Did your parents buy you guns?

[wannabeagunsmith]

It seems like a lot of parents here are buying their 5,8,10 year olds guns, but me at 16.... well I have never owned one of my own. My dad tells me that if I want one, I will have to get a job and earn it. Not a bad idea, except Washington is a place where people my age find it nearly impossible to say the least (both my sister and I have been looking for almost a year). Back to my original question, did your parents buy you guns or did yo do what I am trying to do?

 

[TurtlePhish]

My dad buys me guns, but he makes me work for it. Also, when I wanted an AR-15, he got me a stripped lower and had me buy and assemble every other part myself. It was fun though.

 

[wannabeagunsmith]

Oh, and sorry about the I after the "did" in the title.

 

[Dmitri Popov]

My grandmother bought me my first rifle, still have it, and shoot it every single trip to the range.

 

[c01]

First rifle eight. First pistol (Ruger Mark 1) 9. Everthing after me. Dad was and still is a great guy. Added. Times were different then. I dont know what normal ages are now. My son is 13 and has a G21.

D

 

[Bobson]

I hate to say it, but technically, what you want to do sounds like earning the money for a firearm on your own, giving that money to your folks, and having them buy you that firearm - which is a straw purchase (illegal). I'm not saying I believe that's fair/right, because I don't. Just saying what the law is.

To answer your question, yes. My parents bought my brother and I each one firearm. We got our first airguns (of many) when I was 9 and he was 7, but our first actual firearms were gifted when I was 14 and he was 12. I chose a Maverick Model 88; he chose a Mosin Nagant. And both were precluded with a few years of asking, and doing what we could to show we were responsible enough to be trusted with them. We also lived in a very rural area, which helped a lot.

 

[wannabeagunsmith]

I hate to say it, but technically, what you want to do sounds like earning the money for a firearm on your own, giving that money to your folks, and having them buy you that firearm - which is a straw purchase (illegal). I'm not saying I believe that's fair/right, because I don't. Just saying what the law is.

I don't want to do it this way, I would much rather have him buy me a gun. I will pass this on, and let him know. I kinda figured it sounded like a straw purchase..

 

[mo841]

My dad got me a mossberg 12 gage. I really dont know how old I was but I was young (couldn't hunt yet so under the age of 12). before I was 18 I gave my mom the money to buy me my mossberg 410 pump. out of the 7 guns I have now, only one was given to me. As a father of a 7 yr old I did already buy him his first 410.

 

[click clack]

First rifle at 12 (marlin model 60) from my Grandad. And first pistol at 15(taurus model 94) from my Mom for a Christmas present.

 

[gamestalker]

My Dad was not a gun pro individual, and could certainly have been considered an anti. My Mom on the other hand was raised with them, and her Dad was a hunter and outdoor type. My Mom bought me my first gun, a pump pellet rifle at age 7 or 8. I instantly became addicted to hunting and shooting and progressed to hunting with a 22 cal. revolver by age 12. I loved them from the get go and am the only one of 6 children who grew up with a love and facination for firearms.

 

[bruzer]

My first .22 rifle was a hand me down from my Great-Grandpa. With any luck it will be handed down to my Grandson. Was well into my middle 20's before actually purchasing a rifle. And in my 30's before I purchased a hand gun.
Good luck and stay safe,
Mike

 

[Dr.Rob]

Yes, I got several firearms as gifts.

 

[The_Next_Generation]

It seems here in Western WA, not many minors have access to firearms. In September, I had saved up some money and went to the gun store with my dad, where he handed the fella my cash, and the attendant handed us the rifle. Yes, it was a "straw purchase", but I don't think the law sees it in that way because he is my legal guardian. When you are under 18, anything in your possession is legally owned by your parents. If you go shoot someone with "your" .22, what you really did was shoot someone with your dad/mom's .22.

One of my friends recently did the same thing I did, and another is well on his way (I have been very busy converting my friends and family since my first purchase ).

Be patient, get outstanding grades, push yourself, earn your own money, and educate your parents about the REALITY of firearms. This worked for me, and has worked for many others. Good luck, keep us posted!

 

[Arkansas Paul]

My father gave me 3 guns. My brother gave me 1. I was given one from my uncle and I'm the 3rd Paul to have it. Hopefully not the last.

