Carey Hart teaches his daughter how to shoot, causing some to refuse to mind their own business

California motocross and off-road truck racer Carey Hart posted a clip of his 7-year-old daughter plinking with a .22 and social media and the masses quickly weighed in.

The short clip, showing young Willow, his daughter with pop singer Pink, clad in earmuffs and a jacket as she zips away with what looks like a scoped Ruger 10/22 with a bull barrel, went viral, causing celebrity-beat media outlets like US and Today to follow the story. Within a day the video had over 400,000 views and nearly 100K likes.

“Willz and I shooting the 22 rifle,” said Hart. “She is getting pretty good. Can hit a 12 inch pie plate from 30 yards. Started her shooting at 3yrs old. For the record non 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. #knowledgeispower.”

While some commented negatively about the fatherly marksmanship session, both Hart’s Instagram and Twitter accounts were clogged with hundreds of replies from gun owners who shared their own experiences imparting a love of the shooting sports to youth, complete with pictures of kids enjoying a day at the range.

Hart responded to one detractor who argued people would “mimic” his behavior with, “I hope they do mimic me! I hope they spend quality time with their kids, teach them life skills, and education. I’m not sure where you live, but in America fire arms are legal and not going away. So I choose to embrace it. Take the taboo out. Educate them so they don’t become a statistic. Many forms of shooting are an OLYMPIC sport.”

Speaking of which, USA Shooting commented on the brew-up saying, “We thank all those dads and moms showing their kids the way into the shooting sports. Have Willz come shoot with us anytime!” while Taran Tactical chimed in congratulating Hart on his “Great work on teaching your daughter safety and accuracy,” going on to say they could drop by their range in Simi Valley area to do some training.

Hart in the past has shown off a customized Sig Sauer pistol he uses for concealed carry with #2ndAmendment hashtags and, during last year’s Malibu fires, shared his feelings on property marauders by posting an image purporting to be of armed locals in front of a hand-lettered sign that read, “Looters will be shot on site (sic).”