Wednesday, January 24, 2007

Kids + Guns = Great Idea!

From today's Deseret Morning News:

"Big-game hunters could be younger under a bill passed by the House Tuesday morning despite some concerns about the level of maturity for younger hunters.
The age required for a big-game hunting permit would be lowered from 14 years to 12 years of age under HB67, which passed the House 50-24. The younger age is fast becoming the national standard, said Rep. Curt Oda, R-Clearfield, the bill's sponsor, and an age limit of 14 in Utah is 'very restrictive.'
Since the child would be required to pass a hunter's safety course, prove their proficiency with a rifle and be accompanied by an adult, Oda said that the appropriate safeguards would be in place. As for their maturity, he noted that he received his first BB gun at age 4 and subsequently killed almost 3,000 birds over the course of a summer, which taught him both the realities of life and guns."

I am the only one who, in this age of rampant school shootings, thinks it is a bad idea to lower the age requirement for kids and guns? The guy shot 3,000 birds in a summer - is that supposed to impress us? I don't really think the PETA folks are going to like that at all.

I can promise you this, though, at age 4 Paige will have a bb gun. I want her to shoot everything!

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