How young is too young?

[Nuclearmike]

How young is too young to start intriducing your children to firearms and firearm safety? Well, now that I think about it I don't suppose they can ever be too young to talk about safety. In any case, this subject has come up between me and Mrs. Nuclearmike and I started thinking about when I got my first BB gun and when I might get one one for my oldest. Remembering back I believe I was either in first or second grade when Santa Claus brought me my first Daisy lever action.

Opinions? Suggestions?

 

[Jalexander]

I was just discussing this with my darling bride not too long ago, since I want to get one of those Crickett rifles for our new nephew. (Opinions, anyone?)

I know that I had BB/pellet guns from five or six, and I got my first shotgun for Christmas when I was seven. I didn't get to take the shotgun out except when I was highly supervised, but it was certainly mine. As far as things go today, that might be a trifle young, because this was twenty-plus years ago in rural Texas.

Nowadays I'd prob'ly introduce the young'un to shooting a BB gun at around seven or eight, depending on how wild he (or she) was. After that, perhaps a single-shot .22, closely supervised?

Or am I a relic, as my bride sometimes accuses me?

James

 

[jefnvk]

I can't remember a time when I was young and wasn't shooting (18 now). I know I was shooting 410's and 20's at 7 or 8, and .22 before that. Always supervised, of course. Nothing bad happened.

 

[Werewolf]

Well - my three year old granddaughter knows absolutely not to touch my guns without permission and she always asks if she sees one.

Sometimes when I'm cleaning one she'll want to help but she always asks if she can touch first.

I figure when she's six or seven I'll buy a .22 pistol and start teaching her to shoot. Then a couple of years later it'll be my grandson's turn (he's 10 months old now).

My niece was shooting my Glock 22 when she was 11 and could do pretty good out to about 10 yards or so. I bought a Marlin 25 for her to shoot but it was a bit to big for her and though she liked shooting it couldn't get the hang of it.

I figure 5 to 7 depending on the child is the age to start them shooting.

 

[Wayne D]

Depends on the maturity of the kid. My daughter, I started at 6 or 7, I can't remember exactly. She is a very smart kid and she was mature for her age. My son, I waited until he was 8, he was just a little too wild and unpredictable to be trusted before then.

 

[Jake]

Started my oldest daughter shooting at age 5. Me and the wife had talked it over and had planned on waiting till she was 7 or 8. However, she began to show a strong interest in firearms a few months before her 6th b-day. She started to ask all kinds of questions, wanted to see them and hold them as well. So I took her to the local indoor range and rented a .22 pistol for her to try. She got scared by all the noise from the other shooters when we first went in and said she wanted to leave but I asked her to try 1 shot and if she didn't like it we would leave. So she tried 1 shot and 2 hours later we were still there plinking away. Went out a week later and got her her own pistol.

 

[rbrowning]

My grandson is 2 and I have started talking to him about things that you do and don't do with a gun. Of course the day care was a bit upset when Bambi's daddy came on screen and Noah yelled "shoot it".

I don't recall ever not being around guns, but I do remember ordering my first bb gun from Herter's when I was in the first grade.

 

[gazpacho]

I believe that a child's first firearm should be a single shot 22lr rifle, and they can be allowed to shoot it (fully supervised) when they they have he physical strength to support the rifle steadily, and the manual dexterity to operate the firearm surely. I don't believe that a child should be allowed to shoot a handgun until they are older, and considerable experience with firearms already, and have demonstrated the ability to hold onto the firearm securely when the unexpected happens. My fear is that the startled child may drop the handgun, when it is off safe and a round is ready to fire. A dropped handgun is much more likely to spin and be pointing in a very bad direction when dropped than a rifle is. I don't care about all the drop testing modern guns get, and all of the safety features. Until the child is experienced enough to know when to quickly and safely put down the firearm and walk away from it, the child should not be allowed to operate a handgun.

