[Lone_Sheep_Dog]

Now that I have 2 baby boys I am always thinking about buying 3 of each type of gun I have so I can give them to the kids. I have already made some rifle purchases to give to the boys. Is this a mistake? Should I wait until they show interest in firearms before I buy multiple guns of the same type?

[beatledog7]

This has been discussed before, and most of seem to agree that it is better to see if your children develop an interest. My daughter has none, but who knows if that will change. I guess it will if, God forbid, she is ever threatened or attacked.

So for now my will leaves them all to my brother, who has follow-on instructions that if she ever wants one that was mine, he will grant it.

[Mike1234567]

Let the little tykes buy their own firearms. They can fight over whatever you leave behind once you kick the ol' bucket.

[N003k]

Eh, I buy guns for myself. I don't have kids yet, but at the point I do, I'll wait until they develop an interest prior to buying any for them, and if they never develop an interest, I'll make sure I find someone that I know will appreciate my collection and take care of it before I pass.

[Sam1911]

Hmmm... I've bought guns for the kids to use NOW, but I don't recall having bought any before they turned 3 or so and started shooting with me.

They showed interest...

http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/cc184/sam1911/Teaching-1.jpg

[Red Tornado]

Sam, great pic. And it just gave me a reason for a single action .22. I'm not a single action fan, in general, but for a starter handgun it would be perfect. Same philosophy as manual cocking single shot rifles. BTW, I am aware that you're using a double action in the pic, since a dozen people will point it out. :)
RT

[kamagong]

I'm setting aside an AR and a 1911 for my daughter. When she goes out into the world to make her fortune, she will be well equipped. If she wants any more guns, she can spend her own money and build up her own collection.

[Tallinar]

I'll start my kids on their own .22 rifles. From there, we'll see if and in what direction their interests develop. Then we can start thinking of other guns for them down the line.

Even if my kids don't end up taking to shooting at all, there's nothing wrong with having .22 rifles around, and they are pretty easy to sell.

[Ky Larry]

There are many different parts to the shooting hobby. One kid may develope an interest in skeet shooting and the other may become an IDPA shooter. You might want to wait and see if they even develope an interest in fire arms. My stepson (28 Y.O.) is into computers and math. He has zero interest in shooting.

[THe Dove]

My son is a teenager and loves to shoot, but not hunt. I bought him a BB gun when he was about 6, a 410 shotgun when he was 10, and have since purchased a Chinese SKS for him. He just turned 16, has his own truck, and is now into playing football, girls and making money to spend on his vehicle. Therefore, the firearms are collecting dust for the time being. When he shows an interest in them again, we'll see about the old man buying him another.......

Just food for thought

The Dove

[rcmodel]

Is this a mistake?Yes.
You have no idea today what interest, if any, your kids will have when they grow up.

I have two adult sons.

I taught them gun safety, shooting, reloading, and and took them hunting all the time.
I even bought them little guns when they were little.
They were both enthusiastic shooters, until they found out about girls and cars and motorcycles.

Today, one son has no interest at all in guns, hunting, or shooting.
If I gave him a Colt SAA, he would probably sell it and buy new racing tires and a carbon fiber muffler for his crotch-rocket.

The other one has a Springfield XD, and has very little interest in any of my "old" classics, other then what they will sell for when I am gone.

rc

[Tim the student]

If they do like guns, they will want the ones they have memories of, IMO. Doesn't matter if it a Mosin, or a mint 1903. The fact they shot them with you, or were your favorite is what will do it. Get what you want, and their wants will follow.

[ShawnC]

My kids can have my guns...when they pry them from my cold dead fingers!:D

Actually, I'll probably get them a .22 rifle and a .22 pistol to practice with, and if they show an interest in anything I have when they get older, I'll give it up and have an excuse to buy a replacement for myself. :) Then leave them everything in the will.

