FORT SILL, Okla.--Young guns set their sights on safety during the annual E. J. Ardoin Memorial Greenwing Shoot Sept. 4, at the Comanche Skeet and Trap Range on Fort Sill.
More than 100 children ages 6 to 16 participated in the free, public event, which exposed them to BB-guns, shotguns, .22-caliber rifles, as well as local waterfowl and conservation.
"The number one thing is to teach firearms safety," said Mark Conklin, Sportsmen Services Fish and Wildlife supervisor. "We're doing that in two groups: Boy Scouts as part of their merit badge qualifications, and a range master, who is teaching the other kids."
The shoot was hosted by the Robert L. Hutchins Chapter, Ducks Unlimited, Inc., which provided volunteers, ammunition and donations for the event. For about 30 years, Fort Sill Directorate of Public Works' Sportsmen Services has sponsored the event on post. nearly 40 volunteers, including Soldiers and Marines, from various agencies helped run the shoot.
The youngest children learned the basics of shooting on BB-guns from a dozen riflemen -- Marines.
"They're coaching the kids on where the safety is located, teaching them about sight alignment and sight picture, breathing and trigger squeeze," said Chief Warrant Officer 5 Bill Dagenhart, Marine Corps Artillery Detachment target acquisition officer in charge, "all the things you need to know prior to shooting."
Children proudly walked away from the BB-gun range with their perforated paper targets in hand and smiles on their faces.
However, before any child could pick up a rifle he or she first learned safety rules.
"Cease fire! cease fire! cease fire!" repeated children in unison during a lesson from instructor Ellis Hayes, Comanche Skeet and Trap Club vice president, on what to say if an emergency situation arose when they were on the firing ling.
All ammunition, shotguns, rifles, BB-guns and safety gear was provided to the shooters during the four-hour event, said Sgt. 1st Class Russell Anderson, Sportsmen Services noncommissioned officer in charge. And, the children and their parents were treated to traditional picnic fare dining on hot dogs, chips and sodas.
Assistant Scout Master Carrie Dann, Troop 271, brought four of her Boy Scouts from Altus, to attempt to qualify for their shotgun merit badges.
"To earn the badge they have to know the safety of the shotgun and need to hit 24 out of 50 targets," she said. "They're doing awesome; they're enjoying themselves."
All four of the Boy Scouts earned their badges. Cub Scouts, too, could earn their rifle merit badge by shooting BB-guns.
The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife set up shop with its Shotgun Training Education Program, or STEP, which introduced youths and adults to shotgun shooting. Participants could try their hand at skeet shooting with a variety of shotgun gauges.
M R Ducks
Purring through a duck call, volunteer Leighton Duitsman, Ducks Unlimited, demonstrated to children that not all ducks make quacking sounds.
Children could also associate the sounds of a duck to the duck. Various ducks were depicted by decoys and stuffed versions including bluebills, redheads, ring necks and puddle ducks.
"We're blessed at Fort Sill because we have so many different kinds of ducks," said Duitsman, pointing to a dozen different decoys. "You can shoot everyone of these kinds here."
Social Sharing