teaching 3 year olds to shoot

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Not the safest way to teach a 3yr old but I am not against the idea of taking the 3yr old to the range with you especially like this, it appears that the dad is basically shooting with the kids hands.
 
Ya this was on here a while back .. WAY to young .. to be honest though .. a lot of people on here were saying that it wasn't too young if I recall
 
Whew!
Almost don't know where to start. While I agree on teaching FA safety to to the young, 2-3 yrs old is just a bit too young. I first took my daughter to the range when she was about 9-10 yrs old to give safety instructions. Without a doubt, One of the best things I ever did for her. But at 2-3-4 yrs old, I just don't think the child is capable of understanding all the ramifications (physical, legal, ethical.......) of what Gun responsibility means.
What really knocks me sideways were some of the comments listed on that site below. The folks writing about what a great thing the Dad is doing may be the bigger fools IMO. The logic behind some of those posts simply escapes me completely (make all the comments and flames at me you want). One post states how the father is being so "responsible" for putting on the ear protection on the kid, don't see any on Dad , but he may be wearing plugs though. Another poster is quite upset that handguns exist anywhere, stating his kids will never see one in their lifetime. He seems to imply that this would be a good thing (it won't be if their first view is from the wrong end of one). I almost wonder if the father in the video will let his son drive home, just to let him get used to the experience (you know, to make him a safer driver later on :neener: ).
I guess my feeling are this...........
FA safety training for the young is a very good and worthwhile endeavor, but if the "trainee" has to ride to the range in a car seat they ain't ready!
 
I taught all 4 of my daughters to shoot, individually, when I felt they were ready. The youngest was 8 for her first range trip, the oldest was 12. It all depends on the child in question's maturity level.

3? I don't believe that's mature enough, no matter how advanced the child is. If they can't memorize the 4 rules... no way.

Still, other than eye protection, this guy seemed to have everything under control. The gun was never really out of the father's control. I wouldn't do it, but I'm not the boy in question's father, and who am I to criticize his parenting skills. For all we know, the boy had been begging to shoot a gun since he was old enough to talk.
 
I'm glad my father treated me like an individual and let me shoot with his supervision when I was little. He made me wait until I was a bit older to play with firecrackers and cherry bombs.

FYI, a 20 ga. pump will knock a 5-year-old down. And I was a big 5-yr-old.

John
 
too young ...

3 years old is too young IMHO ... my daughter is 8 now and I don't think she is ready for the range yet. I let her try my airsoft in the backyard and she did well. We'll check out the range and a 22 soon enough. I don't want to rush her. That being said, she already knows the four rules. :D
 
I first fired a gun when I was 7 or 8. While , it depends on maturity, I don't think you need to wait until the have full comprehension of the legal, ethical, and physical aspects of shooting. We are not talking about giving them their own personal gun to keep in their room. I see no problem with a child firing a gun under controlled circumstances, as long as they are able to follow basic safety rules and can follow directions.

Personally, one of the factors I used with my daughter was that she be able to hold the gun by herself, in addition to knowing the safety rules.
 
The only thing I see wrong is no eye protection. It was obvious the Dad was pointing the gun in a safe direction.
Do I think the kid is too young? Nope. Teaching early is a good thing.
 
My dad let me drive...

... sitting in his lap when I was 6. We didn't go on the road, of course. What's wrong with that? I could pop a clutch at 8, and around the same age steered a car while he towed it with a pickup and a rope (mainly worked the brakes, so it wouldn't rear-end the pickup).

--Len.

I almost wonder if the father in the video will let his son drive home, just to let him get used to the experience (you know, to make him a safer driver later on ).
 
