A Badin High School club focused on teaching students responsible use of firearms is gaining in popularity.

The school’s trap shooting club is Ohio’s first high school scholastic target team, according to Mark Arnold, the club’s moderator and a certified NRA instructor.

About 70 students — including more than 30 who are registered, incoming freshmen next fall — are now members of the club, called Clay Busters.

“Our goal is to help build leaders through safe, fun use of firearms,” Arnold said. “Firearms today get such a bad name; people are quick to blame the object, but not the person behind it.”

Club members first begin in the classroom with firearm safety training before advancing to target practice at the Fairfield Sportsmen’s Association and Butler County Sportsmen Rifle and Pistol Club, according to Arnold.

Senior Jacob Meinzer, a co-captain of the club, said participating in the club has helped to remove stigmas about guns.

“A lot of people think guns are scary,” Meinzer said. “But after proper training and preparation, it’s a fun sport that everyone can do.”

Trap shooting clubs are more commonly associated with adult shooting clubs, Arnold said.

“That’s a very unique thing, but it makes it hard to compete,” he said.

The club is preparing to host its first tournament — the Queen City Classic — in April.

“The opportunity to put this tournament together will be a nice way to say the club has arrived, and that the students are very responsible,” Arnold said.

The April 13 tournament is open to high school teams in Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana and Illinois. There is room for 70 student shooters to register to participate.

Club members competed last summer during the Amateur Trapshooting Association’s national competition in Sparta, Ill. Student Michael Kulifay, a Badin senior, captured first place in one of the shooting contests.

“It was a nice accomplishment, being brand new rookies,” Arnold said.