[redraidermgr]

Wait for them to show interest first. My dad made the mistake of selling his favorite guns when my brother and i got to around the age of 3. When i hit about 16 or so I started getting interested and got with another family member that taught me to shoot etc. My brother came along with me and learned to shoot too. My brother has very little interest but I developed a passion for firearms.

When my dad found out that I was into guns he kicked himself for getting rid of all his favorite guns. He also gave me a hell of a 22nd birthday gift by presenting me with a S&W Model 19 he had bought at a pawn shop specifically for me because it was one of his favorite styles (A good K Frame in .357/.38) that I had shown some interest in.

The point is don't worry about having 3 of every gun. Everyone likes something a little different. One son may like revolvers and another may like automatics or a combination of the two, one may like rifles and not handguns. What I plan on doing is teaching them about safety and how to shoot and then when they show interest in something let them shoot mine until they know what they like for sure (my brother in laws arsenal was available for my testing purposes). Maybe I will surprise my son or daughter with a well loved gun bought at pawn shop like my father did for me.

The really important thing is to raise them right, teach them properly and cherish every minute of their raising so that when they grow up and have their own family they will know that they have a solid background to look back on and will hopefully have years of fun teaching the same skills to their children.

[kenken]

My daughter is about 5 months pregnant with twin boys and I can't wait to get them their first guns. I wanted to start 2 months ago but my wife said I needed to wait a little while longer. The only down side is they won't be born in TEXAS. My son-in-law is in the Navy and they are stationed in Hawaii at Pearl Harbor. Guess we will go over there. Going to be great. I will probably wait for them to get home from the hospital before I give them their first gun.


kenken

[bhk]

As I am approaching my middle sixties, I think a lot about what I should do with my guns when I die. My son and daughter are in their middle 20's. They both have a couple of guns I gave them. My son has moderate interest in shooting. My daughter has non, and her husband has only a little.

My inclination at this point is to have my wife (if I die first) to give each child a couple of guns of their choice and sell the rest to those that may really appreciate them. If my kids begin to develop deep and sincere interests in guns in the future, they will probably appreciate those they work for more.

[pockets]

Basically..what RCMODEL said.

I also have two adult sons; 29 & 38. I did the whole raise-em-on-guns thing. They had a sporadic interest for awhile, but neither has shot a gun in years.
The guns I bought for them they either sold or left at my home, they have no use for them. My two grandsons also have zero interest in guns. Now, on the other hand, both my sons have several gaming systems and all the high tech toys one could wish for. Bottom line: You can buy them whatever you want, but in the end you never know what a person's interests will become as they grow up.

.

[Sav .250]

You are thinking from your stand point, just hope they don`t turn out to be
Pacifists. Point is you never know what their stance on weapons will be.
I`m sure lots of folks have done just that and have been dis-appointed in the lack of interest shown by their kids at a later date.
Different strokes for different folks............

[woad_yurt]

....don't worry about having 3 of every gun. Everyone likes something a little different. One son may like revolvers and another may like automatics or a combination of the two, one may like rifles and not handguns.

I agree. If you wait a while, they'll express interest in one type or another. Or, maybe they'll have no interest at all. When you know what they really like, then you can be sure that whatever you get them, they'll consider ultra-special.

[303tom]

I have three sons one step-son & one step-daughter, and only one of them is interested in firearms, the step-son & will inherit my collection when I am gone.

[horsearcherwannabe]

I bought my "daughter" a cricket, I think she was 10 at the time. She did well. She eventualy got the boy scout rifle merit badge with it. If nothing else it is a skill she will have forever.

[Lone_Sheep_Dog]

Wow sam1911, that's a great pic. I will have pics of my boys like that one day hopefully. I've already got a Mosin 91 30 and M44 for each of the boys since they are so inexpensive. I also got them some 46 grain training ammo for the Mosins so they can start young on them.
I will probably get them each an M1 Garand soon because they may not be affordable for that much longer.

That is scary that some of us have kids who don't appreciate firearms. That will make inheritance a problem.
If they don't show interest in guns, then I will be happy to keep these guns in my collection.
Thanks for all the great replies to this thread guys.

