Gun ownership is in the news right now, and people have polarizing views on the subject. Many of the proposals are not logical, but purely based on emotion.

Many tell us we need to ban assault weapons, but they cannot define what an assault weapon is.

If it looks scary – ban it.

Some propose stricter gun laws, and some would like to see the private ownership of guns eliminated altogether.

I propose more gun education, and safe use of guns.

Shooting trap is growing in popularity with teenagers and is one of the fastest growing high school sports. Education about guns and gun safety is primary for young people engaging in this sport. Developing their marksmanship abilities requires practice and discipline. Participation ensures a respect for guns and their proper use.

Before you decide I am wrong about my view – find a local high school group and connect with these young people.

From the road we could see the expansive open area, and what stood out were the green and white stripes and red and white stripes of the umbrellas designating separate fields of shooters. There were a total of 40 umbrellas, and the area from field number 1 to field number 40 seemed like several football fields.

In the sport of trapshooting there are 5 shooting positions, and a trap in each field. The trap is where the targets are thrown from and is centered in the field in front of the shooters.

Trapshooting started as a way to improve the skills of bird hunters, and the targets originally were actual pigeons, but they were replaced with clay pigeons. Clay pigeons don’t look at all like a real pigeon and are definitely not tasty when cooked with wild rice. The targets are no longer clay, they are round, and they are thrown up and out of the trap in a random direction. The shooter’s challenge is to shoot the moving target.

On a hot, sunny, July day in Michigan Jack McBride competed along with 1,799 other competitors in the USA High School National Championship. In addition to the students competing were their supporters and the officials and volunteers working at the event. Suffice to say between the participants and the spectators there were thousands of involved people.

You might think that it sounded like a war zone with so many shooters and people, but surprisingly it was orderly and not really very loud.

What I witnessed in that field with thousands of young people with guns was a respect for guns, a respect for rules, a respect for others, and a respect for the environment.

Although these shooters make it look easy, it’s not. It takes long hours and a lot of hard work building the kind of skill required to hit clay after clay in a shooting competition. It takes commitment and self-discipline—things too often missing in our culture today.

The thousands of people there to support the shooters were diverse. The really organized people had arrived early and set up shade tents, and fortunately for those of us without a shade tent everyone was willing to share.

I don’t think I have ever been at any event where the attendees were so polite and friendly. We met many very nice people. As we walked along the edge of the field all we saw were happy and genteel people. No one was shouting at the referee, no one complaining about a bad call.

The parental involvement was obvious—and parental involvement is a key in the life of a teen.

Parents supported all of the shooters whether it was in individual or team events.

The parking lot revealed license plates from all over the contiguous states.

Some of these parents came a long way at significant expense to support their son or daughter. There was a lot of praise for a job well done no matter what the score—and rightfully so.

It took a lot of practices and state competitions just to get to nationals.

The periodic trash barrels seemed to do the trick because there was absolutely no trash anywhere. Shooters picked up all of their empty shells—everything was picked up after each group shot, and as people left at the end of the day they picked up their coolers, and snacks, their tents and their chairs. The only thing they left was footprints.

Not surprisingly, trapshooting participation in the midwest is growing by leaps and bounds. In 2014 there were 6,100 high school competitors, and this year there are 8,600 in 268 teams on 165 ranges in the United States.

Trapshooters motto is: Safety First, Marksmanship, and Fun.

We had a wonderful time watching the shooters, meeting new friends, and supporting this up and coming high school sport.

I admit that the gun debate is complex, and I surely do not have all the answers.

What I do know is when people are taught how to use guns, gun safety, and respect for the power of guns, they put themselves in a better position to defend themselves and others.

They are more likely to have a respect for current laws, and are able to make their own decisions about gun use and laws governing that use.

My experience with 1,800 young people shooting guns affirmed to me that we can do to much to improve the safe use of guns in our country by encouraging and supporting this new and growing high school sport.

My call is for more good people with guns—bad people will always have guns no matter what the law.