How do you first introduce firearms to your children?

[jhco50]

All of my kids started at the age of five. I began with talking about the firearm and letting them hold it. I kept them going with this until they could tell me the 10 rules of safety and practiced it. It didn't take long. I then took them out to the canyon and let them fire a round (Cricket .22 for the girls). I would single load for them and show them how to aim. I would then give him free time to send lots of bullets down range. It would take a few range trips to get them comfortable.

If you take the mystery out of the firearm, they won't mess with it. My son is now 40 and worked several years as a guard in Sacramento, Ca., guarding Arnold.

 

[Manco]

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.

Well, there is that notion that some people have, but there is also the (more valid) notion of ingraining safe gun handling habits from the start, and it's still a personal decision and a parents' prerogative, as you said.

In my view, as much as I generally favor the constant reinforcement of basic habits for maximum safety, telling children never to pretend to shoot anybody with a toy (or their finger) goes a bit too far. I suppose it's like telling people not to bump others while riding in bumper cars at an amusement park, for fear that it may cause them to become unsafe drivers on the road in real cars. Anybody who drives or shoots should be able to tell the difference between play and reality, or else they should not be driving or shooting.

On a personal note, playing with cap guns (wouldn't do that today because people would get scared and call the police ) and other replica toys as a child did not make me unsafe with my BB gun (didn't get into firearms until adulthood )--I treated it differently and always in accordance with the rules of safety, as I do today with firearms, of course.

 

[JRWhit]

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. I guess the question may be more the when than how.

With my little girl, It was ,in the younger years, you have to create a situation in which they notice a fire arm. Once they have noticed it, direct them, tell them in a way that shows it's not to be touched. This is in the toddler years, don't scare them with it as though it will somehow attack them. Just tell them no,no,no. And at that,keep the guns out of reach and put away. As they grow up and come more into maturity you'll be able to tell when they are ready. Not all kids will mature at the same ages. Just look for the time that they are able to sit and listen without being distracted to the point of missing key safety rules. For some kids that may be 5 others may be 10.

 

[JRWhit]

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

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That serves as an excellent reminder. It's been a while since we had that talk about what to do at a friends house. Thanks for the reminder.

 

[snakeman]

we start with a bb gun at age five then a 22 at age six

 

[ZeSpectre]

I grew up on a farm in the 60s-70s. My God the list of seriously dangerous things I had to learn about was damn near infinite. Firearms were just one of many things that Dad showed me and taught me how to handle/operate safely.

I guess what I'm saying is the same as others, don't give firearms some special "mystic" properties, show them as a tool like any other and use age-appropriate lessons to teach safe use of that tool.

 

[CoRoMo]

Anybody who drives or shoots should be able to tell the difference between play and reality, or else they should not be driving or shooting.

Excellent point.

I was talking to my little boy last night about this very thing. He has many (too many ) toy guns and I was reinforcing the difference between play things and real. He's getting a BB gun for his birthday per his request and he's been required to memorize the 4 rules before he can take possession of it.

He knows them by heart and understands them as well.

 

[Arkansas Paul]

He's getting a BB gun for his birthday per his request and he's been required to memorize the 4 rules before he can take possession of it.

Good stuff.
When my daughter started shooting a .22, I would make her recite them to me every time we went out shooting. She could say them when she was 5 years old. She has always had very good muzzle discipline because she was taught correctly from the beginning.

 

[1KPerDay]

My three year old daughter asked to hold "a tiny gun" last night... So I got the .25 FN out of the safe, checked it, stressed the "don't point a gun at anyone or yourself" and "keep your finger off the trigger" rules, and helped her hold it. Next tried a P.38 and an Remington New Army.

Then she was done and off to play with her dolls.

If they break any of the rules, the session is immediately over for the day, the guns go back in the safe and we review the rules.

 

[HankR]

Agree - -make sure there's no secrecy or mystery. The younger one's can't touch guns on their own.

Make sure to offer short sessions at first. They get bored very quickly. They need to at least be able to parrot the 4 rules, and show that they understand. I've found that reactive targets keep their interest better than paper (metal spinners, balloons, stationary clay pigeons).

My son started at 6 or so, w/ a BB gun and then a .22. Very recoil shy as a kid, so I was very careful not to push. He would get bored very quickly.

My daughter started this past weekend, at age 7. She had been checking out the pink guns in a couple of stores, and I'd told here I wasn't going to buy her a pink gun, but I have a gun just like that (.22 break open, youth) at home and I'll show you how to use it any time you want. On Saturday I got all ready to go out back and sight in a rifle, and casually asked her if she wanted to come along. She did, so that rifle went back in the safe and big brother's old break open came out. I asked her to tell me the four rules, and she did (but in the wrong order). I asked for them in order, and she complied. She didn't want to quit. I bet we shot for 3 hours. I kept mentioning that we could quit and do it again next week, but she wanted to keep on truckin'. Finally Mom came out and got us at supper time. She wanted to do it again the next day, but I had too many chores to do.

 

[mgmorden]

Don't have any children myself, but my two nieces and their mom live with me for the time being.

I've let the older of the two (4 years old) pull the lever of the press as I reload (she's at that "I wanna help!" age ), but for the time being she's under strict "No touch!" rules regarding guns, ammo, and matches.

She's come running to me before to let me know she spotted a "bullet" on the floor and sure enough a single round of .22LR was sitting there (probably fell out of my pocket). She knew not to touch it and to get me first, which is reassuring.

When she gets older I'll be teaching her to shoot, but realistically I don't think she truly can understand the finality of the consequences of a slip-up, so she won't be shooting quite yet. I figure in another two years or so I'll start her on a BB gun and probably rimfires when she's 9 or 10. Centerfires I'll probably just wait until she's mastered the rimfires and I'm confident that she's strong enough to handle the recoil.

 

[1KPerDay]

She had been checking out the pink guns in a couple of stores, and I'd told here I wasn't going to buy her a pink gun

why not?

 

[gfanikf]

why not?

Cause they're tacky! Least that's my philosophy and thankfully my wife hate's the hot pink marketing trend, so thankfully I might get some backup. Hopefully she'll just like wood stock. lol

 

[mgmorden]

Anybody who drives or shoots should be able to tell the difference between play and reality, or else they should not be driving or shooting.

In general, I agree, but some toy guns are pretty close looking these days. It wasn't marked as such but I was in Wal-mart the other day looking at the toys and they had a plastic toy gun that was pretty much identical to a Beretta 92 in size and shape. It had a trigger that felt realistic (gritty and spongy, but not all that different from a really bad double-action trigger) and a slide that moved back and forth.

It was close enough that I considered buying the little bugger for dry-fire practice. It was completely orange which was a giveaway but if it had been black it would have been very hard to tell the diff at a glance.

 

[threefortyduster]

They are around the house, and both my now 2 year old daughter and 4 year old (as of 9/30) nephew know not to touch, but to ask and they'll get to see.

My nephew knew months ago on command that if he sees a gun laying to 1) get an adult. I asked him what the other first step is and he can rip right off "check to see if its loaded". He does good, and likes the candy he gets when he gets the rules right.

My daughter is on the track. She knows they go boom, doesn't try to touch when they're out (Being cleaned or loaded, etc), but loves when she gets the chance to touch them.

 

[Deltaboy1984]

I let mine go to the range with me and watch me shoot. I discussed how to handle and to shoot and then clean it.

When she was 7 I let her shoot my Ruger MKII. Then she helped clean it when we got home.
I taught her all the gun safety rules and she knows they are not toys.
She has her own rifel and I am getting her a pistol when she turns 18. She likes shooting pistols best.