III.
Program Objectives
The 4-H Shooting Sports Program strives
to enable people, their parents and adult volunteers to become
responsible, self-directed and productive members of society.
Extension staff, leaders, instructors and coaches must understand
the goals and objectives of the program in order to manage or
present it properly. These goals and objectives are consistent
with the goals and objectives of the 4-H program. The program
transfers knowledge, skills and attitudes to develop human capital,
using the subject matter and resources of the land-grant universities.
The specific goals and objectives
of the 4-H Shooting Sports Program include, but are not limited
to those listed below.
A. To enhance the physical, cognitive,
social and emotional development of youth through safe, educational,
and socially acceptable involvement in a shooting related activity.
B. To encourage understanding of
our natural resources and the development of a personal environmental
stewardship ethic by young people through participation in shooting,
hunting, and related activities.
C. To teach safe and responsible
use of firearms and archery equipment including sound decision-making,
self-discipline and concentration.
D. To promote the highest standards
of safety, sportsmanship and ethical behavior.
E. To expose participants to the
broad array of vocational and life-long avocational activities
related to shooting sports.
F. To strengthen families though
participation in life-long recreational activities.
G. To complement and enhance the
impact of existing safety, shooting and hunter education programs
using experiential educational methods and progressive development
of skills and abilities.
IV.
Philosophy
A. All instructors in the program
will be certified by a member of the Nebraska State 4-H Shooting
Sports Training Team to teach specific course(s). Instructors
shall participate in an update when new material or new instructional
methods are developed.
B. The shooting sports program
can be an individual or group 4-H project activity.
C. The enrollment in the program
has the potential of reaching new youth audiences as well as new
volunteer leaders.
D. The program is open to all
youth. Youth must be eight years old by January1 of the current
year before enrolling in a shooting sports project. Youth should
be 11 years old or older before enrolling in the shotgun, reloading,
or muzzleloading projects.
E. A 4-H Shooting Sports instructor
of a discipline has the right to refuse any participant from the
shooting sports activity in the interest of safety for the participant
and others in the class.
F. A county shall not sponsor or
schedule any shooting sport activity conducted by anyone other
than a 4-H Shooting Sports trained & certified instructor
of the appropriate discipline.
G. Inter-agency cooperation,
collaboration and participation through use of facilities and
equipment as well as cooperative programming are strongly encouraged.
H. It is strongly suggested that
all youth complete the State of Nebraska Hunter/Bow Hunter Education
Program sponsored by the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission.
I. It is recommended that a county
does have a S.S. coordinator to assist in administering and promoting
the S.S. program in the county.
J.
Competitive shooting events are optional
and individual, and not the main thrust of the program.
V.
Program Administration
The program is administered by the
State 4-H Shooting Sports Advisory Committee and the Nebraska
State 4-H Office. The State 4-H Office and 4-H Advisory Committee
will:
A. Administer the program.
B. Develop a program
outline for counties to follow.
C. Conduct instructor
training and certification activities.
D. Develop informational
materials to be used in publicizing the program.
E. Provide orientation
to county staff of the shooting sports program.
F. Initiate resource
development in partial support of programming.
G. Maintain
files of 4-H instructor certification status.
H. Cooperate with
county staff to assist in program operations and administration.
VI.
Instructor Certification Requirements
The program requires that members
of the Nebraska State 4-H Shooting Sports Training Team, who are
nationally certified, conduct classes in the various disciplines:
archery, reloading, wildlife/hunting, shotgun, muzzleloading,
pistol (air, .22), rifle (BB, pellet, small bore). No person
may be certified as an instructor until the following requirements
are met:
A. 18 years of age or older (must
be 18 years of age on or before January 1, of the current year).
B. Attend and successfully complete
an instructor training program administered by members of the
Nebraska 4-H Shooting Sports Training Team and demonstrate competency
to instruct as determined through a written test, trainer observation
and other screening used during training.
