4H Shooters in the News

The 4H shooting sports program is a great vehicle for introducing kids to firearm safety and the shooting sports. Daughter #3 was involved with the 4H and competed with everything from air rifles to .50 caliber black powder rifles. In pistol classes she shot .22's and Bullseye with a Kimber Match Grade .45.

It always pleases me to see the 4H shooting sports in the news.

From the San Saba News & Star:

By Sara Hedley

Texas 4-H Shooting Sports Extravaganza

And now, the results you all have been waiting for! Drum roll, please.

San Saba County 4-H Shooting Sports Team’s scores in the Texas 4-H Extravaganza! The biggest annual Texas 4-H Shooting Sports competitions are held every year at the 4-H center in Texas. Teams from every county in the state visit for a weekend to participate in this extraordinary event. This year’s event was held Saturday, April 18th. Entering from our county was the Shooting Sports team’s finest: Wyatt Deans, Seth Bishop, Caelob Hardman, Ron Gerhart, Sara Hedley, Melanie Hedley, Brendon McDuffee, and Anthony Montalbo...

Good job guys, hope you make it to the State Games this Summer.

Outdoors: Youngsters vs. targets

Long time readers of A Keyboard and a .45 know that daughter #3 was a 4H shooter. One of the most exciting events of her teen years was the State 4H match held in San Antonio. It is always a pleasure to pass along articles dealing with youth shooting sports in general, and the 4H in particular.

From the Star Tribune:

Outdoors: Youngsters vs. targets

More than 700 young shooters -- some only 9 years old -- gathered Saturday at Beaverbrook Tri-County Sportsman's Club near Cedar, Minn., just north of the Twin Cities.

The event was the 2007 Minnesota 4-H Shooting Sports Wildlife Invitational. Kids from throughout Minnesota competed with air rifles, shotguns (trap), .22 rifles, bows, black powder firearms and air pistols.

That just has to warm your heart. 700 young shooters on the firing line and sharing a very special weekend together.

This is the king of news I like to see.

If you live in Texas, and are interested in the 4H shooting sports for your children, you can find information here. Outside of Texas you can find information at the national website here.

National rifle champion in their midst

Today must be highlight the youth shooting sports day at the blog. This is three for three posts on youth in shooting sports. School is out, the weather good, so shooting sports have their day.

This young lady is from Washington State.

From The Spokesman Review:

By Juan Juan Moses

National rifle champion in their midst

Shadle Park High School senior Elisha Lafond is an outstanding student whom any parent or any school would be proud of. She has accomplished a lot in a few years and seems to be heading into a busy life of excitement and achievement.

Lafond competes both nationally and internationally in air rifle and .22-caliber rifle. It is not a common sport for a young person to be involved in today, but Lafond has found something that she not only is passionate about but also excels in.

The sport has taken her many places around the world and offered her many lessons she can use throughout life.

When she was 12, her father spotted an advertisement by the Spokane Rifle Club for juniors. He signed her up.

Soon, she was hooked.

In 2002, she competed in England. Last year, she was a member of the world championship team that competed in Croatia. Last year also found her competing in Brazil as a member of the U.S. World Cup team. And she won the title of junior national champion at the 2006 Junior Olympic Games at the Olympic training center in Colorado Springs.

So, last year was a busy year for Lafond. But she managed not to miss any schoolwork in between her travels and competitions.

"My teachers are all very supportive. They work with me. Sometimes I take homework with me on the road. And when I come back, I have to work extra hard to catch up," she says.

For 2006-2007, Lafond also is a member of the Bundesleague team that competes in Germany.

She is quite the competitor. Not quite what the anti's would have you believe about what happens when high school kids and guns get together.

What has she learned while training in her marital art?

Asked what she has learned from the sport of shooting, Lafond answers without hesitation: "Patience."

She elaborates that once a shot has been fired, there is nothing you can do but have the patience to learn from your mistakes and practice harder for the next shot.

"You learn to let go and have patience and not be angry with yourself," she says.

Lafond stresses that shooting has taught her to learn from past mistakes and to always strive to do better next time.

Another important lesson she has learned, she says, is the importance of goal-setting, not only for the sport itself but also for life in general...

...Lafond credits her sport for her focus in whatever she pursues. "Shooting is a sport that requires a lot of focus and concentration. I like the challenge of getting the target every time. It has helped me with my concentration."

Hopefully we will see more of Miss Lafond in the 2008 Olympic Games.

