A special present for graduation

Cooper is graduating preschool this weekend and his daddy gave him his graduation present a little early.

Monday afternoon we came home and Cage handed him a box of .22 cartridges.

Cooper looked at him with a bit of confusion.

He then handed Cooper a set of earmuffs.

Cooper was still confused.

He looked around wanting to know what he was supposed to do with this stuff.

We told him to look on the table.

Cooper saw the box, opened it and saw his first gun.

A black Cricket .22 single shot rifle was inside the box and his face filled with joy and excitement.

Cooper froze for a moment in shock and I don’t think he believed it was for him.

He looked at us with extreme disbelief and then looked in the box again.

I thought he was going to explode.

Cooper exclaimed, “Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, yes!” That was immediately followed with, “Can we shoot now please?”

We went outside and daddy already had the table set up and a target ready to shoot.

Cooper carried it outside just like an adult.

Hands were away from the trigger.

Barrel pointed to the sky.

I was so proud of him practicing the gun safety we taught him and enforced.

His daddy showed him how to safely load the gun and eject the casing after firing.

He showed him how to always keep his finger away from the trigger and keep the safety on unless he was firing.

Cooper did great and followed the rules perfectly. As a mom, I could not be more proud of my little boy.

He practiced perfect gun safety and hit the targets with his first shots. He was on cloud nine.

He has been asking to shoot again every day since Monday. T-Ball on Tuesday and rainy day Wednesday kept him off the range, but I bet he is out there this afternoon.

I have to say I was even more proud of the fact that he squeezed the trigger and didn’t even flinch when the gun went off.

He said he is ready to shoot my .243 to take his first deer come his sixth birthday in December.

I told him he had to prove his aim and accuracy with the .22 first and then he could move up to the .243.

It was my first rifle and I told him I would pass it to him when he showed me he was ready and deserving.

I enjoyed seeing his excitement and loss for words when he opened that box.

I have never seen anyone more proud of his first gun.

He asked me if I felt that kind of awesomeness when I got my first gun.

I told him of course I did because guns make me happy!

I encourage you to teach your kids about safety with firearms at a young age.

They need the basics as soon as they can learn.

Even at age three, you can enforce the fact that if they see a gun to get an adult and do not touch it. Hiding firearm safety makes curiosity grow.

Curiosity leads to accidents. Eliminate the curiosity. Show your kids what guns can do and how they can cause harm or death.

I was taught at a very young age that I was to never touch a gun and if I saw one, I was to tell an adult.

I am teaching the same thing to our son. He understands at age five, he understood at age four and even age three. Practice gun safety. Our community suffered a huge loss this week.

Heaven gained a wonderful man and a great law enforcement officer.

I want to dedicate today’s column to Trooper Jeff Hust and his wonderful family and his comrades.

Thank you Cpl. Hust for your service to Union County and South Arkansas. We will all miss you.

Forever In Memory and Honor of Foxtrot Double Deuce.

Your watch is over good sir.