Junior marksmanship club starting up at indoor gun range

By Rob Vogt

A club has started up in town to teach marksmanship and proper firearm safety and etiquette.
The Junior Marksmanship Club held its first meeting in February, but organizer Todd Buhmiller said the idea for the club goes back to before the COVID-19 pandemic.
In late 2018 or early 2019 representatives from the Calgary Rifle and Pistol Association approached the Claresholm Fish and Game association.
They had a popular air pistol and air rifle group that participated in competitions.
However, there were not a lot of clubs in the nearby vicinity.
Consequently, they thought they would donate some air pistols to grow a club in Claresholm, and have competitions closer to home.
They donated four air pistols and the Claresholm Fish and Game Association bought four more.
Then the pandemic came, and everything stopped.
Buhmiller said that back in the fall, the Claresholm Fish and Game Association wanted to gauge interest in starting a club.
The result was that first shoot back on Feb. 24.
Seven youth attended. Four had experience with firearms, shooting .22s before, while three never shot anything.
Buhmiller said talking about safety was the first thing.
The youth were taken through the protocol ACTS PROVE.

ACTS, for safe handling practices, is:
• Assume every firearm is loaded.
• Control the muzzle direction at all times.
• Trigger finger must be kept off the trigger and out of the trigger guard.
• See the firearm is unloaded by proving it safe.

PROVE, for unloading and safety checks, is:
• Point the firearm in the safest available direction.
• Remove all ammunition.
• Observe the chamber.
• Verify the feeding path.
• Examine the bore each time you pick up a firearm.

“The idea is to get the kids to know this is important,” Buhmiller said.
The youth were then shown how air pistols worked, then they shot at targets which Buhmiller scored.
Parents were also welcome to shoot with their children.
“They all seemed to enjoy it,” Buhmiller said.
However, he added he figured the majority of the youth were there to shoot .22s, not air pistols.
The club will keep the air pistols and incorporate them in future activities.
“The reason we are doing this,” Buhmiller said of the marksmanship club. “Is to promote gun safety.”
There is no cost for youth to participate, and there will be .22s and ammunition available to try.
The club is also aiming to involve youth in more outdoor activities and explore ways to enjoy the outdoors.
Those include fishing derbies; archery at the Stavely lanes; trap shooting with the Claresholm club; and more.
“We want to provide more things for youth to do,” Buhmiller said.
Some ideas for adults are date night shooting competitions; ladies’ night competitions; and a pumpkin shoot at Halloween.
Buhmiller said all ideas are welcome.
Anyone interested in more information or sharing ideas can contact Todd Buhmiller at 1-403-803-5695 or todd.buhmiller@gmail.com