When your parents are both police officers and were in the military and your dad is a firearms instructor, learning about firearms and gun safety might as well be a rite of passage. I was first introduced to shooting when I was about seven or eight years’ old.
My parents wanted to teach both my sister and I to have a respect for firearms. They wanted us to be safe and comfortable around them. They always stressed safety first, and kept it fun and laidback. I really enjoyed it and took to shooting straightaway.
We asked Allison Zane, a junior high school student in the US with a love for math and science and how this talent is applied in precision rifle, to tell us about her journey. It is a story of inspiration, perseverance and ultimately great achievement that is likely to appeal to everyone involved in this exciting shooting sport.
My dad taught me everything he knew
At 11 years’ old, I asked my dad to sign me up for a four-position, small-bore and marksman qualification programme at our local club. It required me to learn the fundamentals of shooting and positional shooting, and was a challenging programme. I shot a pretty basic Savage Mark II FVT, single-shot, 22 LR rifle with a sling and peep sights.
With my dad’s help and guidance, I spent a couple of years working towards earning the individual qualification medals from Pro-Marksman, up to the highest rating of Distinguished Expert. The time I spent in this programme taught me sound shooting fundamentals and positional shooting, and would be the foundation for me to go on to become
