I need some help here

Status
Not open for further replies.
H

Hboy828

Member
Joined
Nov 5, 2010
Messages
58
Ok, for a while now I've been wanting to get a .22 pistol, as some of you here, I'm not old enough to own one myself. I have decided to write a letter to each o my parents explaining why I'd be safe with it and some ideas like, getting a safe and putting it on her room without me knowing the combination or something like that.
Those are the types of things I want to focus on. She knows I'm responsive but she is scared of any things that could go wrong.

Please tell me some things to write.
Thanks hboy
 
No offense, but a letter to your parents shouldn't really have anything in it from anyone other than you. Be honest, and respectful. While you live under their authority, you need to respect it.

Having said that, rather than telling them that you want a pistol, simply ask them if they could help you learn more about guns and shooting. They are your parents, and they should know the best way to help you get involved. Maybe a hunter's safety course, a basic handgun class, etc.

Have you attended anything like that before?
 
No I haven't. But intend to use it primarily for plinking with my friends and maybe small game
 
A safety course should definitely be your first step, and is something you can do with your parents to hopefully get them involved in your potential new hobby.

Safety is always the number 1 requirement when firearms are concerned, and I think your parents will appreciate the fact that you want to be safe about it rather than just jumping in with both feet.
 
First, this is a BAD place to ask for advice like this, for US, and for YOU.

Second, the type and quality of the NRA courses you've successfully completed.
(NO age limit there.)

The best advice I can think of is:

Sorry, dude, waiting till you're of proper age can keep you and your folks out of the soup.

There's no reason you can't take safety, ownership, and shooting courses in order to prepare you for a bright future as a legal firearm owner when you come of age.
 
It's a bad place because many will be of the opinion that if your parents don't already understand your desire for a handgun, there's nothing we can or should say to change their minds.
The suggestion for safety training is a good idea. In my state hunter's safety courses are held often by sportsmen's clubs and even in local high schools. If you look hard enough something should turn up.
 
This is an internet forums.

Now, at some point, somebody,(maybe not you) is going to either take bad advice, or do something REALLY stupid following advice given on the forums.

Then( UNLIKE government, school, most workplaces, corporations,or the media) somebody else is going to want to hold the forums and the posters responsible for their "bad" advice.

If this is really important to you, seek the advice of an attorney with experience in firearms law in your state.
 
Last edited:
He's not saying that this site is a bad place, just the INTERNET is not the best place to get advice.

You'll need to search around for sportsman's clubs and call them about hunter's safety classes. Call a few gun shops and ask them about safety classes. Some of them, somewhere, will know something.

But also, 50+ miles is acceptable. My concealed carry course was further away than that.
 
H-Boy, my daughter wanted to hunt... she found, signed up for, found a ride to and attended a hunter safety class on her own. I then purchased her a 30-30 rifle. Do your part and they will do theirs.

Another thought, ask your parents to purchase a .22 pistol for themselves.... to let you use under their supervision, to be given to you at your 18 birthday. Thats a fair deal. Of course, if your dads like me... I would make you fight me for it :)
 
So, what you're saying is you're going to simply rationalize away any advice you don't like buy making excuses, and then just do what you want anyway.

So why did you ask for help in the first place?

If it's really important to you, you'll figure out a way to go those 50 miles and take the courses. Most of them only last @ 3 to 5 hours of one day. You get a certificate, suitable for framing, handed to you when you leave.

If you can't afford them, forget about guns. You can't afford to shoot, either.
It costs a small fortune.
 
You might also check to see if your school has a ROTC program which you could enroll in with your parents permission. Whatever you do you must involve your parents and they should behind you all the way. If this is too much to ask than wait till you are of age and no longer depend on them for support.
 
Actually I am in my high school ROTC class and they only use air rifles and pistols .
@therewolf-seems like your just trying to insult me so give helpful advice or get out of my thread.
I am going to get my uncle who is a police officer to teach me stuff and my friends dad who has alot of guns and I go shooting with him alot.
 
Uncle Officer

That's not a bad idea.

I would urge you NOT to forget about guns. Since you are in high school, I'd imagine that you could find a buddy with a DL and wheels to join you in an NRA course down the highway.
 
Now something seems a little wrong with the direction this thread is going and frankly it disgusts me.

I can understand the whole liability thing, but that is NOT the issue here... The kid wants some help bringing his folks around so that he can get into shooting safely and without anyone getting in trouble. He came to one of the best known firearms forums in the country for advice on how to talk to his parents. Telling him he's screwing up from the start and "just wait till you're 18" and all that other hogwash isn't helping.

As gun owners ourselves we should be giving him the same advice we'd expect our own kids to hear, IE: Take it up with your folks, suggest taking a family safety course or go to the hunters safety course with your parent, etc... He seems to be asking how to get them involved so that they'll feel more comfortable with him shooting.

