As a gun-owning parent, there’s something special about taking your kids shooting. I still remember when my father took me to the range the first time. I was so small I couldn’t hold his Smith & Wesson .38 revolver, so he had to wrap his hands around mine. I can still hear his voice telling me how to line up the sights and then to squeeze the trigger.

The first time that bad boy went off, I thought I’d shot a cannon…one full of adrenaline that coursed through my whole body.

I couldn’t help but think of this when I watched this video this morning.

It’s absolutely adorable to watch this little girl’s excitement as she works the bolt and hits the target, Dad holding the weapon to keep it safe. It’s a great thing.

Not everyone agrees, however.

 

“I’m all for teaching kids to be safe with guns and to know how to behave around them, but if they’re too young to even hold the gun properly then they’re too young to shoot it in my opinion,” one viewer commented, Daily Mail reported. “Yes, he’s teaching her the right things, but if something goes wrong and the gun kicks or misfires and she’s not holding it right because she’s so small.”

Yeah, let’s deny the small child the joy of firing a firearm because you think they’re too small.

Let’s note that the gun barely moves. In fact, it’s almost like the father knew that to be the case. *GASP!*

The father, gun builder Buck Holly, had some comments about the criticism he’s received.

“I would invite each and every one of [my critics] to come to the range with me and my family and participate in it. See how things really happen. They got to see a 30 second snippet of a little girl shooting. What they don’t see is the preparation that goes into it. They don’t see her asking and begging for more ammo. So I would tell my critics, feel free to criticize me. That’s our lifestyle. But before you criticize, come and try it and experience it for yourself,” he said.

To be sure, Holly has defenders as well, and I count myself as one of them.

Look, safety does have to matter. However, as Holly notes, we’re only seeing one small part of the whole. We’re not seeing that Holly understands the rifle and know what kind of recoil it has. He knows what kind of stability he needs. It’s a .223, for crying out loud. It’s not a .50 cal Barret.

The rifle doesn’t really budge, meaning he took the necessary precautions, for crying out loud.

That’s the thing, though. Guns have become such a touchy subject that there are people who probably want this child taken away simply because she was exposed to firearms. It’s a constitutionally protected right that so many people absolutely abhor. How pathetic is that?

Most gun folks see this and might make a few critiques, but the overall idea of a child shooting? Not a problem. That’s because we understand that if you teach them young, you don’t have to worry about them learning the wrong things first.

The truth of the matter is that what you see in that video? That’s the future. That little girl is the future defense of the Second Amendment. She will grow up shooting and loving it, and will be a poignant defense of our right to keep and bear arms, a woman who has grown up using firearms with no ill effects.

She’ll also be a woman who can handle herself. I somehow doubt she’ll have to worry about a Harvey Weinstein-like encounter down the road. As a father, I can tell you that the best way to keep your children safe is to make sure they know how to keep themselves safe, and it looks like this little girl will be just fine.

Are you raising your kids to be as self-reliant?