What age for first time shooting a gun?

I have no idea.

My dad was a professional big-game hunter, gun store chain owner, and outdoors journalist. My mom divorced him and married a cop and avid hunter. I've been around guns as long as I remember.

I think I was 10 when I received my first firearm; a Browning BL22 Grade II lever-action. I remember I was free to roam the Idaho woods with it at that age unsupervised for hours at a time. Never did shoot myself or anyone else over the past 40 years.

I was 7 and the gun was a break action .410 shotty.
My daughter got a .22 Cricket for her 6th birthday and shot it shortly after. Every time we would go shooting, I would make her recite the 4 rules of safety before handing her the gun. It wasn't long before she could rattle them off without any help. We never had a safety issue. She's 15 now and her muzzle discipline and trigger finger awareness are far better than most adults.

I personally waited until my kids could read, understand, and memorize the 4 rules of firearm safety. I also waited until they were mature enough to understand what death is and the permanency of it. I can’t rememebr the ages but I think around 6 or 8 where they could really understand that.

Actually shooting, ie. performing all the steps independently in a well-supervised situation or just firing, meaning aiming and pulling the trigger while an adult holds the firearm?

My kids, as well as myself a long time ago, have fired a gun at an age of 4-5 and shot one at 5-6. The key is that a child understands the implications of handling a potentially dangerous device and acts responsibly enough to obey the rules of safe firearm handling WITHOUT A FAIL. Both mechanically and, to a sufficient degree, cognitively.

My game changer was when my dad took me to backyard at our summer cabin. He spent an hour or so making sure that I knew the safety rules and acted accordingly, handed me a Walther target pistol, a box of ammo and wax ear plugs, asking me to show him every single detail of what I just learned. After a few rounds at a target (at 15ft, I think I even managed to hit the paper once even though the pistol felt heavy to hold) I was sold, for life. Especially when my dad told me that it went well, I should sleep over it, think about everything I've learned over and over again and we'd try again the next day.

I've carried that experience over to my kids. Just the Walther has changed, my younger kids have enjoyed the small frame, lightweight P22 more than their elder siblings the granddad's old-school all steel pistol... which, IMO, a pound too heavy for them to operate confidently anyway.

Pellet & BB from about 5 or 6; rimfire about 9-10; Garand at 13; 1911 about 15.
But, I grew up in a multi-generational military family with distinct views on responsibility, ability, and aptitude, too.
YMMV

Got an Ithaca Super Single in .410 for an early Christmas when I was 8. My father, grandfather and cousin took me pheasant hunting. One of my favorite memories.

My first trigger pull was 18 with a M16A2. I was a rather late bloomer.

I received a Stevens Single Shot 410 when I was 6. My son was 6 when I gave him an H&R single shot 22. He was mature enough to handle it.

I arbitrarily chose eight years old before taking my kids to the range. But, as others have said, it depends on the child.

Interesting how nature maintains genetic diversity. Parents share more DNA with each of their children than they do among each other. So, treat them as individuals. I watched their reaction to plan future trips accordingly. I gave each a pistol when they were older, that they continue to enjoy shooting.

I was eight when my dad had me soot his revolver, a 38 special. At ten, I was given a .22 Winchester rifle, that I still have. Used it hunting with my grandfather.

When the child expresses an interest.

And when the parent knows that the child will listen to and obey instructions.

Obviously this varies from one family to another.

I was about eight when I first fired a BB gun, ten when I first fired a .22RF. Shot mt first deer at 14.


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I was 8 years old. My grandfather and uncle took me hunting in upstate NY at a friend of my uncle's. While I couldn't hunt I was handed a Remington 510P 22 rifle which I dragged around all day. Once hunting was done I was given a box of 22 LR and allowed to shoot with guidance. When it came time to leave my uncle's friend Charlie gave me that rifle. That was 60 years ago this past November.



It would be the rifle on the top. Hard to believe I still have that little rifle but I never parted with it. The 511 and 512 came along later.

