Macon gun range owner encourages parents to teach children about firearms

Eagle Gun Range owner Hamp Dowling says gun owners should receive proper training, secure their firearms and teach children that guns are not toys.

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) — A Macon gun range owner is urging families to properly secure firearms and teach children about gun safety following two shootings involving young people in Middle Georgia.

After a Macon shooting left 12 teenagers injured and a 3-year-old in Milledgeville was fatally shot after police say children gained access to a gun, gun safety is back in the spotlight.

Eagle Gun Range owner Hamp Dowling says educating yourself and teaching children about firearm safety are key to preventing tragedies.

“The younger the kid, the more you teach them how it works, they understand how they work and what the gun will do,” he said.

Dowling says teaching children about firearms at an early age can help them understand how they work and the dangers they pose.

“The first thing is to teach the child about the firearm, what it does and how it works,” he said. “These are not toys; these are deadly weapons if improperly used.”

Dowling says gun owners should get proper training.

“If you know nothing about firearms, you need to get a good training,” he said. “We have instructors here that can train you to use the gun safely and properly. So, it isn’t a mystery when a kid picks it up and says, ‘Hey this is cool,’ and then their best friend is dead. So, teach the kids about the firearms. Don’t keep them a secret because every kid is going to go, ‘What’s that secret in that box?’ So, find out how the gun works, what it will do if it gets fired, and teach them safety.”