School's Decision Allowing 6-Year-Olds' Field Trip To Gun Range Sparks Controversy

An Atlanta-area school is drawing widespread attention after some parents and the principal signed off on a field trip Wednesday that allowed 6-year-olds and 7-year-olds to attend a gun range. Images appeared on Facebook of children at Holdheide Academy in Woodstock, Georgia, handling unloaded firearms.

Tammy Dorsten, the private school's owner, told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that she has received death threats over her decision. She claims that the goal of the visit to Hi-Caliber Firearms was to enrich learning about such historical figures as Annie Oakley and Davy Crockett, which is part of Georgia’s required curriculum.

Dorsten defended her decision to the AJC, and said she was glad the children were able to experience the trip, which she confirmed had the approval of parents. "This was a wonderful learning experience with a safety class before and after the guns were handled," Dorsten told WSB-TV, an ABC affiliate in Atlanta.

The gun range reportedly carried a rifle from 1894 that Oakley would have used.

On Friday, the Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning (DECAL), which claims it had received numerous complaints about the trip, addressed the controversy on Facebook and said they were investigating.

"We have received numerous e-mails and social media messages concerning a recent field trip by Holdheide Academy, LLC, located at 5234 Old Highway 5 in Woodstock, Georgia," the posting read. "This program operates a licensed child care program and indicates they operate a private school with elementary aged children in Grades K-2nd. We are currently investigating to determine what children were involved in the field trip and whether it is within DECAL’s jurisdiction to take appropriate actions. At DECAL, our top priority is the health and safety of our state’s young learners."

WSB-TV noted that the school has been previously fined and investigated following complaints.

In March 2014, middle school students in Pueblo County, Colorado, took a field trip to a gun range and fired live ammunition. The trip was intended to teach gun safety.