Grayson County 4-H students taking aim

The 4H shooting sports are a great way to get kids involved with safe and accurate firearm handling. If you are in Grason County, KY, here is a club for you:

Grayson County 4-H students taking aim

By Theresa Dunn

When your child looks at you from behind the computerized game controls and gives you that line, “there is nothing to do in Grayson County” the local 4-H Club has a solution to that problem.

On Tuesdays at 6 pm the Kentucky 4-H Shooting Sports meets to teach area youth to handle and shoot weapons at the Agriculture Park just off HWY. 259.

It is an introduction to the safe and responsible use of firearms and archery equipment which, according to one of the shooting sports coaches, Lori East, is a valuable life skill.

The goal of the program is not just to teach kids about shooting guns and bows and arrows, it is to provide youth with an outstanding way of providing human growth and development in life skills identified by the National 4-H program.

Look at what they have to offer:

If a young person is interested in just archery then he can concentrate on that or he can do all five; shotgun, rifle, pistol, archery or black powder.

The land they use has been donated to the club, but they could use some help to get things finished up.

There are 53 members in the program. The property at the Ag Park was donated to the club by Doctor Vitor Duvall.

The club hopes to provide a first-rate facility for the 4-H members. and is hoping for donations and community support.

“We have a vision of having a rifle range where 50 people can shoot and we want it to be handicap accessible,” said one of the leaders of the club, Bob Higbee.

“We are not looking for just money but donations of time and supplies. We need about five loads of gravel to get started and about 30 yards of concrete.

“We already have two trap throwers and just need the block and house for each of those,” said Higbee.

There are no dues and all the guns and bows are provided to the young members free of charge. With five disciplines available to the youth there is plenty to do for everyone.

This is how we ensure the RKBA is passed down to our children and grandchildren. For most of us, the days of stepping out into the back yard and plinking cans with Dad are long gone. Organized shooting groups such as the 4H are one good way to help your children learn safe and accurate marksmanship, along with a bit of competition. There are 4H shooting clubs throughout the United States, and they all could use your support.

Csenge Claims Air Rifle, Smallbore International Titles

This is way cool. A college freshman shooter from Kentucky takes both the air rifle and the smallbore titles in Czechoslovakia.

From UKathletics.com:

Csenge Claims Air Rifle, Smallbore International Titles

Plzens, CZECHOSLOVAKIA -- Kentucky rifle freshman sensation Tom Csenge continued a stellar summer pace, claiming the men’s under-20 smallbore and air rifle championships in the 17th annual Meeting of the Shooting Hopes, held over the weekend in Plzens, Czechoslovakia.

“I am extremely proud of all three of our shooters,” Kentucky head coach and reigning Great American Rifle Conference Coach of the Year Harry Mullins said. “They have done an exceptional job for us and I am excited that they had the opportunity to continue this on an international level. For this to be Ashley Jackson's first international match, she held up very well. She will come away from this with a great learning experience that will help her greatly in the coming months. Andrew Roland and Tom also did a great job. For Andrew to come back in both finals, I think is a great accomplishment in his growth as a shooter. Tom having to make the move up in smallbore to win and then the next day having to hold the lead in air rifle is also a great accomplishment in his ability to perform under pressure.”

Next, The United States Nationals...

Free Junior Entry in 2007 National Rimfire Sporter

From the CMP

As a special way to recognize the 100th Anniversary of the National Matches at Camp Perry and to encourage more shooting clubs and parents to bring new junior shooters to the National Rimfire Sporter Match at Camp Perry on 22 July, entry will be free for juniors this year.

The National Rimfire Sporter program is posted at http://www.odcmp.com/NM/rimfire.htm.

You can download the CMP Guide to Rimfire Sporter Shooting from the CMP website at http://www.odcmp.com/Competitions/rimfire.pdf and obtain de­tailed information about this fast-growing shooting sports activity.

This would be a blast for any youngster.

Educating Your Kids

If you have a firearm in the home, then you are responsible for educating your children in the safe way to handle that firearm. I wrote an earlier post titled "Kids and Firearm Safety ". In that post I mentioned what I consider the minimum responsibilities of a parent who keeps firearms in the home.

So now you have been a responsible parent. You have taught your children how to safely handle a firearm, and you have even taken them out to the range. You may find that they enjoy shooting as much as you do, and want to become even better at it. Now what do you do, where do you go to let them participate in the shooting sports with kids their own age?