[Sam1911]

Wow sam1911, that's a great pic.:) Thanks, I like it.

I like to pull that one out when folks start talking about how to deal with recoil.

If a 7 year old girl can handle a .44... (Specials, of course, but not powder-puffs, either.)

[22-rimfire]

I would wait until they develop an interest in firearms and shooting. Start with BB guns and move up. You should see the interest or lack of interest. Why spend the money now? I think in same terms as a $$ trust.... there is trust involved, but you can't make the proper decisions until you see how they grow and mature, and what kind of boys, and men they are apt to be.

[timhernandez]

My kids have already established a 'who gets what' list among themselves.

All 3 (boy/girl/boy, all teens,early 20s) like to shoot and have taken to scheduling range trips for me, with them, to the local range. I have been asked to take their boy/girlfriend du jour with us from time to time.

I am greatful that they are educated in firearms, and show an interest in continuing to be involved.

[wannabeagunsmith]

My dad showed no interest until I started shooting. :D

[THe Dove]

^^^BWAHAHAHA

The Dove

[btg3]

For guns or much of whatever else you might leave behind I like this advice:
"Do your giving while you're living, so you're knowing where it's going."

There is immeasurable joy in giving for both giver and receiver, so ENJOY!

[NYH1]

We've bought guns for our son (10). I traded a S&W 380 Sigma that I didn't carry anymore once I got my G27. A guy at work's son outgrew his Mossberg 505 410 youth gun so we traded. We're buying him a Marlin 336Y 30-30 Win. (short 12" LOP stock, 16.25" barrel) for Christmas this year. He loves to hunt and will be able to in two years. He shoots my 336C 35 Rem. it's just to big for him so the 336Y is a good fit.

NYH1.

[Panzercat]

I'll start my kids on their own .22 rifles. From there, we'll see if and in what direction their interests develop. Then we can start thinking of other guns for them down the line.

Even if my kids don't end up taking to shooting at all, there's nothing wrong with having .22 rifles around, and they are pretty easy to sell.I've considered this myself; Buying a Marlin 60 and throwing it in a closet when the kid is ready. That said, nothing that says I can't wait. Not like the .22 is going out of style any time soon.

[The_Armed_Therapist]

It has little to do with firearms, but I'd be very hesitant to just buy things for them at all. Make them work for it or save up their own money when the time comes. A rifle would be a great 18th b-day present or grad present, while a pistol/revolver would be good for 21st, college grad, or program completion, etc. With these exceptions, just make sure they understand how to work hard. I have a relative who was given an iPhone (teen) and his reward for never putting it down seems to be guns. Seems like a dangerous formula to me...

[SaxonPig]

There is no guarantee your children will share your interests or your tastes.

Just look at the number of first time posters asking how much they can get for the guns left to them by their dads. I'm sure those dads cherished those guns and wanted their kids to have them assuming they also would cherish them. I think it seldom happens. Most times the guns are sold ASAP.

If an offspring expresses desire to have a specific gun then hand it over. Otherwise, don't assume.

[Legionnaire]

Start a savings account for each of them and use that to help fund their interests as they grow older. My oldest son grew up shooting. I bought him a Remington Model Seven for his 11th birthday. He used it to hunt deer and goundhogs until college years. Then he joined the USMC Reserve. And he traded his hunting rifle to me in exchange for a Bushmaster AR.

Kids interests change. I hope that at a later stage of life my son's interest in hunting rekindles, and we'll go out together again. If not, I'll eventually give his hunting rifle to one of the other kids ... or maybe an eventual grandkid. But I'm not going to try and guess what guns my kids/grandkids will like, even if they do develop an interest in the shooting sports.

[Lone_Sheep_Dog]

I won't just give them the guns. I am planning for them to be Christmas presents when they get to be the right age. If they like shooting enough, then they can use the money earned from chores to buy accessories for the guns. I'll do what I can to keep them interested in shooting. It would be a nightmare for them to sell off my guns when I'm gone.