Family-Friendly' TX Gun Range to Host Birthday Parties for Kids

Forget clowns, magicians, inflatables and Chuck E. Cheese. There will soon be a more unique way for children to celebrate their birthdays. The Eagle Gun Range in Lewisville, Texas, is planning to offer kids as young as 8-years-old the opportunity to host gun-shooting parties.

Later this summer, the range, which is being dubbed "family-friendly," will make two rooms available for hosting these special birthday experiences. David Prince, who is currently building the new, state-of-the-art gun range, told WFAA-TV that the children's party offering isn't just about fun; it's also about education.

"One of the reasons we're doing this is, when I had my boys, I didn't have a place to take them and educate them about how to handle a gun safely,"  he said. "I really want families to be able to take their kids here and teach their young shooters how to shoot safely."

Watch for more from WFAA-TV, below:

For those families who may be nervous to allow their children to host and attend gun-shooting parties, Prince says that there will be safety provisions put into place. Kids won't be left unattended and they will work with a parent or staff member one-on-one to ensure that they know what they're doing.

"We're gonna do a lot of education here at this range," he said.

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A warning on the business' web site seems to corroborate this pledge:

"Young shooters (under 18 years of age) are ONLY allowed to shoot on the range with their parent or guardian; one young shooter per adult. No children are allowed on the range nor are they to be left unaccompanied in the showroom while adults shoot."

While locals are excited about the business that the Eagle Gun Range will bring to the area, others, like Dawn McMullan, are nervous. The mother of two has participated in gun control advocacy in the past and she fears that the kids may not fully understand the differences between reality and play.

"It makes me very nervous," she told WFAA-TV. "I think eight-year-olds, developmentally, can't tell the difference between play and reality sometimes."

"And also to put it in a party or game atmosphere just seems to not respect a gun as much as we should respect guns," she added.

The range is expected to open in late summer or early fall.

(H/T: Huffington Post)