 

[crewchief]

Jalexander,

It is funny that you bring that up because some family members are in shock that my Father-in-law and myself went in and got my new niece a cricket .22lr for Christmas. She is only 3mos. old and she will be 6mo. old when she gets it for her first Christmas. We know however that it will be a few years before she is able to shoot in and comprehend safety and how powerful firearms are and they are not a toy. In fact that is one of the only hurdles I see when starting children off in the shooting sports is having them understand it is not a TOY. Most children from very young all the way up until they are about 12 see firearms as nothing but toys and don't understand the true leathality of them. Even some adults have no idea how powerful that "little" bullet is when it is traveling several thousand fps.

I would say the first thing to instill is that Daddy's guns are not toys and under no circumstances are they to be touched or handled unless directly supervised by Daddy. This can be a bit tricky as you want to instill a level of respect for the firearms in your children but at the same time you don't want to scare them off of the idea when it comes time to actually start learning to shoot.

 

[Standing Wolf]

It seems to me if they're old enough to stand up and hold a gun and express curiosity, they're old enough to be introduced to firearms. I've seen children as young as four shooting under very close adult supervision.

I'm sure children who learn to shoot safely are much less likely to grow up to be criminals than those who don't.

 

[Nuclearmike]

Thanks for all the replies. The reason I ask is that my six year old daughter is starting to take an interest in firearms. I haven't taken her shooting yet as I don't have anything appropriate for her to shoot but I have let her help me clean mine while giving some basic safety instructions and took her to one of the local gun shops the other day. She really enjoyed the trip to the gun shop, taking a fancy to the Springfield Gov't Models (the girl has good taste from the start, I reckon) and doesn't lose interest while helping me clean. So maybe this old Leatherneck has a little girl that wants to learn how to shoot. Get misty eyed just thinking about it.

 

[kudu]

rbrowning,

Of course the day care was a bit upset when Bambi's daddy came on screen and Noah yelled "shoot it".

ROFLMAO- Thanks for that mental picture.

 

[joebogey]

My daughter started when she was seven years old.
She has her own 10/22 with a shortened stock. I bought the used stock from a TFL member and had it cut down to fit her.
I kept the original to put back on once she grew into it.
She's now 11, and she knows without a doubt that touching one of my guns without my supervision will get her a butt busting she won't soon forget.
But man oh man does she love to go through the ammo when she shoots. She could break you up supplying shells. LOL

 

[Schwatt]

My nephew is 8, he started shooting a couple of years ago with a Crickett.

Now he shoots clays with his 20 ga, and goes waterfowl hunting with us as well. His first day hunting ever was last year, and he bagged 4 ducks himself


Schwatt

 

[Kar-el]

I started my boys when they were 5 and 6 years old with a Chipmonk .22. They graduated to a P-22 the next year. They are now 8 and 9 and shoot skeet with a single shot .410 or 20 gauge from the #1,2, 6 and 7 stations.

They have shot my Glock 26, Makarov, Kimber .45, GP-100 (with .38s), CZ-75. What they like to shoot the most are my AK-47, Sub 2000, and my Hi-point 9mm carbine(Naysayers of this illustrious firearm, hush!)

All this has been done under intense supervision (I feel like a drill sargent). I often take the neighbor kids (no more than 4 total) along and bring balloons, water jugs, clay pigeons, and exploding targets to keep it fun. I have had only one parent not want their child to go and learn about shooting with me (and that boy called it!-he did not want to ask his Mom but his Dad wasn't home). I'm thrilled to teach the kids about gun safety. Just last year in this neighborhood a kid got shot with a bow in the calf because an adult let the kid use it unsupervised!

So in answer to your question I'd say depending on the child's development about 5 years old. Before that I'd use a Red Ryder BB gun or an airsoft gun.

Schwatt-I wish my boys could hunt in Mi. But the age limit is 14

 

[M2 Carbine]

I started teaching a friend's boys to shoot when they could handle a Beretta 22.
I think about 7 or 8.
The younger one couldn't pull the slide back so he used the tip up barrel.

Pretty soon the boys could pass the Texas CHL shooting qualification with that little pistol.
As I recall they got in the 230s out of 250.

