Local Republican Party members organize gun safety event for youth
RAISIN TWP. — Local members of the Republican Party and their youngsters gathered Saturday morning at the Lenawee County Conservation League Saturday morning for a youth shooting event to have fun and learn gun safety.
Last year, the event was started by local Republican Ken Straup as a way to reward kids that went knocking on doors and meeting with potential voters. Straup said this year he opened the event up to all kids. Six children registered. Two showed up.
Tara Bowe, 12, of Blissfield came with her father, Daryl. She came to the event last year and had a good time. She was looking forward to getting some practice for when she goes hunting with her grandfather, she said.
Clayton Thoroughman, 12, of Garden City also came last year. Clayton was a little shy but nodded when asked if he was excited about the event. He came with his father, Joe.
Clayton is the grandson of Tim Watters, the pastor of Bible Holiness Church in Blissfield as well as a member of the village council. Joe is Watters’ son-in-law.
Watters said that he feels like the Republican Party has had some solid wins locally, but he does not like the direction the country is heading under the Biden administration. Watters said he voted for Kevon Martis, R-Riga, for the District 7 Lenawee County Commission seat. There will be a recount in that race because there was a difference of just four votes between the incumbent Jim Goetz, R-Blissfield, and Martis.
“On our local level I feel like we’re getting some people in that I believe are going to be fiscally responsible and of course they believe in what we are doing here today, our Second Amendment,” Watters said. “We realize that there’s a large attack on our Second Amendment rights as citizens and we’re just here to help our young people learn how to use a firearm and teach them safety.”
Raisin Township Police Department Sgt. Dan Hall stressed that safety was of the utmost importance when coming into contact with guns.
“It seems there are less children being involved in hunting and firearm activities with the family. Therefore, they lack the training in what a firearm can do and how to safely handle a firearm, and I think that directly leads to these accidental shootings that we’ve seen with children,” Hall said.
County commissioner Dustin Krasny, R-Cambridge Twp., was also on hand. Krasny was appointed to fill the vacancy left by John Lapham last year and was unopposed in the District 2 Republican primary. So far he is unchallenged in his run for a full term. District 2 covers Cambridge, Rome and Woodstock townships.
Krasny said he is an avid outdoorsman and hunter and fully supports the Second Amendment. He recalled going deer and squirrel hunting with his father as a child.
“It’s one of the great gifts we’re blessed with in the state of Michigan is having one of the most outstanding outdoors areas, and for this event to bring kids out to show them our hunting and fishing heritage, it’s a special morning,” Krasny said, noting that he felt Second Amendment rights were under attack. “To show these kids the way and proper, safe handling of firearms ... It’s great to be here and thanks to the Lenawee GOP for organizing this event.”
This article originally appeared on The Daily Telegram: Local Republican Party members organize gun safety event for youth
