High school trap shooting has become a well-recognized team sport in New York state. Parents who enroll their children in educational firearm training programs, such as New York state hunter safety programs and high school trap, play a crucial role in the goal to help their children become more disciplined, more focused and more responsible. Submitted photo

Every spring and fall, kids across America lace up their cleats, pick up their bats and balls (baseball, football, basketball, soccer, etc.), and join their peers on the field of play. These activities build teamwork, confidence and discipline.

There’s another youth sport — one deeply rooted in America’s outdoor heritage — that deserves the same recognition for the values it instills: youth shooting sports.

Programs such as high school trap shooting, 4-H National Shooting Sports, the Youth Shooting Sports Alliance and the International Hunter Education Association, as well as programs within the Boy Scouts of America/Girl Scouts of America, provide structured environments for young people, our young athletes, to learn safe and responsible firearm handling. Youth shooting programs most often utilize single-shot low-power firearms (.22 caliber) and shotgun sports, including trap, skeet and sporting clays — disciplines that emphasize safety, focus and respect above all else. Youth in these programs can earn badges, patches and other recognition awards.

Organizations such as the NRA Eddie Eagle Program have long taught children the most important lesson: if you come across a firearm: STOP. DON’T TOUCH. RUN AWAY. TELL AN ADULT.

So important.

These fundamentals, paired with structured training environments, ensure that our youth understand firearms in a way that prioritizes safety before sport.

For many Western New York families, shooting sports are also a way to pass down an important American tradition. Just as we teach our kids to safely cast a fishing line or build a campfire, safe firearm handling and accident prevention are essential. We need our youth to understand how to handle firearms responsibly, securely store them, and respect them. Firearms education is about preventing unsafe firearm behavior.

Even manufacturers are stepping up to ensure safety comes first. Henry Repeating Arms’ new single-shot Mini Bolt Youth G2 rifle is explicitly designed for younger shooters, with built-in safety features and ergonomics that encourage proper handling from the start. This commitment to safety from manufacturers like Henry Repeating Arms and others in the industry should reassure parents and educators about the safety of youth shooting sports.

At its core, youth shooting sports are not just about hitting a target. They are about building character, instilling respect and safeguarding future generations. Parents who enroll their children in shooting programs play a crucial role in this process, and consistently report that their kids become more disciplined, more focused and more responsible. These are qualities that benefit them far beyond the range or the field.

In a time when families are looking for activities that build both skills and values, youth shooting sports stand out as a powerful way to strengthen our communities while preserving our nation’s outdoor heritage. By teaching the next generation how to handle firearms safely and responsibly, we, as citizens and parents, are investing in a safer, more respectful future for all.

Next weekend, on Sunday, Aug. 31 at Hanover Fish and Game, the Fredonia trap team is conducting a Clay Target Shooting Open House. The program provides an open invitation to students in grades 7-12 to learn about safety and clay target shooting. There is a cost of $10 to cover materials. The club is at 780 Overhiser Road in Forestville. To learn more about the club, visit https://www.hanoverclays.com/.

A lifetime of firearm enjoyment always starts with learning the basics of firearms safety. By pairing responsible training with proper firearm ownership and safe storage, youth shooting sports through schools, community organizations, Scouts and other national and local programs, preserve our American outdoor heritage while preparing the next generation to be safe, respectful and responsible citizens.

Gotta love the outdoors.

CALENDAR

Aug. 22-23: WNY Walleye Association; Lake Erie Walleye Tournament; $250 entry, Fish Donkey format, Rick Malik, 716-548-8219 or Ron Kucinski, 716-545-5925.

Aug. 24: NYS Hunter Ed, East Aurora Fish/Game, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., 716-574-2945.

Aug. 30: Labor Day Shoot, Hanover Fish & Game, sporting and 5-Stand, NSCA registered, 780 Overhiser Road, Forestville; 716-934-4028.

Aug. 31: Hanover Fish/Game, Invitation from the Fredonia trap team, clay shooting open house. Students from grades 7-12 are invited to learn about trap shooting. Cost is $10. Club is at 780 Overhiser Road, Forestville. Info: https://www.hanoverclays.com/.