Kids Say the Darndest Things

CNN had a segment regarding gun accidents during hunting. They profiled hunting tragedies of children and were leading the viewers to see all guns and the gun industry as evil. The segment got to an interview with two young girls, ages 12 and 13, who hunted; and, CNN got a startling response that went counter to the image of two sweet girls only interested in boys and hanging out. Here's part of the transcript and imagine the two young girls' voices in this exchange.

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Now, hunting, of course, has been a part of American culture from the start. And most hunters never get hurt, of course. But what you may know is that fewer children are taking it up. That has the hunting industry worried, and, in -- in fact, trying to recruit more kids to carry guns and join the hunt.

Here's Jonathan Freed.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JONATHAN FREED, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Before dawn on the plains of Montana, it's cold, and so is Danielle Faechner. She's a bit sleepy, too.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Go right down the fence line. There's two deer standing down there.

FREED: But it doesn't matter, because Danielle is being driven by the excitement of a rite of passage. She recently turned 12 and can now hunt legally in the state, along with her father, Steve, and her 13-year-old sister, Serena.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: See the deer. You see the white spot?

FREED: They are stalking deer.

...UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you see it?

FREED: This time, it's big sister Serena who ends up making a kill...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You got him.

...FREED (on camera): There are a lot of people who, you know, their -- their biggest thing that they are waiting for is to get their driver's license. That's next, I'm guessing, for the two of you.

SERENA FAECHNER, 13-YEAR-OLD HUNTER: I want that, too, yes. It would be nice.

(LAUGHTER)

FREED: But if you had to choose between the two?

S. FAECHNER: I would choose hunting.

D. FAECHNER: You can't eat a car. You can eat a deer.

(LAUGHTER)

...FREED (voice-over): Jonathan Freed, CNN, Havre, Montana.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

I love it. Of course, CNN wants to present the image that teaching kids to hunt is bad, but it seems that these kids have more sense than the network. Tomorrow, they should have a segment on kids using guns to deter burglars.