CAPTAIN MIKE
Member
I'm proud that both of my children are hunting participants, fishermen, campers, canoeing enthusiasts, archers and shooters. One girl 13 and a boy aged 7. They have been taught that bows, arrows, fishing gear, canoe paddles, lifejackets, firearms and camping equipment are all tools that have a purpose and need to be used properly so that you're safe and everyone is having fun while using them.
I introduced my kids to shooting in a way that was very comfortable and very safe. First we ALWAYS go over the basic rules of firearm safety, and they can quote the rules verbatim from memory. But for us it is a repeated verbal ritual we go though first thing at the outdoor range, right after we set up our targets.
My kids started out, just as I did, first by using tyke sized bb-guns (Daisy, of course), then we gradually began integrating the use of .22s with the single shot kid-sized Chipmunk Rifle (made by Rogue River Rifle company). Then we began to include the Henry Arms bolt action single-shot .22 rifle. But the lessons on firearm safety have never stopped. Either of them can call 'cease fire' at anytime if there's a safety issue and they know it.
When my kids watch a movie on television or in a theater and anybody is handling firearms or if they see the news about soldiers in Iraq or elsewhere, they ALWAYS check to see if the finger is outside the trigger guard. They have even said things about it to their friends. In fact, when my son is playing soldiers or cowboys with his little buddies using their orange-tipped toy guns, he is the self-appointed Range Safety Officer and he makes sure they "do it right".
What are your thoughts about how to teach our kids about firearms??
I introduced my kids to shooting in a way that was very comfortable and very safe. First we ALWAYS go over the basic rules of firearm safety, and they can quote the rules verbatim from memory. But for us it is a repeated verbal ritual we go though first thing at the outdoor range, right after we set up our targets.
My kids started out, just as I did, first by using tyke sized bb-guns (Daisy, of course), then we gradually began integrating the use of .22s with the single shot kid-sized Chipmunk Rifle (made by Rogue River Rifle company). Then we began to include the Henry Arms bolt action single-shot .22 rifle. But the lessons on firearm safety have never stopped. Either of them can call 'cease fire' at anytime if there's a safety issue and they know it.
When my kids watch a movie on television or in a theater and anybody is handling firearms or if they see the news about soldiers in Iraq or elsewhere, they ALWAYS check to see if the finger is outside the trigger guard. They have even said things about it to their friends. In fact, when my son is playing soldiers or cowboys with his little buddies using their orange-tipped toy guns, he is the self-appointed Range Safety Officer and he makes sure they "do it right".
What are your thoughts about how to teach our kids about firearms??
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