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Young gun sets sights on D.C.
NRA sponsors Hickman student’s trip.

By JANESE HEAVIN of the Tribune’s staff
Published Friday, June 9, 2006


Don Shrubshell photo

Jaclyn Yaeger, 16, at her parents’ farm near Midway with the Winchester .270 she used to bag an eight-point whitetail buck last year, will attend the National Rifle Association conference this month in Washington, D.C.

Jaclyn Yaeger doesn’t mind if you don’t want to join her on a deer-hunting trip.

Just don’t try to take away her right to bear arms.

The 16-year-old is heading this month to Washington, D.C., to learn more about her Second Amendment right as part of the Friends of the National Rifle Association’s Youth Education Summit.

Jaclyn is looking forward to being a student of firearms. Usually, she’s the one explaining the sport to her Hickman High School friends. "They’re surprised when they first hear I hunt," Jaclyn said. "I guess I don’t look like the hunting type."

Jaclyn’s parents, Kevin and Sharon Yaeger, are avid hunters, displaying a wide array of stuffed game in their northern Boone County home. Older sister Mindy also hunts and attended the NRA youth conference two years ago.

Jaclyn killed her first deer when she was just 7. She remembers the experience well.

"It was really exciting," she said. "You get really nervous when you get ready to shoot. When you know you got it, it’s exhilarating."

People who haven’t grown up around guns might not understand that, she admitted. "They just see the negative view, not the positive things about them."

Owning guns requires parents to be responsible and keep the firearms secured, Sharon Yaeger said. Guns can also teach young people how to be responsible, she added. Sharon Yaeger doesn’t necessarily want her daughters carrying guns at all times, she said, but she’s comfortable with concealed weapons in situations where they might need protection.

But carrying a weapon could backfire, said Peter Hamm, a spokesman for the Brady Campaign, a national gun control group. "Guns are inherently dangerous, and responsible gun owners understand that and know that if you always have a gun on you, you are increasing the risk of something happening that you didn’t intend to happen with that gun," he said.

Hamm cited cases where people who were legally carrying a gun shot a friend or neighbor over a small dispute.

But Jaclyn argues that allowing concealed weapons decreases crime because criminals don’t know who is packing heat.

In her winning essay, she said New Orleans residents could have better protected themselves from looting and other crimes had Mayor Ray Nagin not disarmed them after Hurricane Katrina. She also wrote about an East St. Louis lady who, after getting a gun, was able to shoot an intruder who had previously attacked her.

Hamm said there is no credible research that shows concealed weapons decrease violent crime.

"Anyone is entitled to think there could be a positive relationship between carrying and positive results, but there’s no accepted data to indicate that’s true," he said.

Both sides agree guns are fine for hunting purposes.

Jaclyn said she enjoys hunting because it’s an activity she can enjoy with her parents and siblings. "It’s a good experience to share with your family, just like any other sport," she said. "It’s also made me more outgoing and open-minded to different experiences."

At Hickman, Jaclyn is involved in track, the Spanish Honor Society and maintains a 4.0 grade-point average.

In Washington, Jaclyn hopes to learn more about government and the legislative process. When she returns, she’ll be charged with putting that knowledge to use through a community project, which could earn her scholarship money for college.

She and Mindy said the NRA program is for any teen, not just those who hunt. "It’s about protecting rights and being active in government," Mindy said. The Second Amendment "affects all of us, even if you don’t shoot."

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