Jul/Aug - uspsa

USPSA Junior Shooter Saves
Mom's Life
BY SETH NADEL, CL-89
There are those who constantly
bleat that "children" must be
kept ignorant of g-uns, particularly
handguns. Those of us
in USPSA know that guns are not a
problem, but they can be a solution —
and junior shooter (and R.0.) Austin
Hines, from Concho, Ariz., is proof beyond
question of that!
Austin (A42737), dad Troy
(TY421.53), and mom Gina (A44928)
are all very active in the White Mountain
Practical Shooters (WMPS) of
Show Low, Ariz. The Hines' have all
taken part in virtually every match
WMPS has held, and Austin, age 13,
has even bested his father on a few
stages.
On March 1, 2002, Gina, Austin,
and his younger sister Shyann, were
herding a 300 pound pig they had obtained
for breeding into a pen. The pig
suddenly turned on Gina, knocking
her to the ground. It began to knock
her around, biting her on the hand and
face in a violent assault. Austin attempted
to distract the beast with a
baseball bat, which only seemed to enrage
it further. Rightly fearing for his
mother's life, and at her direction,
Austin retrieved Gina's carry pistol
from their truck. He fired several shots
into the ground to try to scare the pig,
with no result.
Realizing that he had a difficult
shooting problem, with the pig directly
over his mother and biting her, Austin
drew on his training and competitive
match experience. He dropped low,
obtained a safe angle, and shot the pig.
Lieutenant John Bedway of the Conch°
Valley Fire Department (also a
USPSA member and a new CRO),
transported Gina to the hospital. He
stated that had Austin not been familiar
with firearms, and how to safely use
them, Gina would have suffered grievous
or even fatal injuries from the attacking
pig.
Gina is recovering from her injuries,
and providing frozen pork to
many of their friends. She refers to
Austin as "my hero." The local paper
put this story on the front page, and
Austin was recognized at the latest
match of the White Mountain Practical
Shooters. He certainly shows that
training with firearms in a safe, controlled
environment under USPSA
rules helps prepare young shooters for
the kinds of unexpected emergencies
Photo by Sem Ndoe
Austin Hines drew on his skills as a
competitive shooter to kill a domestic
pig that attacked his mother. The
pig had knocked his mother to the
ground, and was biting her about
the face and neck.
that can arise any time, any place.
Now, can someone tell me again
why young people should not be
trained in the safe, effective use of
firearms?
Of Pigs & People
While discussing this attack with a
fellow club member who is also a
Cowboy Action Shooter, he stated
that the history of the West has several
reports of people being attacked
and killed by domestic pigs. In modern
times there have also been reports
of people attacked by pet pigs.
They may not be very fast or fleet of
foot, but once they knock you to the
ground they have a significant weight
and size advantage. The presence of
a defensive firearm, and the skill to
use it, may be needed even if the attacker
is not human!
Austin Hines in competitive form.
Photo by Seth Nadel,
JulyiAugust 2002 • FRONT SIGHT 11