Well, I started shooting a BB-Gun at 2 or 3 years old. My grandfather would cock it and hand it to me to shoot. I had my own .22 rifle (which I still have) by the time I was 3 or 4. I'm vague on that age, but I know that I got my first shotgun (Remington 1100 20 gauge youth model which I still have) for Christmas 1980 when I was 5, and I'd been shooting the .22 for a year or two by then. When I shot, there was always an adult watching me; I never had any problems. I knew guns were dangerous, and I knew that mine would be taken away if I did anything that met with the adults' disapproval. This video is very reminiscent of my own childhood.
 
My son is almost 3. Kids his age are filled with curiosity, but still developing self control. The age-appropriate firearms lessons right now should be "if you see a gun, DON'T TOUCH IT and tell an adult." I won't be teaching my son how to shoot until he is 2 to 3 times his current age.

Besides, that kid looked confused, maybe even terrified in the video. I wouldn't have done it to my own kid.
 
My 5 year old granddaughter with her .22 Cricket.

2 or 3 is a little young but it's good for the exposure.

emilyshoot2.jpg
 
Understand the title of the video and this thread is a bit misleading.

No one there is "teaching" anything.

The dad is LETTING his 3 year old pull the trigger. Big difference.

Did you ever sit in your dads lap in the car at 3 years old and hold the steering wheel? Did he let go? Did he get out and leave you with the keys? Of course not.

I was pulling the trigger on a 22 rifle at 3 years old, which is all that is happening here.

I pulled the trigger on a .410 shotgun once when I was 4 or 5 and watched a water jug explode, thought that was REAL COOL.
There is an old silent 8mm home movie around my house here somewhere of that, I jumped up and down like I'd won the lottery.

I was shooting the .22 rifle at 6, the .410 at 8.
 
My sons were regulars at the range (back yard), hunting & fishing from birth.

We shot BBs with me helping steady the gun and them sighting and pulling the trigger at around 3. We had guns in almost every room of the house, the boys knew if they asked to touch, I'd stop what I was doing and show them. They also knew a sore bottom was in order if they touched and didn't ask.

I'd take them deer hunting, rap them up in sleeping bags, they'd sit quite, watch, wait and listen. They'd hold ther fingers in their ears for the shot, and ask questions while we cleaned them.

They are now 25, 24 & 21, all grew up OK, and I have 2 new grand daughters to help teach.
 
I remember my dad letting me do about the same thing when I was 3 or 4.... he also used to say "grab the steering wheel while I open my beer" :uhoh:
 
I have 3 kids. 2 girls 1 boy. The boy is the youngest 16 mo and I dream of the day I get to teach him to shoot. Heck he allready has toy guns.

But 3 yrs old. NO WAY!!! :eek:

5 is my milestone or right of passage when it comes to firearms, and when that time is here it will begin with a single shot 22 short I learned on 30+ years ago.
 
That's about the same way my dad taught me to shoot a .22 revolver. Of course, I was much older -- 4 years old. That was 50 years ago, and I haven't hurt myself or anyone else with a firearm yet. Plenty of game animals probably wish I'd never learned to shoot. :)
 
The age to teach your child about guns is a pretty personal thing. There are many factors that might figure into this decision.
Pontificating about what others do, and how much better a parent YOU are than THEY are, is not helpful. Its is self centered, egotistical and boorish.
Teach your kids at the age you deem proper. Leave the other folks alone.
 
My dad let me drive...

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

... sitting in his lap when I was 6. We didn't go on the road, of course. What's wrong with that? I could pop a clutch at 8, and around the same age steered a car while he towed it with a pickup and a rope (mainly worked the brakes, so it wouldn't rear-end the pickup).

I agree..you're not teaching a 3 year old to shoot but you are starting the process of familiarizing them with firearms..I can't see any harm in it. The exception would be if the child doesn't enjoy it..then stop.
 
I started my 2 girls shooting a .22 at age 5. They are now 25 & 27. The older one can out shoot me. She is a LEO and out shoots most of the guys on her force. The younger is a fraud investigator for a major CC company. She packs a .40 when doing investigations. So they both learned to enjoy and respect firearms from a young age.
 
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