Pink's Husband Carey Hart Responds to Critics After Teaching 7-Year-Old Daughter Willow How to Shoot a Rifle
Pink's husband, Carey Hart, is not taking any criticism from those online who were angry with him [...]
Pink's husband, Carey Hart, is not taking any criticism from those online who were angry with him for teaching their daughter to shoot a gun.
Hart, a professional motocross racer, often comes up against parent-shamers online. Whenever the celebrity dad posts pictures or videos of his high-octane quality time with his kids, he finds himself up against one angry mob or another. On Wednesday, however, he posted a pre-emptive response alongside his video of 7-year-old Willow shooting targets.
"Haven't poked the parent police bear in a few days," the 43-year-old wrote. "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 fire arms, how to handle them, shoot them, store them, and avoid them in uneducated hands."
Hart included the hashtag "knowledge is power" in his post. The video showed Willow looking surprisingly comfortable kneeling on a shooting bench. She wore a pink hoodie and protective earmuffs, staring through a scope with the rifle balanced on a shooting rest.
"Can I go?" she asks, waiting for Hart's say-so. When he gives it, she double checks with him. "Wait, is the safety on?"
Of course, the comments were a mixed bag for Hart. He got plenty of praise from other parents who see the importance of training kids on gun safety. Others thought he might be exposing Willow to unnecessary danger, or encouraging a potentially deadly hobby.
"Just when I wondered whether or not my daughter was too young... Thank you [Carey Hart] and [Pink] you both inspire me to be better parents everyday!" one fan wrote.
"She'll respect fire arms now knowing how it is to be handled & used," added another.
"I think this is an extremely important topic of education," Hart wrote in a comment of his own.
When one fan worried that Willow might lose control or hurt herself, Hart clapped back.
"You're completely ignorant, he said simply.
Hart has taken to regularly addressing the "parent police" in his Instagram posts. The former pro racer takes a certain pleasure in firing up these debates, and Pink seems to be behind him. She certainly was last week, when Hart posted a photo of both parents and their kids sitting together on one dirt bike.
"Stuffed the whole family on my bike, with out helmets, and We were hitting all the jumps. What you think parent police?" he wrote.