If your child is in high school, there is always the JROTC. Many JROTC organizations have air or small-bore rifle teams. The JROTC rifle teams compete in local, state and national competitions. At the higher levels, these kids are extremely competitive. The 2007 National JROTC Air Rifle National Championship took place on April 12 to 14 at Fort Benning GA. The Individual National Champion in the Precision class was decided by mere tenths of a point after two days of shooting. The final went down to the last shot with Amber Criss hanging onto the Championship with a narrow lead of 1273.7 to Kyle Phillips 1273.15. As you can see, marksmanship is the one arena where the only thing that matters is the individual, the girls can beat the boys (and often do).

Another organization that promotes the shooting sports is the 4-H. The 4-H offers a very wide variety of opportunities in the shooting sports. Archery, black powder, hunting, air rifle and pistol, rim-fire rifle and pistol, center-fire rifle and pistol are all offered by various 4-H groups. If your child has an interest in shooting, the 4-H may be able to help build upon that interest. The Texas 4-H and Youth Development Program is sponsored by Texas A&M University. The Texas 4-H Shooting Sports is a very popular program attended by one heck of a lot of kids. If you go to the Texas 4-H Shooting Sports site, click on "State Games" to get an idea of what all if offered. The 4-H State Games is literally a mile of kids on the firing line, and it is a blast to attend. The 4-H also has a national match that is very competitive.

My #3 daughter competed in both JROTC and the 4-H. She stuck with the 4-H longer because she enjoyed it more.

If you are looking for a shooting sports program for your children, the 4-H or the JROTC are both excellent programs that will teach more than just marksmanship.

A Day at the Range

Before the holidays, a fellow blogger and I began an email exchange discussing hockey, the news and each others blogs. He mentioned that his boys had not had any exposure to firearms or any firearm safety training. Well that's not good. The boys are of the age where curiosity about firearms could get them hurt if they were ever around someone who did not handle firearms safely. I offered to take them to the range and show them the basics "after the holidays". Well... today was after the holidays (the cold/wet weather could be here for awhile and I did not want the boys to feel like we were leaving them hanging).

Earlier in the week (Monday), the forecast was for partly cloudy skies with highs in the upper 40's. Must be nice to make the money they do without any expectations of accuracy. It did not make it quite that warm today, but there was no wind and we were properly dressed so it was not uncomfortable.

Arrived at the range at 0900, my in car thermometer indicated that it was 33°F. The cars crunched through icy snow as we drove up to the bays, we were the only ones there.

The guys were great. They paid good attention when we were discussing how to operate each firearm, and they made conscious efforts to be safe at all times. Dad and I were right on top of them and the infrequent bit of inattention was quickly remedied. I brought out several rifles and three pistols for the guys to shoot.

We started with the long guns. First was the Erma Werke EM-1. It is a .22 cal. look alike of the M-1 Carbine. Each boy fired a couple of 5 round magazines, becoming familiar with holding a rifle (on sand bags) and the safety rules. Next was the Ruger 10/22. Again each boy ran through a couple of 5 round magazines. After Dad and I were confident that they were comfortable with the firearms, we let them shoot at the same time. This is how the day progressed. When it appeared that the boys might be getting a bit bored with what they had, we would introduce another firearm. The older boy really liked the MixMaster Dissipater AR-15 and the pistols. He thought the .22 was too small, and the .45 was to big, but like Goldilocks, the 9mm was just right. The younger boy was the sharp shooter and he settled in with the Martini single shot .22. He really liked the target sights and once he got the hang of it he blasted the center out of a paper plate.

This is the two of them shooting what they enjoyed the best:

I really think they had a blast. We did not work much on form, mainly safety and making sure they were comfortable and having fun. By the end of the day they had slowed down and were concentrating on each shot. I had a great time and I appreciate Mark trusting me with his boys on their first shooting experience.

Now to get them into the 4-H or some other regular youth shooting group...

As we were driving away from the range, the temperature was 39°F. I'm not sure any of us really noticed the cold.

Kids and Firearm Safety

3-yr old kills self with fathers gun

The 3-year-old son of a Henry County police officer died after he accidentally shot himself early Friday, police said.

Clayton County police Capt. Robert Tomlin said the accident happened shortly after midnight when Marcus Kitt found the gun in a closet in his parents' bedroom.

Child dies in accidental shooting

WETUMPKA, Ala. - An 11-year-old girl was accidentally shot and killed while playing with a young relative during a Christmas party.

