Youth Program

What is it?

The Taft Sportsmen's Club has received a grant from the Friends of NRA Central CA for running a youth handgun program and a .22 LR program. These program were designed to help encourage eligible youth to participate in the shooting sports. The overall goal is to get American youth to have an enjoyable time shooting firearms so they are receptive to the idea that a freedom loving country like the United State of America continues to respect the individual right to keep and bear arms.

Who is eligible?

All youth 12 through 20 years of age will shoot for free at Taft Sport Shooters.

Ammunition and/or a pistol, holster, magazines, and magazine holsters are available for youth. We also have .22 LR rifles and pistols available for youth use.

Only eight people are eligible for use of the Taft Sportsmen's Club equipment per match and will be issued on a first come, first served basis (this includes the first time ladies program as well). If you want to use our equipment, be sure to arrive to the match early for registration. No reservations can be made prior to match registration on the morning of the match.

Every eligible youth that has their own pistol or rifle will be issued ammunition for the match. The only exception is that the Taft Sportsmen's Club only has a limited amount of ammunition. If this ammunition runs out, the ammunition portion of the program will be discontinued until new funds are available through the Friends of NRA grant process. In this case, ammunition will be sold at cost for the club pistols to ensure that quality ammunition is used in these firearms.

All unused ammunition must be returned to the club. We would like to stretch our ammunition out as long as possible and we do not want any of our ammunition taken into prohibited areas like schools.

Requirements on Range Day

1. Accompanied by a Responsible 21 Year Old and Signed Minor Release

All youth must be accompanied by a responsible adult 21 years of age or older. The responsible adult's relationship to the youth does not matter, but a minor release must be signed by a parent or guardian in order for the youth to shoot. No exceptions.

***Minor Release***

2. Four Rules of Gun Safety

All youth must be able to recite from memory the Four Rules of Gun Safety
        1. Treat all guns as if they were loaded.
        2. Always keep your firearm pointed in a safe direction.
        3. Keep your finger off of the trigger until you are ready to shoot.
       4. Always know your target and beyond.

There are slight variations to the four rules of gun safety so some paraphrasing is allowed. See the Gun Safety Wiki for examples of possible differences.

3. Proper Clothing

Youth and first time ladies need to bring pants or shorts with belt loops, a belt, and shoes that allow good mobility.

Questions?

If you have any questions, please e-mail us at info@taftshooters.com or ask on our Facebook Page.