Now they are hard to keep up with, with any gun.

My friend told me the other day it was about time to teach his girl to shoot.

 

[cthulhu138]

My 5 year old is a great range buddy. We'll drive around the club I'm a member of, and find an unused range, and set up. He's well versed in when we can walk forward, and when we stay back. I dont like to use a range with other shooters on them out of consideration for his safety, and the nervousness of other shooters. He'll hop on my lap on the bench and take a few shots with a .22 bolt action sometimes, but he's pleased as punch to draw targets with a big marker, and walk out with me and staple them up.

If we dont find an empty range, we just grab a soda, put in our earplugs and watch the guys shoot skeet at the trap range.

Big deals for keeping them safe, happy, and interested so far seem to be to just take them when they ask, don't pull them away from something else to go. If they get tired of being there, pack it up and go home. My son understands that if he doesnt listen and do what he's told even one time during a range visit, we're going home right then and there. We haven;t had that problem. I gave him his own glasses and hearing protection, and a small range bag to keep them in. He also has a stack of printer paper and his big marker. He is also sadistic in target choice. We have a little plinking range, and he sets up spent pistol casings for me at 20 yards. I shoot em with a scoped .22 from sitting with a sling and rarely miss. He is underwhelmed by this feat, and harasses me greatly when he sets up 10, I run through 2 5 round mags and theres still one standing.

Oh, and handwashing. Lots of it. You dont want them wandering around with primer lead residue on them. Just keep them happy, comfortable and safe.

And don't fuss when their momma teaches them how to make crafts with fake flowers Well rounded, you know.

Edit:
Oh, and one more tip for a first few range visits. While you are shooting, ask them to put their hand on your shoulder, that way you know they are still behind you, and not potentially wandering into danger. You stop feeling that hand, safety goes on, head comes up.

 

[Lupine]

This is all great advice! My beau's six-year-old son spends a lot of time here. I want to teach him how to shoot my pellet gun, but poppa bear's a bit nervous--mostly because the child's mom is the type to disapprove just for the sake of raising hell.

I think hands-on familiarity with the mechanics of guns, in conjunction with clearly outlining the rules of safety, would make the child safer in any home with guns, and perhaps curb the curiosity. What do you think?

 

[WEPS]

my first rifle was a single shot bolt action 22. i still have it, it's been passed down through the family for years and i plan to pass it on to my son when he is ready.

 

[benEzra]

I've used a toy suction-cup pistol from Wal-Mart to begin teaching the kids (age 5 and 3) basic gun safety. My 3yo daughter really picked it up quickly. "Safe diwection...finger off buttmon...finger on buttmon..."[POP goes the suction cup]. That way, you can teach them safety using something that they can't hurt anything with if they mess up. We treat it just like a real gun; she's not allowed to hold it without our supervision, it is kept where she can't access it, etc. When they're a little older, I'll transition to supervised shooting of BB guns.

BTW, my son first shot a BB gun at age 4 (Daisy Red Ryder), with my help, but it's a bit big for him.

 

[HankB]

I grew up in Chicago, so things were a little different than for folks who grew up in rural areas. Still, as a youngster I often shot BB and pellet guns in the back yard during the '60s and early '70s with no problems from the neighbors.

With close supervision (I mean 1 parent, 1 child) you can start the kid as soon as you want. I got my first BB gun at age four - I was so little, I had to tuck the stock under my armpit, otherwise I couldn't reach the trigger. But when shooting it, Dad was always right there to help ME shoot.

At age 7 I got a .22 rifle - again, Dad was always helping me . . . when we took it out, it was for ME to shoot.

I had lots of toy guns - typical for a kid at that time - but I knew the difference between a toy and a real gun.

I was probably around 11 or 12 or so when I was "turned loose" with an air pistol and allowed to shoot it by myself in the back yard (later the basement) with the proviso that I do it alone, not with another kid. Kids that age in groups can suffer a collective loss of good sense.

So the bottom line is, my advice is to start the kid as early as possible, supervise him closely, and teach the difference between real and toy guns.