C. All volunteers must be approved
through the Child Protection and Safety Policy Process before
being approved as instructors. This includes completing the Volunteer
Profile (4HF 104). Failure to cooperate in such screening will
disqualify any volunteer or staff member from service. All Volunteer
Profiles will be updated and re-approved on a four-year basis.
D. Only one certification per
discipline may be achieved at a single state sponsored training
workshop. A participant must attend all of the training sessions
at a state sponsored workshop to become a certified instructor.
The instructor in each class reserves the right not to certify
a person if he/she feels the candidate will not be a competent
instructor.
E. All state-level certification
workshops must provide a minimum of twelve (12) hours of instruction,
including a minimum of eight hours of instruction in each specific
discipline taken and 4 hours of instruction in teaching skills,
4-H philosophy, youth development, risk management and additional
topics identified by the State 4-H SS Advisory Committee.
F. Youth, ages 14 to 17, which
have successfully completed a state or national sponsored workshop,
may assist a certified instructor while under their direct supervision,
as a Junior Instructor.
4-H certification, achieved only by
successful participation in a 4-H leader workshop, is an absolute
requirement for an instructor in the shooting sports disciplines.
No other certifications or qualifications are accepted as a substitute.
Just because you are an expert marksman does not mean you know
how to work with kids. And just because you are a firearms instructor
certified by another person does not mean you know about 4-H philosophy
and procedure. Each 4-H leader workshop includes youth development
principles and concepts, risk management practices, and program
management in addition to shooting discipline training.
VII.
Instructor Renewals & Recertification
A. To keep up your certification
as a Shooting Sports instructor you must teach or assist in teaching
a class every two years. This requirement must be documented
as per Section XI.
B. Should an instructor’s
certification lapse, the individual must repeat the training
at an instructor certification workshop. It is suggested that
certified instructors attend a training workshop every 3 - 5 years.
C. Renewal will be
required of all instructors when new teaching materials become
available or when a program change is initiated by the Nebraska
State 4-H Shooting Sports Advisory Committee which requires an
update.
D. Certified, active
instructors may attain an additional discipline certification
by participating and attending a one-day training workshop specific
for the discipline desired if the individual attends this workshop
within 18 months of initial certification.
VIII.
Duties of Certified Instructors
A. To provide basic instruction to
youth.
B. To report all youth trained to
the County Extension Office who will make annual reports to the
State 4-H Office or another designated representative.
C. To keep current as certified instructors
by teaching classes every two years and attending instructor updates
or retraining sessions as available and as required by the Nebraska
State 4-H SS Advisory Committee.
D. It is strongly suggested that
all certified instructors and youth secure additional accident
insurance.
IX.
Instructor Training
Instructor training shall consist
of at least the following phases:
A. Explanation of the program.
B. Registration cards (purpose).
C. Methods of Instruction:
XI.
Record Keeping
Shooting Sports instructors should
keep accurate, thorough, up-to-date records of their training
activities each year. There are many formats that can be used
to record this information. An example is provided in the Risk
Management Section (Activities Log) of this manual. The 4-H Shooting
Sports Activity Log, or a similar form containing the requested
information, must be turned into the local UNL Extension Office
on an annual basis. This information, reporting of teaching activities,
will renew the certification of instructors who performed the
teaching or assisted with the teaching activity. UNL Extension
Offices should keep these records for as long as the instructor
remains active in the shooting sports program or a minimum of
five years, which ever is greater.
XII.
Paintball Policy
The purpose of the 4-H Shooting Sports
Program is to promote youth development through the safe and responsible
use of Archery equipment and firearms. Pointing any type of firearm
including air guns, laser guns or laser sighting devises at any
person or any humanoid or tombstone target is inappropriate and
dangerous. Therefore, the Nebraska 4-H Shooting Sports Program
is unequivocally opposed to such use in the 4-H program.
XIII.
Reloading Guidelines
If a county chooses to have a reloading
program in their 4-H Shooting Sports Program, The Nebraska 4-H
Shooting Sports Advisory Committee recommends the following components
be a part of the guidelines.
