Guns and birthday party

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y.old.ndn

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Next week we will have a birthday party for a freinds son,and there will be around 5-9 kids. (10-17 years old) I have set up a nice little shooting range with lots reactive targets (cans,spining targets, ice blocks...) so it will be fun for the for everyone. Is there anything besides the basic safety rules we need to remember?
 
Supervision, supervision, supervision!

Even if kids know what to do, they're bound to do something dumb at some point. Even more mature ones.

Other than that, have fun! Sounds like a good time. :)
 
The consent of the other parents is a start. If these kids are not already trained in firearm safety I would shy away from this unless the other parents actively participate. Guns are not birthday party material, at least my opinion.
 
Make sure in advance that each kid's parents are okay with it. Make sure your homeowner's insurance is paid up. Not to put a damper on things; just to avoid unpleasant surprises and make sure you're covered in case of an accident.
 
As a Hunter Education and NRA Instructor I would like to advise you to please think again on this. That is just too many untrained kids in a party atmosphere to be doing what you propose, especially if any of those kids are new to the firearms scene. Even if all the parent are there, kids parties are too chaotic for this activity. IMHO, your heart may be in the right place and it is a good thing to introduce kids to shooting, but not this many kids in this setting. My humble opinion only, nothing personal.
 
I'd recommend only letting one kid at a time shoot.

Also, have someone keep an eye on the parents too, they can be even stupider than their kids sometimes! (just ask any teenager :p)
 
!!

"All parents will be there. Period!"

While this is a good thing, do not rely on said parents to supervise the use of the firearm(s) safely/responsibly.

As I'm sure you know, always keep in mind that you (and yours) are going to be held liable for any problems/damages/injuries that may arise. With that said, make sure every parent knows and respects the rules that you set forth and those rules can change. They need to have that baseline level of respect for you.

Whenever anyone gets on my boat, or a boat I am the skipper on, I make perfectly clear everyone knows that what I say is law - especially those who don't know much/anything about boating or being on the water. This is mostly for their own safety, but more importantly for the safety of others.

I have the firm belief that you may have the unalieable right to hurt yourself, but there is no excuse for hurting anyone else.

I would go so far as to have them sign a contract stating the basic rules of gun handling will be adhered to by all parties involved and the rules (other than the basic concrete standards) can change according to your good judgement. This isn't only to CYA, but to make sure the safety of the kids is insured (often in spite of their parents).

Although I sound like a wet blanket, I certainly think it is a great idea and I wish someone would have thought of the same idea when I was young!! :p
 
I would also say consider at least one trained supervisor for each untrained person on the range. When I was younger a gentleman told me about a potentially tragic situation when one older trained person had two kids and one gun. Prior to shooting he had given instructions on safety to the two kids and was supervising the one with the gun when the second one behind them intially off the line started creeping up closer and closer to the line to get a closer look until he was almost across the line when the teacher saw him out of the corner of his eye - he turned his head and told him to get back - however the kid shooting heard him talking and turned with the loaded pistol sweeping both the teacher and the other kid - in the 1 or 2 seconds that the teacher had turned away his attention to address the other kid. Now in hindsight the gentleman should have immediately took possession of the firearm from the shooter before addressing the other kid creeping across the line - but it just goes to show how even when you have just reviewed safety rules with an inexperienced shooter - just a seconds inattention can set up the circumstances of a potentially lethal accident.
 
I'm not so hot on the idea but if you just have one single shot rifle on a rest and you hold all the ammo and directly supervise, then it is possible. I would hope the rifle goes back in the safe when you are not directly supervising.

Thanx, Russ
 
Sounds like a fine idea to me, just supervise.

When my cousin and sister were 10, I'd allow them to shoot my 10/22 fairly often, I gave them one round at a time, and stood over their shoulder.
 
Good idea. I suggest the involvement of other adults only if they are very familiar with guns and shooting. No on the job or same day training of parents to help on the line. I agree with the poster that suggested only one child at a time on the firing line. Even though you're in Texas, be prepared for at least one parent to balk, and not necessarily because of an anti-gun attitude.
 
I am sorry I did not make this clear ,but the shooting is the main event at this party so every parent knows in advance that this will be going on. there is going to be 4 adults (VERY responsible and familiar with guns) watching and 2 people shooting in controlled lanes and the rest of the kids will be in a area behind the shooters.
 
Having the adults hand out one round at a time might be wise, especially if you're going to have two kids shooting at once. Make sure everyone knows that one person is in charge and watching for safety (not the ammo distributors) and that everyone knows what a ceasefire command means. I'd probably have one adult with each shooter and the other two hanging back watching for safety and keeping track of the rest of the kids. Just keep things calm and it should be a great time.
 
Boy Scout style...

• Single-shot .22 rifles only. No handguns.

• Bench rest only

• One trained adult per shooter. Adults hold all the ammo.

• 5 shots per turn.
 
Your hearts in the right place.

If you have 4 adults and two lanes I'd make sure that there were 2 adults per lane so that one can control the kid and the other can watch the lane for kids sneaking around. You or another responsible adult watches the backside of the two lanes so the other kids can't crowd up. Perhaps a folding table for them to line up at where they can see the kids shooting.

Muffs for each kid and adult. Safety glasses for each shooter and the adults at the shooting stations.

I like the idea of ice targets. You can reuse bathroom Dixie cups to make nice small targets pretty cheaply. No mess to clean up either.

I assume .22 rifles will be used. I too like the BSA small bore rules for beginning shooters and have taught my daughter's Girl Scout troop that way.

Have fun.
 
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