Firearms safety class moves from classroom to shooting range

After two months of book work, lectures and practice with plastic replicas, Winston Davies' sixth grade Alaska Skills class headed to the shooting range last week to continue their training in hunter safety.

"This is a state curriculum," explained Davies, who has been drilling safety rules with his students "almost every day" to prepare them to shoot live firearms at the range. "The kids walk around the shop (with dummy firearms) and they practice carrying them, working the actions on them." Davies ensures that his students know how to carry the guns safely and that their fingers stay off the triggers until they're ready to shoot.

Davies believes that understanding the tenets of gun safety is critical for Alaskans, regardless of whether they hunt or shoot recreationally. "Even if you're not in a hunting family, in Wrangell or in Alaska in general, the chances of you getting into a vehicle with a firearm are very high," he said. "You need to know how to use firearms safely and know when others aren't using them safely so you can call them out."

"In Alaska," he added, "it's definitely a life skill. ... You walk into a home and there are going to be firearms."

In addition to learning life skills, Davies' class is working toward state hunter certification. The Alaska hunter safety program is recognized in all 50 states and if students pass a final test, they will be able to go hunting in states with stricter requirements. To certify, each hunter-in-training must put four out of five shots within a three-inch area from 50 feet.

Prior to the pandemic, Davies taught the class to high schoolers, and many of them struggled to achieve this high level of precision. "It definitely takes some practice," Davies said. This year, he is teaching the material to sixth graders for the first time.

Most of Davies' students - about 10 out of 13 - have prior hunting or recreational shooting experience, but for a few, the class was the first time they had ever shot a firearm.

On Oct. 24, the first day at the indoor range, Davies and range master Terry Courson introduced students to the space and reviewed safety fundamentals. Courson started off the class with four essential rules for gun use: Treat every firearm as if it were loaded, ne

ver point a gun at anything you aren't willing to destroy, keep your finger off the trigger until ready to fire and be aware of your target, including what is behind it.

"I'm emphasizing to the kids 'these are not toys,'" said Courson. "They will kill you." He also touched on a few items of gun-related trivia, including the differences between clips and magazines, bullets and rounds.

On the second day at the range, Courson unlocked the gun cabinet. He and Davies moved from student to student, offering encouragement and support as each student shot five rounds.

After reeling in her target, class member Bella Ritchie inspected her shots and declared her performance adequate.

"I go hunting a lot," she explained, "and to the shooting range." She is most experienced with .22s and enjoys hunting deer with her family.

Davies didn't know what to expect teaching hunter safety to sixth graders, but has been impressed with the maturity of the group. "I know the kids respect the firearms," he said. "As soon as Terry (Courson) took the rifles out of the cabinet ... you could just tell the kids were taking this seriously. They ... knew the gravity of the situation."

"It's a Wrangell thing," added Courson, who also appreciated the class's sense of responsibility. "A lot of them have been trained by their fathers. These aren't city kids."

Because of high demand for hunter safety training, Davies hopes to hold a class for community members. "There's adults that want it, there's kids who weren't able to take the class," he said. He will advertise once he is more certain of the details but anticipates holding a community certification program some time in December or January.