AKElroy
Member
You cannot HIDE this weapon from an 8 year old. If you can get to it, so can he. And he will. Let him shoot it, hold it, understand it, and understand what it can do. Once he shoots it once (with your help, he likely can't hold it by himself yet), he will get why the laws are so important. Use a reactive target like milk jugs, and lighter kicking bird loads. My 8 year old has not stopped bragging about how tough he is for absorbing that kick. He also has NO DESIRE to feel it again until he is big enough to handle it.
I make my kids RECITE THE 4 LAWS EVERYTIME THEY ASK TO HANDLE A FIREARM. We make a game of it. Daddy also clears the weapon before they touch it, and they have to clear the EMPTY weapon again in front of me. They hand it back, I clear it again just to reinforce that it gets cleared EVERY TIME it changes hands.
If they know how guns work, what they can do, and that they can see them whenever they ask, I have ZERO concern having loaded weapons around them.
I cannot protect them with a locked up gun, or an unloaded one. My dad did this with me, and we had loaded guns all over the house. I never shot myself or anyone else with them.
I make my kids RECITE THE 4 LAWS EVERYTIME THEY ASK TO HANDLE A FIREARM. We make a game of it. Daddy also clears the weapon before they touch it, and they have to clear the EMPTY weapon again in front of me. They hand it back, I clear it again just to reinforce that it gets cleared EVERY TIME it changes hands.
If they know how guns work, what they can do, and that they can see them whenever they ask, I have ZERO concern having loaded weapons around them.
I cannot protect them with a locked up gun, or an unloaded one. My dad did this with me, and we had loaded guns all over the house. I never shot myself or anyone else with them.