This is a free program to promote firearm safety in the home and on the shooting range and to develop basic marksmanship skills for children 8 to 17 years of age.
Location
This program is offered in the Colorado Springs/Denver area including the counties of Arapahoe, Douglas, Elbert, El Paso, and Jefferson, Colorado. The program is sponsored through the Ben Lomond Gun Club in Ramah, Colorado.
The program covers firearm part terminology, safe loading and unloading and general safety rules for handling rifles, shotguns and handguns. Also covered are components of ammunition, safe handling and storage of ammunition and ammunition malfunction of misfire, hangfire and squib load.
Basic marksmanship skills including positions, breathing, sight picture, trigger press and follow through are practiced during the class indoors with the use of laser bore sighters, then following the class on our 100 foot shooting deck.
Situational Awareness and Scenario Training
Videos for common situations involving children and firearms are presented and discussed during the class to include peer pressure, and drive by/mass shooting. While safe rooms, 911 activation, shelter in place and other suggestions on how to handle these are provided, the ultimate goal is to get parent to discuss with children their expectations.
Live Fire Sessions
Upon completion and successful testing of the 8 hour safety orientation class, children and parents are provided the opportunity four hours monthly to participate in our rifle live fire sessions.
While our orientation class covers safety with regard to rifle, shotgun and handguns, live fire sessions are restricted to 22 rifle. For children 12 and older additional classes will be offered in pistol and shotgun shooting and special live fire sessions provided for those.
Parents are encouraged to work with their children and shoot also if they like during our live fire sessions. During each we have several range officers who provide safety and marksmanship instruction if desired.
Children and parents can compete for awards and patches under the NRA Winchester Marksmanship program. Youth are provided a shooting vest upon completion of first 10 qualifying targets and patches and certificates for each skill level earned through Distinguished Expert – all at no cost.
Costs and Fees:
The youth orientation class is free of charge – however due to limited class room space, there is a $25 reservation fee per family that is refunded upon completion of the second class.
The live fire sessions are also free of charge with the club providing safety equipment, shooting mats, targets, rifles to use and promotional awards. You can bring your own ammunition – must be 22 Long Rifle to use in our firearms – or it will be provided at our cost of $3/50 rounds.
Safe Hunter Program
Although our class content is more extensive in safety and marksmanship skills than the Colorado Safe Hunter program, it does not count for Safe Hunter certification. That is provided through the Colorado Parks and Wildlife and can be found here:
https://cpw.state.co.us/learn/Pages/HunterEducation.aspx
It will meet most of the qualification requirements for the various Scout Merit badge programs.
Special Classes
We can provide special classes for youth groups centered around firearm safety which can be held at your facility if you recruit at least 8 children from three families. In the past, this has been done for home school, church and the Young Marines program. These special classes will not qualify as our Orientation program and will not allow you to participate in our monthly live fires.
To get additional information on classes and the program:
Email samantha2874@hotmail.com or call Franklyn at 719-761-8002. If calling, please leave a message, all numbers without a message are blocked and reported as spam.
Recommended Video
The following video is from the End Family Fire project and discusses firearm storage in the home. I strongly encourage that you spend a few minutes to watch it: