Teaching Kids about guns?

Question

A summer camp has contacted me about teaching kids how to use air rifles. Safety, responsibility, respect and concentration are all valuable lessons to be learned.
The kids will be 14-17. They will be on public assistance or working poor. They will be white, black and hispanic, probably some other ethnicities as well, but no distinct majority. They will be from a small city that has seen better days.
I have a budget of $500 for equipment and $250 for supplies, maybe a little more.
First and foremost, I was thinking a way to secure the guns. They have lockers, but I'd also add gun locks.
http://www.pyramydair.com/cgi-bin/accessory.pl?accessory_id=243
http://www.pyramydair.com/cgi-bin/accessory.pl?accessory_id=545
All the participants will need safety glasses:
http://www.pyramydair.com/cgi-bin/accessory.pl?accessory_id=242
We'll have 3 traps so three shooters can shoot at once:
http://www.pyramydair.com/cgi-bin/accessory.pl?accessory_id=467
Of course there will be fun stuff:

http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.exe/showproduct?saleitemid=466432&t=11082005
http://www.pyramydair.com/cgi-bin/accessory.pl?accessory_id=244

Now for the guns:
First off, pneumatic single shot:
1 Crosman 2100 $60
http://www.pyramydair.com/p/crosman-2100b-air-rifle.shtml
2 Daisy 880 $40 each @ Wal-Mart
http://www.pyramydair.com/cgi-bin/model.pl?model_id=326
1 Crosman 1377
http://www.pyramydair.com/p/crosman-1377-pump-pistol.shtml
A break barrel:
1 Crosman 795 $60
http://www.pyramydair.com/p/crosman-795-spring-air-rifle.shtml
CO2 Repeaters:
1 Crosman 1077 $67
http://www.pyramydair.com/p/crosman-1077-air-rifle.shtml
1 Crossman 1088
http://www.pyramydair.com/p/crosman-1088-co2-bb-gun.shtml
If it doesn't bust the budget, a precission gun
1 Daisy TargetPro 953 (upgrade to peep site) $97
http://www.pyramydair.com/cgi-bin/model.pl?model_id=585

What do you think? The program has to be focused on safety, responsibility and marksmanship.
Thanks for your input.

Answer 1

Good idea. Interesting choices for guns, I like the variety. The age level is good. Younger kids at the camp? This gives them the incentive to return, as most boys and many girls will be HIGHLY interested in the program. Have the camp sort out the trouble makers from the good kids, so you don't have any wise guys in your program. Another incentive to be good and participate. Good people participate in life and life can be fun, like target shooting. Bad people sit it out behind bars. No work and no fun.
These are probably the kids both liberals and conservatives will write off as losers. Perfect candidates for gangs, who will certainly teach them the WRONG info about guns.

Answer 2

After many years experience doing what you are describing here for the Police Athletic League (PAL Organization)as a Police Officer/Detective for 26 years you are going to have your work cut out for you regardless of what equipment you buy or use. To take young adolescents in that particular age bracket and put them in a situation where they have BB/Pellet Rifles of ANY kind is going to be a potential for disaster. I would hope that this program will include at the very least some additional staff that will help you control the situation and circumstances. You can't afford to fail to forsee the potential problems that could happen in a heartbeat with children raised in an inner city,poverty level enviornment.

I am 100% behind you for this and I personally applaud your efforts, I guess at the same time I have seen first hand thru my years as a Youth Mentor with PAL and the NRA Youth Marksmanship Program how the best of intentions could easily backfire. It only takes one incident to destroy an other wise GREAT program and effort. Please keep in mind tthe potential that whatever equipment you buy could be used for situations other then what they were intended to be used for.
For a new program such as this there is no need to buy powerful or expensive airguns for this.SAFETY and CONTROL are much more important issues here than equipment. Go inexpensive low-med power and see how things progress. If you are successful you can always upgrade your equipment later ..

If I were you and it is allowed, I would go to your local Sporting Goods Shop, or larger Distributors like Cabelas, Dick's Sporting Goods, Sports Authority, or Bass Pro Shops. Talk to the Management staff and see if they are willing to donate a few basic air guns,traps,Pellets etc to the camp. Many shops like mine do this on a regular basis to promote the Shooting Sports and Firearms Safety. It's great advertising for the businesses that donate goods, and will help you streatch your budget even further........Good Luck!!

Answer 3

The only bad part about those break barrels is that you cannot dry fire them at all! The seal will bust out in a hurry. And if they grab the barrel at the end when they charge it, eventually the barrel gets bent. I like the under the barrel pumps. The just always seemed to maintain better accuracy as far as the crossman's go. For a good break-barrel, you usually have to spend at least a 100 bucks.

Answer 4

Sounds good to me, except supplies are going to be expensive. A tin of 500 pellets is $4 at WalMart. You have 100 kids in the program, and they shoot half a tin in the season, that's $200 right there. You are going to be hard pressed to find CO2 cartridges for under 50¢ each, even in bulk.

Answer 5

worry less about the equipment and more about the mindset of the kids.

first off, these kids are probably used to hearing about drivebys, guns in school and may have had friends or relatives killed bu guns.

respect their experince. don't joke about guns in any way.

keep your instruction strict and to the point. and if some kid is messing around, make an example out of him: he doesn't shoot that day. use an NRA teaching manual and make them repeat the range rules so everyone "gets it" before shooting.

as for gear, a couple red ryders would do. you;re not training assasins, you're giving them the opportunity to use guns respectfully. fancy firearms put fancy ideas in kids heads. better to keep it simple and even.

also, i suggest standard paper targets (25 ft) to emphasize the sport they are participating in. then the kids can keep them to compare results later on (makes them want to come back for more and imporve the next day) if they can't keep the target, rumors spread about who is best and fights start.
maybe save the fun targets for the last day.

Answer 6

The NRA runs a safety course for children that you can get a lot of information from. And the Boy Scouts of America have a merit badge for it. You can use the information to teach effectively how these weapons are not toys. As far as lock up, you can get a long chain like on a motorcycle and lock them through the trigger guards.

Answer 7

sounds like you have it under control. I appreciate what you are doing the more the public is educated on guns the better off we will all be. I think everyone in every country should carry a firearm and understand it as well. I could preach all day about statistics. Guns don't scare me as much as an ignorant or drunk driver.

Answer 8

Greetings. If I be thee I would look into getting some Chinese military surplus air rifles. I got mine new for $19.99 and it is accurate. Same dealers that carry the air rifles have chinese pellets for them for I believe I paid $10 a thousand. For starters I would suggest you get a lot of ballons. kids get a ego boost seeing a ballon they fire at blow up. and they don't have to be olymphic grade shots to hit them. much less boring then punching holes in paper as well. and for a child being interesting is much more attractive then simply being boring ever was.

Answer 9

Do you have any children yourself, personally? Or nephew, niece, etc.? How would you want them to be taught about guns? How were you taught about guns?
You were probably taught to respect the firearms, correct? And not to think of them as toys, in any way, shape or form, correct?
You were taught about hunting, and the proper rifles, to use? About handguns, and target practice at a target range? The danger of guns? All the in's and out's of guns? Proper handling of firearms etc.?
How you would want your children to be taught, how you were taught, get those young people taught the correct way. Take care.

Answer 10

I don't know about the choices, but the program sound great and we need more like it.