Sager decided her children
would become involved with shooting
sports, she said, "If we're gonna do guns,
we're gonna do the safety thing.
"Everything they do with guns, they do
with an adult mentor," she said. "There's
no 'I'm sorry' when I pull the trigger."
Now, she's watched her 14-year-old
daughter, Kim, grow more confident under
the training.
The media's infatuation with Columbine
and other cases of schoolroom bloodshed,
such as that of Nathaniel Brazill, 13, who is
accused of shooting his teacher in West
Palm Beach, Fla., last month, has not
dampened enthusiasm for shooting
courses.
"There have been isolated closures of
school shooting teams, but it's not a trend,"
said John Robbins, communications
manager with the National Rifle
Association. "I don't think it's resulted in
any widespread panic."
The number of high school shooting
teams, between 275 and 300 nationwide,
has been "fairly stable" despite the
high-profile incidents.
The NRA, a lightning rod for anti-gun
efforts, offers its own child-centric
training program.
"People who hate NRA politics love
Eddie Eagle," Mr. Robbins said. The Eddie
Eagle GunSafe Program, which began in
1988, has reached 13 million children
through more than 20,000 law
enforcement agencies, schools and civic
groups.
Looking straight in the eyes
The children enrolled in Maj. Fees' class
have advanced far beyond Eddie Eagle's
well-inten-
tioned methods. Each delivers a firm
handshake, looks strangers square in the
eyes and loves to talk about their exploits
on the firing range.
Nick Heflin, 11, from Haymarket, has
been shooting air rifles since he was about
5.
"If you live in the country, you grow up
with guns. There's nothing wrong with it,"
Nick said - so long as you follow the proper
precautions.
"Fred is always stressing the safety of
guns and how they should be respected," he
said.
Chris Olsen, 15, of Haymarket sees
shooting as a possible springboard to
college via scholarships. "I'm pretty good,"
he said. "Mom said it runs in the family,"
Mr. Vieira's daughter, Mairin, has no
plans on abandoning her new passion.
"This type of shooting is easier for
[girls]. It's very fun to do and it's not that
difficult," she said.
Parent Mary LeCompte of Manassas has
always made sure her children knew how to
handle guns.
"When my kids were born, I wanted
them to shoot guns. That was my goal," she
said. "I know kids are curious about guns."
Her job is to make sure their curiosity
turns into a healthy respect for firearms. It
is the least she could do.
"When we first started, they would grab
a gun and say, hey, look at this. They got
that out of their system." Now, with plenty
of instruction absorbed, "they'd no sooner
play with a gun than a vacuum cleaner,"
she said.
Neighbors go tsk-tsk
Some parents don't share her opinions.
"They think guns were made to kill
people. They don't see the sport in it. I keep
telling them it's an Olympic event," she
said.
"There's much more scary things [than
guns]. There are more injuries in other
games," Mrs. LeCompte said. "Kids get
hurt playing basketball. I've never come
close to seeing an accident with guns."
Nikki LeCompte, 15, says her shooting
has helped her with other parts of life.
"I have to focus when I shoot," Nikki
said. And she brings that focus to her
school work.
Even gun-control advocates see some
merit in proper gun education.
Sultana Edna Gorham Bey, former
chairman of the Million Mom March's
D.C. chapter, laments that "guns will
always be among us."
But Miss Gorham Bey praised the
efforts of Maj. Fees and those like him who
instruct children in the proper safety
measures needed when dealing with guns.
"I don't think the 4-H is so out of line,"
Miss Gorham Bey said.
"If a child knows how to use a gun,
maybe he won't accidentally shoot his
finger off. If they see a gun on a table, I
want them to know how to handle the
situation," she said.
John Cox, 9, of Fairfax Station, is new to
the ways of the gun.
"My dad gave me the idea and it sounded
like fun," the boy said. So far, his hunch
has proven true, and he hasn't witnessed
anything destructive to change his mind.
Chris Cox, John's father, enrolled his
son in the class after hearing radio talk
show host G. Gordon Liddy extol the
virtues of proper gun use.
"Different people have talked about how
it's good to train children at an early age,"
Mr. Cox said.
But for Mr. Cox, the classes' appeal is
far from simple gun play.
Maj. Fees and his assistants "give you
direct eye contact. A lot of kids aren't
getting that time, 'Go do it by yourself,
they're told.'
"Kids want attention. When kids are
taught safety and how to conduct
themselves in a safe manner, they're
responsible," he said. "It's important to
teach them at an early age.
"I believe if a kid is not taught anything,
they're going to be reckless, and parents are
too busy these days [to teach them]," he
said.