Ron

Probably around 8 years old when my dad started taking we out shooting and teaching me. Memories that are priceless that I wish I could still do with him. My first gun a Remington 581 he got for me when I was around 13 . I still have it. They say that things given to people , they don't value as much as if they worked for it but sometimes that's not true, EVERYTIME I hold it or shoot it I think of that Christmas and the times out with dad shooting it. My 581 is not just a tool, not just a item, not just a gun, it's a personal time capsule of mine.

lionking said:

Probably around 8 years old when my dad started taking we out shooting and teaching me. Memories that are priceless that I wish I could still do with him. My first gun a Remington 581 he got for me when I was around 13 . I still have it. They say that things given to people , they don't value as much as if they worked for it but sometimes that's not true, EVERYTIME I hold it or shoot it I think of that Christmas and the times out with dad shooting it. My 581 is not just a tool, not just a item, not just a gun, it's a personal time capsule of mine.
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Left Hand action, I like that.

Ron

My son was 9. I was 8. One of my twin girls was 8, the other doesn’t want to shoot.

I agree, it’s desire and maturity that best let’s you know when it’s time.

Stay safe!

J-Bar said:

When the child expresses an interest.

And when the parent knows that the child will listen to and obey instructions.

Obviously this varies from one family to another.

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And from one kid to another. Some kids smarten up sooner than others. Some never do. I know several adults that I refuse to shoot with. Birdbrains.

My 2 older boys are 23 and 21, they both started about 7-8 in my lap with a 38 and Marlin mod60. You have to decide when they are mature enough to be serious about it, follow instructions, and focus on what they are doing. I took them out early on and we brought carrots, potatoes, a head of cabbage, and a watermelon. Telling a child how powerful something is is not gonna make them understand it, showing them will. I explained how fast the bullet was going, and what happened when the bullet hit something. Then I shot the watermelon with a hot loaded 357 hollow point and exploded it. The look on their faces said it all. Next was the cabbage with the same results. Once they saw the destructive power that they would get to handle, it really impressed on them that these were not toys. I did the same with the 2 younger ones.

My 2 younger ones are 8 & 11, girl and a boy. My daughter seemed like she was interested at 6 and did pretty good with a Ruger SR22 and her Chipmunk for a bit then lost interest. My son started at 5 with my Ruger SR22 & Marlin mod 60 then moved up to a 4” 38, then my Glock 17, 5” 1911 9mm, but he really likes the Ruger GP-100 6” with midrange 357’s.

As a parent you should be able to tell when your child has the right mindset, mental ability, and can focus on a task and follow instructions well enough to be safe.

It depends entirely on the child. Physical size, maturity, and last but not least, their interest.

Shooting fruit/veggies is a good way to show what a bullet can do.

Actually shooting, ie. performing all the steps independently in a well-supervised situation or just firing, meaning aiming and pulling the trigger while an adult holds the firearm?

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Yep there are differences in that for sure. My Daughter hit her first can when she was almost two and a half, with a Benjamin 392, from a rest.

I don’t remember when I fired my first shot but I was 9 when I got my own air rifle, 11 for first .22 and 13 for first pistol. Still have all of them.

I still remember my Father taking an old 5 gallon gas can that had a hole rusted inthe bottom down to the lake, filling it up with water and shooting it with an 8mm Mauser, blowing it open in an explosive manner. Excellent visual as I have forgotten other lessons that occurred decades after that.

I think I was about 10, when I got a single shot .22 for Christmas. I don't remember any instruction from anyone. I guess I had read enough,etc. to be able to use it without any issues.

I firedy first shot at age 5 22 lr at 50 yds open sight from an improvised bench. Bought my first rifle at age 12 Springfield savage similar to am m60 marlin. It cost 67 dollars in 1977. Bought my first 12 ga at 14 a rem 11-48 semi auto. That same age bought a mec 600 jr to keep myself shooting. Got real good at moving targets.
Startedy daughter off at age 5 got her a Daisy 22 lr it was mostly plastic had adjustable lop for children or adults, plastic mag and wore a 4x Bushnell. I've had many different firearms over the last 40 plus years.

I was 4 my grandfather had an indoor range for handguns. If I kept in the black, I could keep shooting.
We started with pellet guns and moved up.