 

[Girlwithagun]

I believe that a child should be introduced to firearms as early as possible. From the time our kids could move around, we began to teach them things like staying away from electrical outlets or not playing at the top of the stairs. Teaching gun safety should be taught right along with these. This is not to say that they will fully understand right away but they will understand alot sooner if its something they have always known.

Here are some tips to help train your kids:
-Teach your kids the rules but keep in simple at first. At ages 2 and 3, my kids know not to touch a gun without asking, to come tell mommy and daddy or the parent in charge if they see a gun or if their friend shows them one, to keep their finger off the trigger and to not point it at anyone.

-Role play a bit. Use unloaded guns to test your kids out to make sure if a gun is found, they will tell you. Hand your child an unloaded gun and if his finger goes near the trigger or he points it at someone, take the gun away and explain the rules again.

-Take your kids to the range if possible. My kids go along while we trap shoot and my husband and I take turns standing with them while the other shoots. They have also watched us at the pistol range from behind the glass. This is important because you can tell them what guns can do but they need to actually see it.

-The earlier you start, the better. My 3 year old asks to see my carry gun from time to time. I tell him ok but we have to make it safe first. I then ask him what steps we need to take to make sure the gun is safe. He will tell me to drop the magazine and rack the slide. After I do those things and make sure it is unloaded, I dry fire it and let him touch it. He has seen me do this so many times. At his age, he can't rack the slide himself but thats a good thing for now.

-When you feel your child is ready, let him shoot. My oldest child went out for the first time when he had just turned 3. At that point, my husband actually pulled the trigger but my son shouldered the gun and held it up with his hand (and my husbands help). We have not let him pull the trigger himself yet. This all depends on the childs maturity level too. My youngest son is now 2 and a half and I just broke him of the habit of putting his finger on the trigger when he is handed a gun. He is a bit more rebelious than his brother was at that age so I think he needs a little more training before he goes out to shoot.

-Every time you have your guns out (cleaning, going to the range...) go over the rules again. Ask questions like "What would you do if you saw a gun?" "What if your friend wanted to show you his parents gun?" If you don't take your guns out enough around them, make a point to. Drill the rules into their heads. Think of every possible scenario and make sure they know what to do. Let them ask you questions too.

Basically, start young and keep on it. Good luck!

 

[DragonFire]

I started my daughter at around 6 years old. She dislikes long-guns, and only wants to use handguns. I got a S&W .22 pistol for her use. As we're walking to the range, I always ask her to repeat the rules for safe gun handling. She always gets them right. While I still supervisor her closely, I trust her enough to give her a little more space while she's actually shooting.

One thing to think about, and something I talk to her about occassionally, is that while there's certainly nothing wrong about shooting, it isn't something to go about talking about at school. We talk about why. How not everyone likes shooting, how some people are afraid of even hearing about guns, and how someone over hearing her conversation may panic at the mere mention of the word 'GUN'.

I think she understands that this is THEIR problem, and not something wrong with her enjoying shooting.

Since many of my guns are for CCW, we've also talked about why I carry a gun, and why we don't talk about me carrying when we're out in public. She has helped my clean my guns, and helps while I'm reloading my putting the new rounds into the boxes.

I'm pretty sure she'll be a shooter for life.

 

[JamisJockey]

How about 7 months?

Check out that finger...off the trigger!


I'm thinking that when I think he's smart enough to understand and obey the 'rules' I'll start him on a BB gun or Airsoft gun. From there, its a matter of how well he progresses.

 

[Black Snowman]

My old roommate had a young son and I had lots of guns. When he was old enough to start asking questions I started giving him answers. As soon as he was able to understand I told him that the guns were dangerous and could potentially kill but if he wanted to know anything about them or handle them that he could ask his Dad or myslef and we'd be happy to explain them and even let him handle them.

His answer? "I'll stick to toy guns for now. I don't have to worry about hurting people and can play with them."

Good kid. Smart too. He was 2 and a half when we had this discussion. He doesn't visit anymore but my offer to teach him about guns still stands and his Dad knows it