40 years of teaching kids to use guns
Kevin Wilts was recognized by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources for his 40 years of teaching gun safety. Presenting his award was area DNR Conservation Officer Danielle Reuss.
For the past 40 years, Kevin Wilts of Benson has taught kids, and adults, how to safely use a firearm. It is something he is passionate about, but not a role he sought. It was one that found him.
Wilts started training young people on how to safely handle a gun in 1985 when the late Steve Kufrin asked him to help with a class. Kufrin, who was the sports (wildlife) editor at the Monitor-News, called him.
“He said, ‘Hey, I’ve got a firearms safety class, and I need somebody to do some stuff with archery.’ I was big into archery at that time. ‘Would you come and talk to the kids?’” Wilts told him he would.
“After I was done, he said, ‘That was a great job. Would you like to become an instructor?” The following year, Wilt went through the classes required to become a firearms safety instructor and went through the background checks. In August 1986, he became a certified firearms safety instructor.
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