Should kids be shooting at human silhouette targets?

How do you feel about having kids shoot at silhouette targets? Animal silhouettes are ok with me, but I will never let any kid fire at a human silhouette target. This has been my belief for 35+ years of teaching kids to shoot.

Opinions?

 

Do as I say, not as I do.

 

I don't think kids should. The only time I shot at a sihouette tarket is when I'm shooting at an IDPA target. Most of the time it's bullseye targets or clays. Sometimes tin cans.

 

I drew smiley faces on the paper plates, does that count?

I do not think it really matters, if your kids are grounded in good moral behaviour, I doubt they will go around hurting innocents.

 

Exactly why my kids are in trouble if they curse like me.

 

kinda depends on what the range has for targets. at my range (indoor), human silhouettes or circular targets are only available.

of course, you can bring your own as well, as long as any target one brings is not a picture of a real person.

so for a kid, circular targets would be best?

 

Been using these since Amazon started carrying them. Sorta abstract in my mind. No human detail really. I’m not for putting a face on it though I can think of a few I’d like too.

I did have a fellow ask me a number of years ago if the were legal on the Sarasota County range.
To each his own I think.

 

Ben Avery does not allow targets with himan pictures or charactures.

Kids get enough of people being shot on TV, only to have them show up on another channel in another show.

 

That's fine so long as:

1. You forbid your kids to defend themselves in the home when you're either absent or incapacitated.
2. You believe there's a credible threat of your home being invaded by NRA 50' bullseye targets.

 

Sounds situationally dependent. If it's your kid, and you feel they're mature enough to understand the gravity of self defense, and have been properly instructed in when to do so, then I don't see an issue with it. In other words, don't make a joke of it.

If you're going for a fun day at the range or shooting with someone else's kids then I would stay away from something like that. There's plenty of other options for fun targets.

 

I think kids & adults will kill almost anything on video games? More to worry about.

 

Yes, I let my kids shoot at silhouette targets. They are targets after all. Kids aren’t stupid, unless we teach them to be.

The precaution I take is that they must make head shots only.

 

Probably not the best thing. Depends alot on the particular kid, parent and community. I dont think silhouette targets are more practical than any other target. If you can hit a pie plate offhand at 10 paces youre doing fine. You can hit an attacker where it counts so what's the dif? I dont feel I'm any worse against an attacker because I shot at old car parts when I first trained with my uncle in the 80's. All I have to do is imagine an oil pan off an old Jeep sitting on his chest and shoot it!

All kidding aside I dont believe it's good to teach that people are just things. I dont think silhouette targets offer any measurable advantage. Probably 10x better to shoot at things that move when you shoot them and force you to adjust. That's much better training and I don't care what the "likeness" of the target is.

 

I would no more tell you how to raise your kids than I would tolerate you telling me how to raise mine.

 

How do you feel about having kids shoot at silhouette targets? I don't like the idea. And it's not necessary for learning marksmanship or gun safety.*

I was required to fire at human silhouette targets in qualification for military basic training and handgun carry permit certification, and during a few combat style matches involving shooting at silhouette targets in bad guy/hostage scenarios. I could see the necessity of human silhouette for defensive training.

On the mountain, I'd be far more likely to have to defend against four-legged horizontal predators than two-legged vertical ones facing me, so I prefer bullseye targets. Vertical stringing above and below PoA might still hit COM on a human target but would make more misses on animal ones.

* For defensive training I'd like to seek more of the revolving shoot/don't shoot realistic targets, like Ma Barker aiming a Tommy gun versus Mrs Olsen holding a coffee maker.

 

Depends on the kid. Wouldn't be my first choice for youngings.

But in general, I have zero issues with it.

I have no kids, but working with kids was a profession. I would teach kids not to get in a car with strangers, but also acknowledge that they can get in the car with their parents.

Meaning, kids can tell the difference between good and bad guys,and can
translate those themes.

Besides, all silhouettes are bad guys.

If we are teaching kids the basics of safe firearm handling and should be teaching them the consequences of firearms and that they are deadly, then the target could be inconsequential.

But I'm also a guy that won't let kids point toy guns at people, so maybe I'm a hypocrite.

 

For younger kids, engaged in "fun" shooting, probably not.

For the teenager, learning about serious defensive use of firearms, then yes.

 

During WW-2 a lot of soldiers in combat for the first time hesitated when it came to actually shooting at another human for the first time. During all the training they had always shot at concentric circle targets. The Military studied the problem and changed over to human shaped targets for training. They found that it did help condition soldiers to be able to take that shot.

I'm not sure if this is good or bad. I suppose it still depends on the kid, their age, and maturity level. As a parent, grand parent now, it is my job to teach them right from wrong. Shooting another human is something we all hope we never have to do. But there are times when it is justified.

 

I hang my silhouette targets upside down.

Actually I started doing this because one of the ranges I frequent forbids shooting at human silhouettes, so I just kind of got into the habit and do it all the time now. I don't do the "three into the center of mass and two into the head" thing anyway, but I have no problem with those that do. To me, it's strictly a personal pref and doesn't matter to me one way or the other.

 

i know my son didnt want to shoot at one of my steel targets as it had a head outline and chest plate. i had chosen it as the chest plate was the biggest steel target i had. i told him it is just a target and that we needed the biggest plate that way he can see where his shots would land. later i would just let him shoot gongs especially since he didn't need that big of a target anyway.

 

For as much as they "kill" people in video games at very young ages these days, whats it really matter?

Once my kids showed me they had the basics down on bullseye type targets, they could shoot at any target I was shooting at, which was basically all I brought along anyway, so why not. They started learning human anatomy long before they got to school.

Ive been shooting basic IPSC and photo type silhouette targets most of my life, and we grew up as kids shooting on them. Even as an adult, I was always amazed at how many people gave me a hard time about it too. I caught a lot of grief at the one "Sportsmans" club I belonged to because I had had a couple "people" targets up and they seemed to be offended. Something about it being a sportsmans club and they werent appropriate. They were a little more annoyed when I told them that they were actually "sportsmans targets". Not much of a challenge, but fun to shoot at. They left me alone after that.

Im thinking some people just need trivial crap to worry on and/or try and force you to do what they think you should. Im thinking too, they are the same people who will actually pay Bidens illegal tax on guns, if he should get in.

 

Well. I started shooting IPSC as a teenager well before the targets were decapitated and I've never had an urge to shoot a person. Come to think of it, me and my friends shot 2" plastic soldier figurines with BB guns at the age of 7 or 8 and that didn't turn any of us to spree killers either. Not to mention Space Invaders, Asteroids or any other "violent" video games that were all the rage back then.

So: chill.

 

Eh. A target's a target.

 

If my kids (now grandkid) are old enough to shoot and have the required level of maturity and can understand;

to NEVER point a gun at anything you do not intend to shoot (kill).....and

clearly understand the difference between a paper target and a real person then why not?

This rule must be taught and strictly enforced.