How do you first introduce firearms to your children?

Status
Not open for further replies.
G

gfanikf

Member
Joined
Nov 16, 2011
Messages
866
Location
PA
Now some back ground my daughter is only goung to be 9 months on the 9th. Now I would say oh I have a lot of time, but I considering how fast things have gone...yeah that doesn't work. :p

Some background I have a handgun safe, but no handguns ATM, I also have a stack on gun locker where my bolt, Garand and 10/22 are. No gun locks and ammo is either in safe on high shelf. We'll be moving in a month so it will change. Now my Dad was a Marine, but he never kept guns due to my mom hating them (he has since gone shooting a lot with me and my mom...still hates them, but doesn't mind us going or me cleaning them at the house when we visit. Long story short no previous experience or suggestion to go on.

Now my goal is I do want to her what they are and how she does not touch them, BUT anytime she wants to see or learn about them Daddy will always make the time to show her and explain anything about them and she will get to use them. Only question is when do I go from keeping them secure, but her not being aware to explaining them to her? Any tips?

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk 2
 
Don't add any mystery or secrecy to them. They are what they are and they are a part of the household. Teach and reinforce safety.
 
What BK said.

Get her a Chipmunk or Cricket now, and start working with her as soon as she can hold the gun. Those rifles are sized for little kids, and make it a lot easier for a kid to learn. We got our boys each a Chipmunk at birth, and by the time they fired their first live rounds at 4, they had "shot" thousands of rounds in dry fire on the living room floor in practice with me.
 
My daughter always had an interest in guns so there was no mystery or hidden secrecy about them for her. I started her out with learning (and totally understanding) the basic rules of firearms safety. Next I had her learn basic gun operation and marksmanship with an air rifle. From there she went to shooting my .22 pistols.

Normally I would have begun with a .22 rifle but she didn't always feel comfortable with most of the rifle stocks she tried, and she felt perfectly at home with a pistol. Eventually I let her pick one out for herself and she's been doing very well with it ever since.
 
If you don't mind me asking at what age were you able to even start explaining the basics of safety? I know comprehension varies for all children, but my daughter is petty bright, trust me as her father I'm a perfectly unbiased judge. :D I guess the question may be more the when than how.
 
I used to on occasion make a point to re-explain to my daughter on occasion about what a gun was,what it was for,andhow to never touch without me around. Not that she could have with everything locked up, but still. I would also tell her that it's a big responsibility and you always had to be safe with them and that one day when she got old enough she could shoot with me. When she was finally at an age where I thought she would pay attention I set her down and we had a little safety class. After she proved to me she had listened well We went shooting. She's 10 now and I still make her tell me all the safety rules every time we shoot. With Kids never assume that if you told them once they still know what you said six months ago. Repeat it often.
 
Mine saw guns from the time they were babies, started learning about hiw to handle them at four or five, started shooting shortly after that. I learned that a little girl can use an ar15 with a collapsible stock more easily than a youth model 10/22.

I probably spent at least twice as much time teaching them to be safe than i spent teaching them to be effective. Didn't really do handguns until they were adolescents. Mostly i just made Firearms available if they wanted to learn about them (one is much more interested than the other) but didnt really push it. Didnt want them to feel like it was a chore. But once a year or so i'd make both of them show me that they knew how to safely and effectively operate the family's standard calibres of handgun, shotgun, and rifles. So i did push a little bit.
 
If you don't mind me asking at what age were you able to even start explaining the basics of safety?
Click to expand...
Just continually go over it from day one. Youll be amazed at how much they absorb and learn, and how quickly.

Dont get stuck on a certain age, as age really has nothing to do with it, it should just be constant from day one.

Waiting for them to reach a certain age, is just waiting for trouble. You teach them about all the other dangerous stuff from day one, guns are no different.
 
1) get them comfortable around them
2) remove the mystery
3) show them what they can do to a pumpkin
4) teach them how to handle a gun so you can trust them around one
5) never trust them around one.... they're kids for crying out loud!
 