The boy, also 11, shot the girl with a .22-caliber rifle after they went into a room to play on Friday, said Detective Sgt. Gary Edwards of the Wetumpka Police Department.

Teen Killed in Accidental Shooting

A teen died, Friday afternoon, after he was accidentally shot by a friend at the home of a Detroit police officer.

According to investigators, three 15-year-old boys managed to unlock a gun case at a home on the city’s northwest side. The boy that lived at the house took the gun out to show his cousin and a friend and accidentally fired the weapon, hitting the friend in the head.

The headlines are brutal, the stories behind them sad and all to frequent. The fact that accidental shootings involving children are statistically rare (a young child is much more likely to drown than be involved in an accidental shooting, even though many more homes have firearms than have swimming pools) does not temper the grief and pain suffered by the families. I feel for these families, and often offer up a mental prayer for them when reading articles like those listed above. Accidental shootings involving children are tragedies, but they are tragedies that can be prevented.

So... How do we prevent these tragedies from happening? How do we, as responsible firearm owners maintain a safe, and secure, household?

The first thing that we have to do is acquire the skill to handle and use our firearms safely and effectively. We have the right to own and use firearms, with that right comes the responsibility of being proficient with those same firearms, and we need to follow the four rules of firearm safety. Our safe use and handling of firearms needs to become a part of us, a second nature. Our children will learn more by our example than by our words.

Speaking of children, we are responsible for raising children with an appropriate sense of self discipline and responsibility. This is our obligation to society, not just our children. If we have not raised a 16 year old responsible enough to safely handle a firearm, why the heck would we give him the keys to a car? It is not an easy task, and it seems to get harder with each day, but it can be done with good parenting.

Introduce children to firearms early, when they show an interest. Do this in a quiet, controlled environment. Show them how to check the firearm clear and allow them to handle it, all the time talking about safety. Let them know that they are never to touch a firearm without an adult, and that if they want to see a firearm, you will let them. This is also the perfect time to talk with them about what to do if they find a firearm laying around or in the hands of another child (don't touch, leave the area, tell and adult).

As they get older, take them to the range, or out hunting with you. Comment on how people are handling their firearms safely, and if you notice an unsafe practice, point it out. When they have reached the proper maturity, and have proven that they do understand safety, allow them to start shooting under controlled conditions. I received my first firearm when I was 7, at 13 I was riding bicycles and dirt bikes out to the fields to go shooting with my friends. There are still places in this country where kids can take a .22 and go hunt rabbits without ending up on the 10:00 news, but they are rapidly disappearing.

The #1 means of preventing your children from becoming involved in an accidental shooting is to raise responsible children, and take the mystique out of firearms.

From Fr. Frogs Pad:

I will do my best to educate my child about the many things in life that, if mishandled, can result in harm. This will require open and frank dialogue and, in the case of firearms, careful, supervised instruction in their safe handling and proper use.

I will not allow my child to play in a home headed by irresponsible and inattentive adults.

I will take proper and prudent measures to ensure the safety and security of my home. Firearms, stored in such a manner that they are readily available to my trained and practiced hand, while being secured against unauthorized use, are an important component of this security preparedness.

I will urge and DEMAND that others, including public servants, show respect for the principles of freedom and individual liberty on which our republic was founded. I will demand that my children inherit the full spectrum of liberties guaranteed to free men and not permit these freedoms to be diminished by ill-conceived attempts to trade precious liberty for illusory safety.

Proper storage of firearms and ammo when you are not in the area is just plain common sense. If your only use for firearms is hunting and target practice, then storage is easy. Purchase the best quality safe you can afford to secure your unloaded firearms.

If you have a firearm for home defense, then you have to be a bit more proactive.

Something I found on the California "Tips for Gun Owners" site:

There is no such thing as being too careful with children and guns. Never assume that simply because a toddler may lack finger strength, they can't pull the trigger. A child's thumb has twice the strength of the other fingers. When a toddler's thumb "pushes" against a trigger, invariably the barrel of the gun is pointing directly at the child's face.

I just added that as something to think about.

There are many different locking devices available today that will keep a loaded firearm secure, but ready for quick access.

The Bio Vault is one such device. It is small, discreet, and opens quickly with a fingerprint. There are other small gun locking devices that opened with an electronic touch pad or quick acting combination lock. My sidearm is either in my holster, or in one such device.

