Katie Francis to be on ABC segment.

[Subdeacon Joe]

http://www.newstribune.com/news/2013/oct/10/teen-be-featured-abc-segment/?fb_comment_id=fbc_709240815770408_111281636_709328122428344#f1615e8ace4a1a

 

Not too many 14-year-old cheerleaders pose for their Homecoming pictures with their own AR-15 semi-automatic rifle in hand.

But Blair Oaks freshman Katie Francis is hardly an ordinary teenager.

On Wednesday, she spent her afternoon in the woods of her
grandfather’s farm with David Muir, the American television journalist
who serves as the weekend anchor for ABC’s “World News” and co-anchor of
the newsmagazine show 20/20. He also fills in for Diane Sawyer when
needed.

Francis is among the youngest, and most elite, shooters in the
nation. She regularly competes in a sport called the “three-gun
competition” which requires participants to speed through an outdoor
course while engaging targets with a rifle, shotgun and handgun.

Although her family feels the activity is safe, and even healthy, her
parents’ decision to teach all of their three daughters — the youngest
is 5 — to handle guns is not without controversy.

When the televised newsmagazine first contacted the Francis family
three months ago, their inclination was to decline the interview.

“We thought they were going to crucify us,” said Julie Francis, Katie’s mother.

Eventually the news crew successfully persuaded Francis, and her
husband, Chad Francis, to participate in an interview portraying their
home as a place where gun safety was emphasized and respected.

Chad Francis — a former marksmanship instructor at the Ike Skelton
Training Center —introduced Katie to gun safety concepts when she was 5
years old, but it wasn’t until she was a pre-teen that her interest in
competitive shooting grew.

His wife was initially uncomfortable with guns in the home, but has
mellowed. Julie said guns sitting on cabinets used to worry her.

Now she said: “They are only as dangerous as the person operating them. I’ve adapted pretty well to their lifestyle.”

Francis recognizes some people may feel his parenting is
irresponsible, but he believes kids who are introduced to gun-safety
training in a matter-of-fact manner soon satisfy their curiosity.

He noted his younger daughter Sagel’s attitude toward toward touching guns in the home is: “Nope! Don’t care!”

“It’s not a mystery anymore,” he said.

The ABC news team is working on the story to open up a “conversation about guns in America,” Muir said Wednesday.

The crew arrived around 1 p.m. Tuesday and planned to leave Wednesday evening.

They spent the day in St. Thomas, pulling together a sort of “Day in
the Life” piece on Katie’s upbringing. They followed her to school in
the morning, chatted with her sisters, filmed her as she rode the
family’s utility vehicle around the farm.

And, of course, they filmed her shooting.

“Katie’s story is unique in that she has not only her family, but a
community, rallying behind her,” Muir said, noting that neighbors often
drop off bags of empty soda cans to be used as targets.

Muir was particularly struck by the image of a pretty young girl attending a dance — and yet having a gun at hand.

“It’s this juxtaposition of images that makes Katie a charming and interesting young woman,” he said.

He said she’s found a way to start a new conversation about gun safety.

“If you are taught how to be safe, and how to excel, can it set an
example for others about what it means to be truly safe around guns?” he
queried.

Muir added: “It’s a controversial topic, no doubt. And not every
parent will agree about how they’ve raised their children. But they are
determined to keep their kids safe. They hope to prove, by demystifying
guns, they will help keep this country safe.”

Muir said the ABC news team is traveling around the country
collecting stories about the impact of guns on Americans’ lives. Julie
Francis believes the stories likely will portray a variety of
situations, some tragic.

The TV episode has not yet been scheduled, but Muir said it probably will run in the next two to eight weeks.

“We’re working on any number of projects at one time,” he said.

“It’s important to find consensus on this issue of gun safety in America,” he said.

From Katie’s perspective, having the news crew follow her to school
was “really cool.” She said people at first didn’t quite understand what
was happening and were curious.

“It was definitely fun ... a new experience for me,” she said.

She said “acting natural” wasn’t so easy. She wanted to dress up for
school on Wednesday, but her mom persuaded her to wear her usual jeans.

“It’s difficult because you want to act like yourself, but you also want to put your best foot forward,” she added.

She believes guns are not toys and that video games teach people to
disrespect weapons. “They show that it’s OK to point them at people and
shoot, and it’s not,” she said. “You need to have respect for guns in
the real world.”

She knows not everyone supports her parents’ decisions.

“I look at it this way. For every 300 positive comments I get, I hear
about two negative comments. Most people support this,” she said.

Her goal, someday, is to compete in the Olympics. But she enjoys the
running-and-shooting activity — which isn’t an Olympic sport — more than
pure marksmanship.

“I just want to have fun,” she said. “It is definitely fun.”

 

[Bama Red]

That young lady has her head screwed on just right. Congrats to her folks!

[Alpo]

I thought I was pretty good about "reading comprehension". But this sentence just sounds like she's carrying at the school dance.

 

>Muir was particularly struck by the image of a pretty young girl attending a dance — and yet having a gun at hand.<

[Rye Miles #13621]

That don't look like an AR15 to me!

 

Still it's a great article about a great kid!

 

Rye

[DocWard]

I thought I was pretty good about "reading comprehension". But this sentence just sounds like she's carrying at the school dance.

 

>Muir was particularly struck by the image of a pretty young girl attending a dance — and yet having a gun at hand.<

 

I re-read the same sentence. I'm guessing just poor editing.

[Badlands Bob #61228]

It's amazing how good kids turn out when their parents take the time to do things with them. Impressive young lady.

[W. D. Pickett]

I learned to shoot at about the same age. I was taught that guns were a tool and did one thing very well but had no brains. They required you to operate them and operate them safely. Thank God for my uncles and others who took an interest in me.

[Warden Callaway]

That girl is in our neighborhood. Well, area anyway.

[Tom Bullweed]

_{Good for her. Good for ABC to present in about as middle-of-the-road manner that they can.}

_{It is a sad state of affairs that this has to be a story. All responsible kids with likewise responsible parents taught kids to shoot when I was her age. I could go hunting with any number of men in the neighborhood for quail, duck, squirrel, rabbit or deer when I was thirteen.}