What they said.

As soon as they show any recognition of guns, explain to them, show them, and let them handle them while reinforcing muzzle control and other safety rules.

I started both my sons that way when they were still in diapers.

Once the "forbidden to touch" and "hide them" mystery is gone, there will be no temptation to sneak a peek when dad isn't looking.

By the time my kids were 4-5 years old, I was always way more worried about thier little friends coming over to visit then leaving my kids alone in the gun room.

rc
 
Family fun. Plinking with Grandad at ages 5 and 8 led to to competitve BB and pellet shoots the next year. They won gift cards and BB guns and have kept shooting. Got into handguns, shotguns, and rifles -- and CC as adults.
 
A thought...... where did your dad hide his gun? His dirty mags? Christmas presents? Lock them up.
 
When I was a little kid, guns were no big deal around our house. There was no mystery, just the usual teaching: Guns are dangerous. I shot my first shotgun when I was about 5 years old. My Daddy gave me my own on my seventh birthday. (Yeah, I stlll have it almost 50 years later!)

My Daughter had a little baby girl and lived with us while she finished college. When the little girl started walking, I told my wife and daughter that we needed to start a gun safety program. I run a gun business and have lots of assorted firearms here that may in the process of getting unpacked or packed for shipping. We taught her that guns are dangerous...like the hot water faucet or the stove. Not bad, just dangerous. She only ever got one little butt lifter pop to help her learn. Now, she's 15 years old and a shootist. A very safety minded young lady. If she ever does shoot someone in her lifetime, it'll be on purpose! She also wants to learn about how they work so she's working part time in my gun shop. (And wants to be paid for it!!!)

Personally, I think children should be taught about firearms whether they become shooters or not. Even if you keep your's in a bank vault, he/she may still come into contact with one at a freinds house. Most concientious parents will teach their children about drugs, sex, when to run and yell fire, strangers, etc. Why not about firearms too? My daughter and grand daughter were taught about firearms but also taught how to deal with one if a friend says "hey, want to see my fathers pistol"? My Grand daughter left and ran home one time. She remembered her lessons. She's alive! Keep yer powder dry, Mac.
Tuff-Gun Finishes. The Name Says It All.
Mac's Shootin' Irons
http://www.shootiniron.com
 
guyfromohio said:
A thought...... where did your dad hide his gun? His dirty mags? Christmas presents? Lock them up.
Click to expand...
All in the same place conveniently. If it weren't for the dirty mags I probably would have been playing with the guns. Wow,my dad was smarter than I thought.
 
CorneredCat.com has a good section on gunproofing kids
the gist is you teach them what a gun is and what a gun can do, as there is NO way to keep a kid out of them, they will watch your combo, they steal your keys etc. and the best bet is just to make guns guns and not something mysterious.
 
I have six kids (grownup now), and we exposed them to shooting starting as babies, we'd go to the range and so would they and often the hardest part was just keeping ear plugs in place! But they would hear and see the rules of gun safety over and over for their first five years. The fifth b-day was always big because that's when they were told they could start shooting a youth's .22lr single shot, break action but only with one on one constant supervision and they had to explain each step before they did it and they shot as much as they wanted. At seven was when they usually got their own first gun, usually of their choosing (my last daughter chose a Henry's .22 pump action & won't part with even after all these years). The point is they grew up knowing the rules and if they saw something handled wrong or an unsafe situation, they were taught to remove yourself quickly and quietly. Today, try to hand even one of my girls a rifle or hand gun without it unloaded and the action open and they'll set you straight as one did with a date who joined us once, I was proud of her (she will load her own thank you)! The point is: 1. Expose them safely & early. 2. Safety over and over and over... (safety violation lost you shooting privileges for 3 trips and you went anyway). 3. Let them Shoot as much as they want and shoot often, 1X mo. min. (they'll never feel like they need to sneak some extra in). 4. Age appropriate changes. We didn't add Handguns before (approx. age 9 boys & 10 girls) they had the arm/wrist strength to handle it (.22 only). 5. Precision and accuracy prized and rewarded (ice cream:D) far over rapid fire, anyone can do the later! Today, sadly, they are grown up and on their own, but they all CC and have their own growing collections. What's great is I already have 6 grandchildren and the oldest is six (already shooting) and in Dec. got a five yr old coming and he's already asking to go on his B-Day, skip the party he say's! What more can you ask for?:)
 