A. The shooter assumes full responsibility
for the safety of his or her loads, including the safety of other
persons on the range. Shooters using reloaded ammunition assume
any and all liability for circumstances resulting from any problem
caused by that ammunition on the range. The following elements
are included to minimize that exposure.
B. The ammunition must be reloaded
in accordance with SAMMI guidelines by or under the immediate
supervision of an individual who has completed the NRA/NRMA/4-H
Reloading Course. Either the loader or the person directly supervising
the reloading must have completed the course successfully. Reloading
courses given through a State 4-H Office are official instructor
training courses. Instructors so trained may teach local reloading
courses for adults or youth intending to reload. Proof of the
course completion must be presented i.e.: a copy of an instructor
card or certificate.
C. The ammunition must comply
in all respects to the SAMMI Reloading Data provided in a recognized
reloading manual of current date (photocopy of the appropriate
page or pages and citation for the manual, including publication
date required. Any current recognized loading manual may be used
(component, powder, bullet, shot tool, or other manufacturer’s
manuals). Complete citations must include the title, publisher,
date of publication, page number and full citation of the load
being used. Alternatively, the page in the manual be copied with
the publication data attached. This is required.
D. The ammunition must demonstrate
appropriate care and inspection including being boxed and properly
labeled. Boxing need not be in original ammunition boxes, but
cartridges must be placed in the boxes in an orderly fashion and
displayed in a manner that allows immediate visual inspection.
Ammunition that demonstrates obvious reloading or inspection errors
will be rejected. Labels may be of any type and design, but must
contain basic information on the loads, e.g. case, primers, powder
type and charge, bullet manufacturer, type, weight or shot size
and amount, loading date and loader.
E. Any reloaded ammunition is
subject to random inspection by a NRA/NRMA/4-H trained instructor
at the request of any range official to inspect any ammunition
at any time they feel it is required. Soft loads, unusual reports
or loading problems are all examples that might lead a range official
to exercise the option, if requested the shooter must comply.
F. Loading data from an approved
SAMMI manual for the lot of ammunition must be provided at the
check in with the required documentation.
G. Official NRA/NRMA/4-H certified
Instructors may pull a random round, disassemble (destructively
if necessary) and check the accuracy of the loading information
provided at the time. Check-in officials may upon their option,
pull random rounds and take them apart to check the accuracy of
the loading data provided. With shotshells, this will likely
result in the destruction of the round, while with rifle or pistol
rounds it may simply result in having the bullet pulled , the
powder charge weighed and the need to fire the primer and reload.
Any official may request a similar inspection at any time. Note
also that these rules apply to individual lots of reloads. Any
time a component is changed (with the exception of shot size)
it is considered a different lot of ammunition and must be inspected
with all of the above requirements met, including the appropriate
data
XIV.
Risk
Management
Risk
Management Page
Recommended Management Procedures
for county programs:
A. State 4-H volunteer leader procedures
and policies followed - Leader application forms completed, signed,
approved and on file in the Extension Office for all certified
SS leaders. All instruction must be done under the supervision
of a Nebraska 4-H certified SS leader. Work closely with the 4-H
Youth Development Program staff person in each county to meet
state guidelines for volunteer leaders.
B. Waiver of Liability/Parental Permission
Form - All 4-H members enrolled in the Shooting Sports projects
are to have parent or guardian read and sign the Shooting Sports
waiver before beginning project meetings. The certified instructor
or club leader must ascertain that all members have the forms
signed before participation. Forms are to be turned into and kept
in permanent file in the Extension Office.
C. Accident Insurance - Each county
program should take out special accident insurance coverage on
SS members. The “year” plan offered by specialty insurance companies
is suggested. Many are available at $1 per member per year. All
shooting sports leaders should know the policy number and procedures
required. A copy of the policy should be kept with the certified
leader and the original on file in the Extension office.
D. Emergency Plan - An emergency plan
of action should be written and followed for each training site
and/or activity. This plan should consider:
