Hold your 8 year old's birthday party - at the gun range?

[A Person]

A new gun range opening this summer in Lewisville, Texas, will have two rooms available for hosting children's birthday parties. Owner David Prince tells WFAA that the Eagle Gun Range will be available for children as young as eight years old.

"The age limit is eight years old. You have to be tall enough to get above the shooting table," Prince said. "They're not gonna be left unattended. Parents are gonna be one-on-one, or if there's not enough parents we'll have range safety officers here to show them how to do it safely."

[Related: Conservative website's gun giveaway]

While it may seem unusual to celebrate pairing young children with guns, it's not an entirely unique practice. Last November, an Arizona gun club hosted a day of Christmas photos, where children could post with a man dressed as Santa Claus—and semiautomatic weapons. That event reportedly drew hundreds of attendees.

The soon-to-open Texas gun range has reportedly been well received by locals, though some nearby residents say they are opposed to letting such young children handle live firearms.

"It makes me very nervous," said Dawn McMullan, who has two sons and has also worked on past gun control efforts. "I think eight year olds, developmentally, can't tell the difference between play and reality sometimes."

Kids, birthdays, cake, guns. What could possibly go wrong?

[Liv]

Kids, birthdays, cake, guns. What could possibly go wrong?

A Catholic priest shows up?

[shannon]

I just came up with a brilliant idea of my own, toddler time at a rattlesnake petting zoo.

[shannon]

It really does come down to the parents on this one. I don't think I would comfortably allow my child to accept an invite to this place. Though, I do know some of my family and many acquaintances who would. This is definitely aimed towards a certain demographic, no doubt. For many families, guns are part of life and it's considered "responsible" to teach children how to handle them properly. Nothing like a kid hyped up on caffeine and sugar and handing them a box full of bullets to get a party started. There's like a whole new version of "Pin the tail on the donkey". I just wonder if they still blindfold them first.

[SouthernFriedInfidel]

I just came up with a brilliant idea of my own, toddler time at a rattlesnake petting zoo.

There's a GREAT Serpentarium down in South Carolina you could try that at.

[A Person]

I just came up with a brilliant idea of my own, toddler time at a rattlesnake petting zoo.

Isn't that what Church is for?

[Why not???]

I grew up around them. I learned at an early age that they were not for play. In some social groups cops and army bases they are a fact of life and items that you understand. They are like fire extinguishers something you hope you never need and that are not for play. You know how they function but you pray you never need or are forced to use one.

Unfortunately too may people think they are for play. I think that if children are taught that they are not for play that they are safer not more at risk.

[A Person]

I learned at an early age that they were not for play

Indeed, a good reason not to hold a kids party with them. I don't know about you , but of the many kids parties I've witnessed, kids get excited, hyper, emotional, upset, jealous - the full gamut of emotions, none of which ahould be linked with 'pass the ammo'

I have no problem teaching kids how to use potentially dangerous tools - but in a tightly controlled, one-on-one quality time, I wouldn't hold a kid's party in the workshop.

[Janet L.]

Way back when I was 11, every boy in my 4-H club went to a marksmanship course.

Of course that WAS 45 years ago.

[Liv]

I played duck hunt on Nintendo.

[Nicole]

I fully understand the narrow minded disfunctional people you meet at an NRA convention but I dont think for one minute that any range safety officer would allow the children playing wth guns and any range would guard the safety of the kids religously. I understand the emotional impact that it seems when you read headlines of a child's birthday party at a gun range. But gun ranges are extremely safe statistically. Very few robberies, rapes or muggings happen at a gun range and accidents are rare due to safely officials.

The FBI statistics show the most likely way to die for an african american male under age 25 is by being killed by another under 25 year old african american male. Not cancer, not heart attack, not work accidents. The most common way to die for this group is by being murdered by another member of this group. This is due an attitude that violence as a part of life is accepted by parts of this group. The attitude that anger, hate, and violence to others is acceptable does not need to be taught to children. The attitudes that violence is justified is found in churches, movies, schools and sometimes on a gun range. I am far more worried about that attitude than a belt fed machine gun.

[Liv]

What does the color of your skin have to do with it?

Statistics are based on a lot of factors, like socio-economic status. A white person with the same status would likely find themselves within those same statistics. It's racism to suggest just because your skin color is different you're motivated to kill with a gun. The color isn't the reason its happening, it's the racism, like what you're perpetuating Nicole.

Guns have no place in everyday life anymore (in America sans Alaska), but people aren't willing to admit that. Unless the nearest grocery store is 500 miles away, and you're living off the land, you don't need a gun. Period.