I would keep them out of reach until your daughter is old enough to reason with to some degree. Show by example. If you treat a gun casually, so will she. When she gets older, take her along with you shooting and when she shows an interest, go over the safety aspects and let her shoot under your supervision.
 
Never let them point toy guns at anyone.
Click to expand...
To the OP... the above statement is a suggestion and not a unilateral rule in the gun community; just want to save you from some confusion. If the parent feels this is the right or wrong way to go, that's their belief. Obviously there are tens of millions of Americans who pointed their toy guns or gun-shaped hand/finger at their peers during playtime. Children have been playing with toy weapons and playing imaginary killing games for thousands of years. I have to make a wild guess and say that almost every last one of them did not become a murderer because of it.
 
I totally agree with the demysification. Always be straight with them. Just like showing them to be mindful. Like you you'd teach them how to behave around a hot wood stove, etc.

Started my two girls about 7 with a Crossman air rifle. One child took an interest....the othe didn't. They both were trained in safety and use. The one that loves to shoot shot airguns with me almost every evening. On one early session she broke a safety rule and swept me with a muzzle. I called her on it. Punishment was no shooting for a week, then I'd let her try again. She never broke that rule (or any other) after that first safety violation. A month later she was allowed solo shooting sessions with the Crossman, though I was secretly watching from the bedroom window.

To spur interest in a young one, use balloons for targets. Much more interesting than punching paper to small ones. When mine graduated to .22, a year later, we eventually used spinner targets and balloons.
 
A thought...... where did your dad hide his gun? His dirty mags? Christmas presents? Lock them up.
Click to expand...

Well the guns were never hidden. We didn't even have a cabinet when I was growing up. They were in corners of every closet and his bedroom. Most were loaded. We just knew not to play with them. There was no curiosity either that made us want to, because all we had to do was ask to see one and he would clear it and hand it to us. The 4 rules were stressed at all times.

I don't know when I started talking to mine. She got a Cricket when she turned 5. She's 9 now. Guns were always just part of life, so it was never mysterious or taboo.
 
I want to thank everyone for the advice. I guess as soon as she becomes able to comprehend objects (I mean she sort of knows how to pet a dog and cat properly) I'll start with a talk. Guess I'll have to wait awhile for her to get to try everything...since my wife and pretty much everyone else will not be into it, BUT I don't think anyone is objecting to the safety aspect. I wish I could do more than shooting paper though, but I lack land and membership in a gun club (besides a very nice indoor range).
 
Try PA State Game Lands for plinking and casual shooting. Just clean up after you are done.
 
I started when I was about 5. Dad built guns so there were ALWAYS a dozen or so sitting around. Didn't have a locked gun case either. We were told the dangers and safe handling from the get go.

Now, I've taught my boys about shooting and guns. Oldest has his own bb gun and while the youngest has shot a few times, he could care less. Either way, they know about them, there's no mystery and they know that if they ever want to talk about them or check them out, all they need to do is ask me.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

zdc1775
  • Locked
Introducing a Brit to shooting
Replies
15
Views
628
JellyJar
J
M
  • Locked
How young is too young?
Replies
20
Views
1K
Glockster35
G
Skribs
  • Locked
I'll have to see how this goes...
Replies
20
Views
2K
mortablunt
M
M
  • Locked
How do you get someone over their fear of guns?
2
Replies
39
Views
2K
bgeddes
B
C
  • Locked
When did you buy your kid their first gun?
2 3
Replies
54
Views
2K
erik the bold
E
Back
Top