------------------
~USP
"[Even if there would be] few tears shed if and when the Second Amendment is held to guarantee nothing more than the state National Guard, this would simply show that the Founders were right when they feared that some future generation might wish to abandon liberties that they considered essential, and so sought to protect those liberties in a Bill of Rights. We may tolerate the abridgement of property rights and the elimination of a right to bear arms; but we should not pretend that these are not reductions of rights." -- Justice Scalia 1998
Gun safety starts early
By Christian Toto
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
If Hollywood were casting the part of a
gun-proud parent, it would never choose
Edwin Vieira. The Prince William County,
Va., dad looks more like a professor than
the stereotyped, tattooed, gun "nut" often
portrayed in editorial cartoons and
big-screen blood baths.
He'll never make headlines either - as
Rosie O'Donnell did when she outfitted
her bodyguard with a gun. Parents like Mr.
Vieira will just keep quietly teaching their
children how to fire and care for guns
safely.
Mr. Vieira and like-minded parents are
not ashamed to be ribbed by co-workers or
endure the tsk-tsking of neighbors who
believe handguns should be melted into
plowshares.
Gun-control activists use the 1998
shooting massacre of 12 students at
Columbine High School in Littleton, Colo.,
as an enduring political symbol - invoked
when the subject of teens and guns come
up.
Even fictitious youngsters shooting guns
can engender hysteria. The Drudge Report
posted a story earlier this month that a
screening of Mel Gibson's new film, "The
Patriot," drew gasps when a boy took up
arms against approaching Redcoats.
Putting politics aside
But a significant part of American
culture - the Edwin Vieiras of the country
- carry on as they have for years, teaching
their sons and daughters to handle
firearms. It is a family tradition, not a
question of politics.
Some of Mr. Vieira's neighbors don't
see past the stereotypes or the politics to
hear the value of teaching children to
handle weapons.
It's mostly the shooting that bothers
them.
"I get the impression of nervousness
about it [from them]," he said.
Parents who don't teach their offspring
gun safety themselves enroll them in 4-H
shooting classes, pay for private
instruction, or send them to safety and
shooting camps run by the National Rifle
Association (NRA).
The parents of children enrolled in Maj.
Fred Fees' shooting classes in Brentsville,
Va., often watch the rounds spit from their
children's guns at a safe distance - but
close enough to monitor and take pride in
their progress.
Maj. Fees' classes, and others like them,
will never get the big media exposure of
Columbine - unless tragedy were to strike.
Don't hold your breath waiting for that,
said Maj. Fees.
"We don't have mishaps on the range or
at home," said Maj. Fees, who blanches if
you mistakenly call a gun a weapon.
Virtually any object can become a weapon,
the Nokesville, Va., resident will explain,
from a rock to a candlestick holder.
In fact, the NRA has decided to take a
page from families like those in Prince
William who do not hide or back away
from their beliefs. At its annual
convention in May, the association
revealed plans for a series of
family-oriented restaurants that may or
may not feature electronic shooting ranges.
A rightful place in the world
"We are going to take our rightful place
in the world," said Charlton Heston, NRA
president during the association's
convention. The centers will have wild
game dishes - antelope steaks, venison
stews - on the menu, and they will sell
NRA merchandise.
Brian Morton's first response to the
NRA's plan to place one of the
NRASportsBlast restaurants in Times
Square was "unrestrained laughter." Mr.
Morton is spokesman for Handgun Control
Inc. in the District of Columbia.
"Politically, it's one of the most unwise
things they could do. If they want to glorify
shooting, a lot of Americans have a
problem with that," he said.
He said the NRA's strategy appears
"double barreled" - throwing red meat, or
hard-core propaganda, to its members
while appearing "family friendly" via its
proposed theme centers.
For the quiet segment of society that
Mr. Vieira represents, the terms family and
guns need not be mutually exclusive.
Maj. Fees, who calls himself "77 years
young," said he has never met a child who
wasn't fascinated by a gun.
He also wanted to add something else.
"I've never seen a child that was trained
correctly use a gun incorrectly," said Maj.
Fees, a barrel-chested man who also
served as a fighter pilot during World War
II and in Korea, and as a sniper. He is
certified by the state to teach the use of
shotguns, as well as rifles, not an easy
certificate to earn.
"My goal is to teach them the proper
way to use [a firearm] and respect it," said
Maj. Fees, whose students range from
8-year-olds to 19.
Mr. Vieira has more than enough gun
know-how to pass along to his daughter.
But he decided to lean on Maj. Fees'
considerable wisdom instead.
"I've been a shooter for many years, but
it's better to have someone outside the
immediate family teach [children]," said
Mr. Vieira, who enrolled his daughter
Mairin, 13, in Maj. Fees' 4-H Shooting
Sports Program.