Another idea is to keep the unloaded handgun in a drawer or on a shelf, and keep a magazine or speed-loader on your person.

Firearm safety in the home is mostly common sense and educating your children.

For more on this issue, go to Fr. Frogs Pad here.

A.C.E. has been doing a good job of keeping track of accidental shootings in the news. I pulled the three examples at the top of this commentary from his site.

Children learn gun safety

I do not have good data on the number of BB/pellet guns and firearms that were given as Christmas presents this year, but from the numbers I saw being purchased over the past month, I would say that there were quite folks waking up Christmas morning to a wonderful present. Many of these folks will be first time or otherwise inexperienced shooters who will require training in how to safely handle a firearm. That responsibility usually falls upon the giver of the gift or another experienced person close to the family.

The Sheriff's Office of Caddo County in Louisiana offers additional training for those with their first gun.

From The Shreveport Times:

Children learn gun safety

By Adam Kealoha Causey

The pops of .22 rifles firing and the pings of shells hitting concrete a second later filled the brisk air on a recent Saturday.

A row of five boys -- all about 8 to 10 years old -- faced shooting targets with parents, grandparents and Caddo sheriff's deputies directly behind or beside. The group braved the 30-degree temperatures for one purpose: learning the safe use of firearms.

The youngsters attended the first of three offerings of the Caddo sheriff's office "First Gun" courses for the fifth consecutive year at the Sheriff's Regional Training Academy in southern Caddo Parish. The classes are aimed at providing basic instruction for children who have never fired a gun.

This is a great idea, and I applaud the Caddo County Sheriff's for taking on this project.

I found this article on Keep and Bear Arms.

Free Summer NRA Program for High School Sophomores and Juniors

From the Fallon Star Press:

The National Rifle Association is now accepting applications for the 2007 NRA Youth Education Summit, a free summer program for high school sophomores and juniors.

Forty students from across the United States will be hand selected to spend a week with NRA staff in Washington DC. Attendees are responsible only for transportation to and from Washington, DC.

This is one of the programs that are funded by Friends of NRA dinners. An opportunity like this does not come along very often for high school students. During my sophomore summer I had the opportunity to travel Europe for five weeks. I had a blast, and that experience is one of the things that made me the man that I am today.

This would be a great trip:

While in the nation's capital, students will learn the significance of the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights while developing an understanding of federal government and the importance of active participation. Attendees in past years have had the chance to meet NRA's Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre, visit Capitol Hill, spend a day at Quantico, VA training courses used by Marines for basic training, visit the White House, visit the Smithsonian Institute and much more.

For more information on this program, and to download an application, visit the NRA Foundation. To read the full article, go here.

I found this article on Keep and Bear Arms.

School Fits Gun Education Into Curriculum

Now this is quality education.

Alphecca comments on a school in Juneau Alaska that is teaching sixth-graders proper firearm safety and handling. The original article is from the Casper Star Tribune.

ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- Tom Milliron figures Juneau school children are going to encounter guns one way or another, whether venturing armed into nearby wilderness or visiting the home of a friend.

Better they learn how to handle a firearm safely than to hurt themselves through ignorance, he says.

Milliron is principal of one of Juneau's two middle schools. Sixth-graders under his care last month completed an outdoor education course that included instruction in safe handling of guns and firing rounds from .22-caliber rifles. For some children, it was the first time they'd touched a gun.

In gun-happy Alaska, teaching children how to safely handle firearms is just common sense, Milliron said.

"Kids ought to be approached from a solid educational perspective and not discover guns on their own," Milliron said.

I have long been an advocate of bringing firearms training into our public school systems. As we have the right to keep and bear arms, we have the responsibility to teach our children proper firearm safety. Along with firearm safety, comes marksmanship. I would very much like to see competitive shooting re-introduced as a high school sport.

Milliron used to teach in Cube Cove, a logging camp on Admiralty Island. Outdoor education was crucial in such a wild setting, he said. He took the job at Juneau's Floyd Dryden Middle School eight years ago and found volunteers who wanted firearm education in public schools, including Tom Coate.

More than two decades ago, Coate had taught his 10-year-old son, Tobin, how to safely handle guns before they went waterfowl hunting. Then his son's friends wanted to go too. They were "dumber than a brick" about gun safety, Coate said.

He helped promote hunter safety programs in a 4-H club, then at rural village schools, and starting in 2000, at the Juneau middle school. About 1,200 students have taken the course.

