We look forward to the Central Oregon Sport Shooting Association’s (COSSA) Youth Safari Challenge – which is run by Gary Lewis of Gary Lewis Outdoors, along with his amazing wife and many many sponsors and over 25 volunteers the day of the shoot!

The boys have been going to the COSSA Youth Safari Shoot for about 4 years – and have taken COSSA’s NRA Youth Marksmanship course for about a year and a half.  We have felt that it is important that the boys be exposed to weapons at an early age, taught to shoot well, with an emphasis of safety and respect of what a weapon can do.

 I grew up with weapons in the house, I knew where they were, and I enjoyed sitting with my dad as he pulled them out – wiping them down – admiring their beauty.  I knew not to touch them, or look at them without my dad, however – “in this day and age” people seem to think that our children have some how been passed over with the “don’t touch or play with guns” gene.  Sad.  Because the boys REALLY like shooting – and we have so many skilled marksman who love to share their love of hunting, target practicing and the joy of the outdoors.  However, with the fear of guns along with the time restraints on parents these days, these events are insanely low in attendance – the COSSA Kids Shoot is once a month and only costs $5.00 per child – and that covers everything down to the marshmallows in the hot chocolate.  The Youth Safari Challenge is free – provided for by many sponsors.  I would encourage you to look to your local shooting ranges and see what sort of programs they have to pass their knowledge on to our children.

I’ll spare you a ton of photos in this post – but if you’d like to see our weekend in Bend – here is the online album: Picassa Online Album of the Bend Trip.