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Thursday 13 August 2009

This will make the Righteous crack the shits.

Just get a load of this.



Six years old! Six!
At just six years of age, Miko Andres from the Philippines is believed to be the world's youngest practical shooter.
Pictured here at the Armscor Shooting Club, Miko loads, aims and fires his semiautomatic weapon at moving targets.
Complete with a gun belt, shades and a tailored shirt, Miko travels across the country participating in national junior competitions.
Competing against children ten years his senior (in the 9-17 age group), Miko is now looking to travel to America to test his talents.
For Miko's father, Cresencio "Mike" Pascua Andres JR, the boy's passion and natural ability for practical shooting has been carefully monitored by his family and shooting community.
"It is within the family and friends that Miko was influenced to love and enjoy the practical shooting sport," says Mike. "Because of his interest, we took turns in teaching, training and coaching him on the basics of the sport."
It's not the theme of the DT article, which is very neutral as an article in the Other Sports/Shooting section should be, but I can hear the cries of alarm from here. Won't somebody please think of the chiiiill... er, the other chiiiiilldren!

Ha! Well I am thinking of the children - the other children - and I think that too fucking many of them are going to grow into adolescence thinking that guns are either toys or something to be feared, whereas the truth is that they are neither. Miko Andres on the other hand has been introduced to shooting in a safe way and is under the supervision of people who we must assume love him and have his best interests at heart.
Despite the obvious dangers and concerns raised over a boy of six handling such a weapon, Mike is eager to stress that safety is always at the forefront of his mind.
"Safety is of the utmost importance," he says, adding his son was having guidance and help from a range of shooting institutions to try and prevent accidents.
"As a parent, I too am worried about the dangers of the sport. Accidents and injuries might happen in the course of the sport and that is always a concern.
He added: "Here he is, the youngest practical shooter the world has ever known.
"As a growing, normal kid, Miko is also into other children's games. He enjoys the company of his schoolmates.
"Miko is very young but is determined to excel in the practical shooting sport," says Mike.
"He has been taught a lot of discipline and respect.
"Miko, I and his team coach, constantly talk about the dangers of the sport and we are always reminding him that he is in a 'big boys' game and that safety of of the utmost importance."
He seems highly likely to grow into someone who can be trusted to handle guns safely and responsibly, which despite me being an occasional shooter as well is more than I can say for myself at his age.

2 comments:

JuliaM said...

"Miko Andres on the other hand has been introduced to shooting in a safe way and is under the supervision of people who we must assume love him and have his best interests at heart."

What better way to learn?

It won't please the hoplophobes, but then, nothing does, so why try?

Angry Exile said...

Absolutely. Just like putting golf bats and tennis clubs into the hand of potential Tiger Woodses or Roger Federers at a young age. And of course nobody expects Tiger or Roger to beat someone to death with the tools of their respective sports. And as I said, it seems highly likely that he'll grow up with a safe and responsible attitude towards guns. I don't know if I'd be bold enough to start a hypothetical child of mine that young with a .45 but then Victorian law wouldn't let me anyway. And not with a .45 either.

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