My daughter got a pink .22 Cricket on her 6th birthday. Hey, it's what she wanted. I love it when anti people find out about that and just can't believe I got my 6 year old a gun. Like I just hand it to her with a box of ammo and say, "Have fun kiddo."

Also, when I wanted an AR-15, he got me a stripped lower and had me buy and assemble every other part myself. It was fun though.

Now that my friend, is just plain awesome!

 

[NOLAEMT]

Yep...

Not when I was younger however.

My dad was into guns as a yougster, but "grew out of them" by the time I was born. It was actually I that got him back into guns and shooting (He just told me yesterday that he had a lawyer friend set up an NFA trust, and is now looking at supressors!)

So I didn't get any guns as a kid or teen, but I did get a colt 1911 from him as a gift last month, he has its twin with the following serial number.

 

[Inebriated]

Yep.

 

[paintballdude902]

a few till i turned 18 ever since then its been all me

 

[doc2rn]

My dad and I went halves on the first pistol to enter our house, a Ruger Standard .22lr. I got a pistol as a first instead of a rifle 1) because its what I really wanted 2) it was a .22 lr and my dad approved my caliber choice 3) he had bought my older brother a .22 the previous christmas and he refused to let anyone (including himself) shoot it.... still sits under his bed in the original box 32 yrs later.

 

[hq]

It seems like a lot of parents here are buying their 5,8,10 year olds guns, but me at 16.... well I have never owned one of my own. My dad tells me that if I want one, I will have to get a job and earn it.

Your dad has a point.

My parents never bought me any, but I had access to theirs by just asking. At the age of 15 I found myself a weekend and summer job in retail and started buying my own. I've bought my teenage son a few guns, with an agreement that he'll have to buy and reload his own ammo; that may not sound like a big deal but he's practising IPSC and several thousands of rounds a year cost about the same the guns are worth each.

Hunting trips are on me, though.

 

[mgmorden]

My parents gave me 3 guns total.

1. 20ga single shot at 8 years old. We hunted a lot - this was a starter gun to get me started. It was a Christmas present.
2. .30-06 bolt action at around 14 years old. Again - hunting. My dad felt I had gotten old enough to move from buckshot to a rifle, so I got a rifle. This was also a Christmas present.
3. 12ga auto-loader at around 16 years old. I needed something with a little more firepower than the 20ga. My dad had a Browning A-5 that he never shot well so he just let me have it one day.

It worked out fine. No I didn't work for those myself, but it was all fine. I've held at least a part time job since I was 15 and have held a full-time job ever since I graduated from college (and have bought plenty guns of my own since then), so I managed to get a work ethic regardless .

 

[bannockburn]

No my parents never bought me any firearms, noting that toy guns and water pistols don't count. After serving in the army, my Dad lost any interest he may have had in guns when he was growing up. Mom was borderline anti-gun, though more for safety reasons (you'll shoot your eye out or you'll shoot your brothers eye out), than anything else. When my brother turned 21 he started buying handguns and when I turned 18 I started buying rifles and shotguns.

 

[Gimmered]

Best advice I can give you is you won't find a job at the end of an XBox controller. If you want a gun you can find a way to earn 2 or 3 hundred bucks to buy one.

 

[Swichblade]

My parents have gotten me some guns. My first shotgun was a used winchester 1200 for 140 dollars, I paid half. I paid all of the 140 dollars for my mossburg 702 plinkster. I was given a Savage Model 14 .308 for my sixteenth birthday. I was saving up money to buy a walther p1 but my parents beat me to it. My mother bribed me with a ruger blackhawk .45 colt/.45 acp to stay at home for one more year. My next gun will be a ruger lcr, and I hope I actually buy this one.

 

[19-3Ben]

When I was 21 and got my carry permit, my father gave me his Sig P232SL as my first carry gun. He never bought me a gun as a child, but I think he made up for it!

 

[Sport45]

Yes, and I gave my sons firearms when I thought they were ready.

What your father is doing is his right to do. He wants you to earn it, probably believing you will value it more that way. Personally, I would forgo the straw purchase bit by gifting my son the firearm after he had shown me he could earn it. He would then have to put his money into a savings account and start earning for ammo.