Discipline and etiquette
Mr. Vieira wouldn't think of plunking a
teen-ager behind the wheel of a car
without furnishing driving lessons. Guns
should be no different, he said.
"There are rules to be followed, and you
have to maintain that," he said.
The lessons don't simply involve
bullet-riddled targets. Matters of etiquette
and discipline come lockstep with their
lessons.
"It creates a sense of responsibility," he
said. "There's all sorts of significance built
into it."
"They never had a lax behavior [around
guns]," he said of his own children. "Now,
they're more polished as they go along.
They're at the adult stage, they've learned
all the basics to where it's instinctive."
Maj. Fees, whose cap covers a
military-ready crew cut, runs a tight ship.
His rough-hewn voice booms throughout a
recent shooting class. It's a far cry from a
yell, but its potency resonates with the
students. It gets his troop of students
moving, with little horseplay or
undisciplined steps.
He fixes you with a stare that makes you
feel like a shave-tailed private. Then his
face dissolves into a smile. His students
love it when that happens. The pugnacious
instructor holds a strong, affectionate bond
with them.
Not everyone is on the same page as
Maj. Fees and his pupils, though.
Arinn Dixon, the violence-prevention
director for Physicians for Social
Responsibility, doesn't think guns belong
in the hands of children. Period.
Gun critic fires back
"Gun education may be beneficial, but it's
not the right answer we're looking for,"
Miss Dixon said. "We believe children
should never have access to guns."
Allowing children such freedom "puts
the responsibility on the child to not have
an accident with a gun," she said.
"There are so many problems with the
teen years . . . access to guns can only lead
to suicide [or] other things."
She dismissed the belief of parents - and
even Maj. Fees - that lessons demystify
guns in the minds of youngsters. She called
their conclusions "anecdotal."
Miss Dixon opposes not just 4-H's
teachings, but that of the NRA's Eddie
Eagle program.
She mocks the warning NRA mascot
Eddie Eagle gives children - "Stop. Don't
Touch. Tell an adult" when they see a gun.
It is the NRA's favorite counterpunch to
critics who say the Fairfax-based
association sends children a dangerous
message by its very existence.
"Eddie Eagle . . . never says to kids that a
gun is dangerous and can kill you," Miss
Dixon says.
Sen. Charles E. Schumer and Rep.
Carolyn McCarthy, both New York
Democrats who have been vocal in their
calls for gun control, did not return
repeated calls for comment.
David Silbur, professor of psychology at
George Washington University, said
shooting classes can be positive, as long as
enough care is invested in the program.
Classes don't harm, they help
"Until society decides to limit private
ownership, there is a great virtue in
teaching people respect for the weapons
they use," said Mr. Silbur, who has worked
as a private consultant for the U.S. Secret
Service and taught courses in the
psychology of guns and violence for more
than two decades.
"I don't think [the classes] can do
harm," he said, even if taught to children
from at-risk communities. "The more a
person knows about weapons, the more
likely they'll have some sense of what they
can do."
Part of a child's preoccupation with guns
stems from a culture that transfers
near-cult status to anyone brandishing
one, he said.
"The media . . . perpetuates the
shoot-em-up hero as someone to be
emulated," he said.
The country's view of the two killers at
the high school in Littleton, Colo., is
beginning to fade. Times passes. Passions
cool. Politicians, however, continue to feast
on the carnage.
Mr. Vieira refuses to blame the school
killings on guns.
"[Columbine] was a moral problem, not
a gun problem. That wasn't an accident
with guns," he said.
Anita Sager from Manassas, Va., said it
is foolish to link Columbine with
gun-shooting courses.
"The kids who are using the guns
[recklessly] are the ones who don't know
about safety," Mrs. Sager said.
When it comes time for class, Maj. Fees
makes sure the parents help out, even
lending a hand teaching the course.
"Every time a parent brings me a child, I
hand them two applications," he said. "The
one thing I'm not is a baby sitter."
Mrs. Sager grew up in a household with
guns, though she never shot one herself.
Females outnumber males
"My dad shot guns, but us girls didn't shoot
. . . that was a boy thing," Mrs. Sager said.
That isn't the case today. Maj. Fees' class,
for example, is predominantly female.
When Mrs. Sager decided her children
would become involved with shooting
sports, she said, "If we're gonna do guns,
we're gonna do the safety thing.
"Everything they do with guns, they do
with an adult mentor," she said. "There's
no 'I'm sorry' when I pull the trigger."
Now, she's watched her 14-year-old
daughter, Kim, grow more confident under
the training.