The program has provided a counterbalance to the portrayal of guns on "the idiot tube," Coate said.

"What we're trying to do is mitigate the onslaught of very bad habits that cause needless deaths and needless accidents," Coate said.

Guns are simply a way of life in Southeast Alaska, Milliron and Coate said...

...As part of their outdoors education, students take the standard state of Alaska hunter safety education course. After safety lessons, they take a "shoot-don't shoot" field course, deciding whether it would have been safe to discharge a weapon at an animal simulated by a silhouette.

They also must demonstrate proficiency in firing a weapon, shooting 20 rounds from .22-caliber rifles at Juneau's indoor firing range.

This sounds similar to a program we had in my elementary school. We went to sixth-grade camp. It was a week of cabin camping in the mountains that included crafts along with outdoorsmanship activities. This included archery and .22's. This camping trip was held during the regular school year and was a part of sixth-grade. I'll bet that you would never guess what state this was in...

California

Read the rest of the article here.

"Gun Regulations for Teens?"

In the comments section of a previous post, MudKitty asked "Do you guys/gals think there should be gun regulations for teens?" My answer is going to include some law, some personal views and commentary, and some images by Oleg Volk.

Let us start with the law. The Gun Control Act of 1968 prohibits the sale of a shotgun or rifle by a Federal Firearm License holder to a person under the age of 18. This law also prohibits that license holder from selling a handgun to a person under the age of 21.

b) It shall be unlawful for any licensed importer, licensed manufacturer, licensed dealer, or licensed collector to sell or deliver --

(1) any firearm or ammunition to any individual who the licensee knows or has reasonable cause to believe is less than eighteen years of age, and, if the firearm, or ammunition is other than a shotgun or rifle, or ammunition for a shotgun or rifle, to any individual who the licensee knows or has reasonable cause to believe is less than twenty-one years of age;

The Texas Penal Code makes it an offense for anyone to sell a firearm to a person that is less than 18 years old:

§ 46.06. UNLAWFUL TRANSFER OF CERTAIN WEAPONS.

(a) A person commits an offense if the person:...

2) intentionally or knowingly sells, rents, leases, or gives or offers to sell, rent, lease, or give to any child younger than 18 years any firearm, club, or illegal knife;

Texas also has restrictions on giving a minor, 17 years old or younger, unsupervised access to a firearm.

As you can see, teens are already very well regulated when it comes to firearms. There are laws, and more laws concerning children and firearms. Each state has enacted it's own laws, most are more restrictive than the federal.

That was the law, now for the personal views. Do I think there should be gun regulations for teens?

I believe that the State has the right to regulate the sale of firearms to individuals prior to their reaching the age of majority. Note that I said "sale" of firearms. The use of firearms by teens or children should be regulated by their parents. Parents have the responsibility to raise their children, they have the obligation to instruct and teach their children many of life's lessons, including the safe handling of firearms. The parents know their children the best, and they know when their children are ready to accept different responsibilities. There are folks who will not like that answer. This is the age of relieving parents of their responsibilities towards their children, about making excuses for poor behavior and bad choices. But that is a topic for another day.

MudKitty, I hope that answered your question about my thoughts about firearm regulations for teens. I believe you live in California, if you would like I can point you to the California regulations concerning youth and firearms.

Corpus Christi Teen Kills Burglar in Home

This short but sweet article from Houston Chronicle shows why firearm familiarity and safety training for your children is a much better idea than gun locks:

CORPUS CHRISTI — A 14-year-old boy shot and killed a man who broke into his family's home today and threatened to kill him and his mother, Police Chief Bryan Smith said.

Smith said the man, whose name was not immediately known, confronted a woman as she was carrying groceries into her home shortly before 1 p.m.

The man forced her inside and tied up her and her son. Smith said the woman was able to loosen the binding and free her son, who got his father's revolver from a security box beneath a bed.

As the man tried to break into the room where the two were and threatened to kill them both, the teen fired a shot through the door and hit the intruder in the head, Smith said.

The teenager either knew the security code on the box, or his mother gave it to him. There was no fumbling around for keys or other nonsense. The teenager was at least somewhat familiar with the operation of the revolver, and he killed the goblin. One goblin dead, one boy taking a very large step towards becoming a man by his adult actions.

This teenager and his mother are alive and well because there was a firearm available for protection, and the teenager knew how to use it. A teenager, one of the folks that the Brady Bunch and others are trying so very hard to keep from ever learning the safe operation of a handgun.