FORT CARSON, Colo. -- With the wind whipping and the sharp pop, pop of .22-caliber rifle fire, more than 50 children and their parents learned about gun safety and received tips during the Kids Marksmanship Camp at Cheyenne Mountain Shooting Complex Saturday.
"Our absolute No. 1 priority is safety," said Rob Rohren, manager of the shooting complex, Directorate of Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation.
"No. 2 is, we want these young men and women to have fun out here today. We look at this like Family time. What better way to spend a Saturday morning than coming out here to teach these kids?"
The children learned important rules about gun safety, such as treat every gun as it if was loaded and be sure of the target. They also learned important range signals.
"What's this mean?" "Safety Dave" Beach, senior range safety officer, DFMWR, asked the class as he motioned with his hand across his throat. "It means cease fire. Unless you're scuba diving, then it means you're out of air."
The class reviewed the meaning of cease fire, and the importance of listening to coaches and range safety officers.
"They know why they're out here," said Mark Tymon, range safety officer, DFMWR. "They're here to learn to be safe. It's exciting when you see their faces, and they have that aha moment."
Although, some children had already learned a little about safety before the class.
"My dad taught me that you don't touch the (end) of the gun because that's where the bullet comes out," said Marissa Burciaga, 6.
The camp is offered the first Saturday of every month for children, ages 6-12, and includes a safety class, a marksmanship class and a competition. This is the third month the camp has taken place. There are some new attendees, but others have participated every month.
Riley Stevens, 11, has attended since the beginning. He's been shooting for a couple of years and has also learned archery. His father, Mike Stevens, said the archery has helped Riley's shooting.
"It's a little more discipline (archery). With the arrows, you're trying to make every shot count," Mike Stevens said. "Some kids are like, 'bang, bang, bang. Look, I shot the gun.' But for him, he's learned to make every shot count."
Saturday was a family event as Mike and Chris Stevens volunteered while Riley practiced his skills.
"We try to get involved as a family," Mike Stevens said. "It gets us out of the house. It's enjoyable when you get to do things together instead of standing on the sidelines."
For Maxwell Faught, 7, this was his first time shooting.
"First I did really bad, but now I'm doing really good," he said.
"He got three black (on the target), one outside and one just below," Dave Faught, Maxwell's grandfather said.
The event relies heavily on volunteers, from the range safety officers policing the range to those scoring the competition.
"They're all volunteers," Tymon said. "Without them, there's no way this would occur. They're essentially the lifeblood of this event."
The camp has become more popular, with the most attendees this month, and there are limited spaces available due to the number of range safety officers.
"It's the highlight of my month. When it all comes together at the end of the day, it's a great day," Tymon said.
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