The media's infatuation with Columbine
and other cases of schoolroom bloodshed,
such as that of Nathaniel Brazill, 13, who is
accused of shooting his teacher in West
Palm Beach, Fla., last month, has not
dampened enthusiasm for shooting
courses.
"There have been isolated closures of
school shooting teams, but it's not a trend,"
said John Robbins, communications
manager with the National Rifle
Association. "I don't think it's resulted in
any widespread panic."
The number of high school shooting
teams, between 275 and 300 nationwide,
has been "fairly stable" despite the
high-profile incidents.
The NRA, a lightning rod for anti-gun
efforts, offers its own child-centric
training program.
"People who hate NRA politics love
Eddie Eagle," Mr. Robbins said. The Eddie
Eagle GunSafe Program, which began in
1988, has reached 13 million children
through more than 20,000 law
enforcement agencies, schools and civic
groups.
Looking straight in the eyes
The children enrolled in Maj. Fees' class
have advanced far beyond Eddie Eagle's
well-inten-
tioned methods. Each delivers a firm
handshake, looks strangers square in the
eyes and loves to talk about their exploits
on the firing range.
Nick Heflin, 11, from Haymarket, has
been shooting air rifles since he was about
5.
"If you live in the country, you grow up
with guns. There's nothing wrong with it,"
Nick said - so long as you follow the proper
precautions.
"Fred is always stressing the safety of
guns and how they should be respected," he
said.
Chris Olsen, 15, of Haymarket sees
shooting as a possible springboard to
college via scholarships. "I'm pretty good,"
he said. "Mom said it runs in the family,"
Mr. Vieira's daughter, Mairin, has no
plans on abandoning her new passion.
"This type of shooting is easier for
[girls]. It's very fun to do and it's not that
difficult," she said.
Parent Mary LeCompte of Manassas has
always made sure her children knew how to
handle guns.
"When my kids were born, I wanted
them to shoot guns. That was my goal," she
said. "I know kids are curious about guns."
Her job is to make sure their curiosity
turns into a healthy respect for firearms. It
is the least she could do.
"When we first started, they would grab
a gun and say, hey, look at this. They got
that out of their system." Now, with plenty
of instruction absorbed, "they'd no sooner
play with a gun than a vacuum cleaner,"
she said.
Neighbors go tsk-tsk
Some parents don't share her opinions.
"They think guns were made to kill
people. They don't see the sport in it. I keep
telling them it's an Olympic event," she
said.
"There's much more scary things [than
guns]. There are more injuries in other
games," Mrs. LeCompte said. "Kids get
hurt playing basketball. I've never come
close to seeing an accident with guns."
Nikki LeCompte, 15, says her shooting
has helped her with other parts of life.
"I have to focus when I shoot," Nikki
said. And she brings that focus to her
school work.
Even gun-control advocates see some
merit in proper gun education.
Sultana Edna Gorham Bey, former
chairman of the Million Mom March's
D.C. chapter, laments that "guns will
always be among us."
But Miss Gorham Bey praised the
efforts of Maj. Fees and those like him who
instruct children in the proper safety
measures needed when dealing with guns.
"I don't think the 4-H is so out of line,"
Miss Gorham Bey said.
"If a child knows how to use a gun,
maybe he won't accidentally shoot his
finger off. If they see a gun on a table, I
want them to know how to handle the
situation," she said.
John Cox, 9, of Fairfax Station, is new to
the ways of the gun.
"My dad gave me the idea and it sounded
like fun," the boy said. So far, his hunch
has proven true, and he hasn't witnessed
anything destructive to change his mind.
Chris Cox, John's father, enrolled his
son in the class after hearing radio talk
show host G. Gordon Liddy extol the
virtues of proper gun use.
"Different people have talked about how
it's good to train children at an early age,"
Mr. Cox said.
But for Mr. Cox, the classes' appeal is
far from simple gun play.
Maj. Fees and his assistants "give you
direct eye contact. A lot of kids aren't
getting that time, 'Go do it by yourself,
they're told.'
"Kids want attention. When kids are
taught safety and how to conduct
themselves in a safe manner, they're
responsible," he said. "It's important to
teach them at an early age.
"I believe if a kid is not taught anything,
they're going to be reckless, and parents are
too busy these days [to teach them]," he
said.
------------------
~USP
"[Even if there would be] few tears shed if and when the Second Amendment is held to guarantee nothing more than the state National Guard, this would simply show that the Founders were right when they feared that some future generation might wish to abandon liberties that they considered essential, and so sought to protect those liberties in a Bill of Rights. We may tolerate the abridgement of property rights and the elimination of a right to bear arms; but we should not pretend that these are not reductions of rights." -- Justice Scalia 1998
