Pink’s Husband, Carey Hart, Slams Backlash for Teaching Daughter, 7, How to Shoot a Gun

He’s not backing down! On Wednesday, January 30, Pink‘s husband, Carey Hart, revealed on his Instagram page that he’d been teaching his daughter, Willow, how to shoot since she was just 3 years old. In a video, he showed her aiming a rifle, asking about the safety and pulling the trigger. Almost immediately, though, his comments were flooded with criticism and concerns about how safe it was for a now-7-year-old to be handling such a powerful firearm — or, really, any firearm. He’s getting the same treatment David Eason got after showing off his young son holding a toy gun in September 2018 and 1-year-old daughter with a similar toy last March. But of course, Willow’s was a real gun — and the former pro racer already knew what was coming. Watch the video above to see what he posted and don’t forget to subscribe to our YouTube Channel.

“Haven’t poked the parent police bear in a few days,” Carey, 43, joked in the caption of the video when he posted it. “Willz and I shooting the 22 rifle. She is getting pretty good. Can hit a 12-inch pie plate from 30 yards. Started her shooting at 3yrs old. For the record, none of us hunt, just enjoy shooting for sport. I’m raising the kids with knowledge of firearms, how to handle them, shoot them, store them and avoid them in uneducated hands. #knowledgeispower”

https://www.instagram.com/p/BsYdzz8HcNZ/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Though he seemed to have anticipated the nasty responses to his post, he wasn’t going to let them go without a response. In the comments section, he answered more than a few peoples’ questions — and clapped back at haters when necessary. When one Instagram user snarkily suggested that his daughter had clearly learned enough about the second amendment, he wrote back, “Ever think how awesome it would be if people didn’t have the entitlement to throw vile comments on other people’s page? I have people that I follow that I don’t agree with on their post. Guess what I do? Keep scrolling.”

In another response, he wrote back, “I never slam people for speaking their opinion … Now when you disrespect my country [or] ‘culture’ I feel I have every right to get nasty.” To another, he insisted, “This is an extremely important topic of education,” and, “IMO [it’s better to] start them young.” When one commenter noted how dangerous a gun in the hands of a child could be and suggested that it’s possible his daughter could “lose control” and “shoot [him] in the face,” he fired back, “You are completely ignorant.”

Of course, he’s not letting the critique get to him IRL. Though he’s taking the time to respond online, he doesn’t seem interested in letting it change his parenting at all. When another commenter — this one supporting him — suggested that he also let his daughter try archery, he agreed. “I’m getting her a bow this fall.”