Sure he's probably got ulterior motives but that's why he NEEDS the safety classes that have been suggested by many of us, and explaining the rules of firearm safety &etc, the basics, or even helping him figure out just how to talk to his folks about it can only be a good thing.

Telling him to sod off and wait till he's 18 isn't the way to welcome a new shooter. How many of you waited until you were 18 to start shooting because that was the law? There are legal ways around the age limit for pistol and firearm possession for this specific reason; because firearms and shooting sports are an important part of our culture and heritage.

To the OP: My best advice (other than take some classes both alone and with your folks) is to get your folks to sign up here at THR and you can learn together, and maybe they will understand where you're coming from better, and be more amenable to your desire to become a shooter. The NRA isn't the only group that offers safety courses either. Check with your local DNR office too. Ask around local gun shops. You'll find something suitable with a little work.

Good luck.

Just my $0.02, take it or leave it.
 
Yep I am gonna get some advice from my uncle and look for classes than the NRA
Thanks for the awesome advice rail driver and coromo
 
Hboy - IMHO, you've gotten some fine advice here. If you don't like that advice or the way it's given, that's fine - but part of being mature is not copping an attitude in return.

That said, I'll add my two cents and suggest again that instead of writing your parents a letter, you show them that you're willing to take the initiative and get some safety training first. If that means finding a ride and making your own way the 50 or so miles to nearest class like McDonl's daughter did, then so be it. Because while your Uncle may be a good shot and familiar with guns, it's hard for a parent to argue with a certificate from a well-known group like the NRA or a state safety program. It's also hard to argue with the dedication and effort you'd have put out to achieve your goal.

Long story short, actions speak louder than words. If you want them to trust you with a gun, show them that they can do so. Any fool can write a letter. A mature individual puts forth effort, and follows through. Good luck. :)
 
I'm not trying to be negative, but it's obvious I'm giving you advice you don't like. It's a wakeup call. Anybody here want to tell the OP guns are inexpensive,
or doing it right's going to be easy?

Like you, I cut my teeth on air rifles. They are a fine way to start. Seek and respect guidance from your Uncle and Father. ROTC is great.

Unless you're independently wealthy, you may also want to start seeking a source of income to pay for not only decent guns, but ammo, targets, gun cleaning supplies, other accessories,permits,etc.
 
Your not giving advice I don't like but you perceive I don't have $ and I do. Trust mr I have plenty of money
 
Trust mr I have plenty of money
Click to expand...

That won't last. Trust me. Life will spend it for you.

As others have said, take the initiative. Get training. Prove you can be trusted by taking action to better your position.
 
Hey, parents buy thier kids cars all the time.

A 22 pistol is a LOT less dangerous than a car, and a thousand-time less dangerous than a motorcycle. Parents buy their kids cars and bikes all the time. My hometown lost a few kids every month, driving drunk on River Road. When was the last time you heard of a fool kid killing himself with a 22?

The best argument to a parent is an interest in marksmanship. A few colleges have shooting teams. I have no idea if any offer scholarships, but I'd suspect West Point / Annapolis / the Citadel might. A good recruiter might have advice. By 'good' I mean somebody actually interested in you and your career, not just a recruiter looking to fill arbitrary quotas.

The state of Maryland has an online firearms safety training course - http://mdgunsafety.com/
It is a good introductory course. Watching either the DVD or the online course is a prerequisite for buying a pistol in the state of Maryland; it is still a good course for non-Marylanders. Taking it might support your claim of trustworthiness and responsibility.

Remington used to have a good introduction to shotguns course on their website, but it seems to have disappeared.

California and a few other states have their hunters' safety course material online.
 
Hboy828 - Shooting is expensive, but it's not that expensive. Rimfire ammo is still cheap enough you can buy a box with a couple week's worth of scrounged change. I actually did do that in the past (but lately my scrounged change goes into the black powder and musket ball fund).
Cleaning supplies? Old T-shirts make good patches, get yourself a cheap toothbrush, and a bottle of Hoppes oil or solvent goes a long way. I even lube some guns with a few left over drops of 10W40.
Anyone with a sharpie and a spiral notebook or access to a printer with ink can make targets on the cheap.

For my part, I'm definitely not trying to discourage you. But I don't know you. Even if I did, I wouldn't help you outflank your parents. The issue is between you and them.

BTW - do you have a .22 rifle?
For some reason, handguns often scare parents when a rimfire rifle wouldn't. They can be had used for a little over $100 - which is a substantial amount to some but which should still be doable with a winter's worth of shoveling sidewalks or a summer's worth of mowing the grass. Maybe if you run it past your parents and start seeking out safety courses and saving money, they'll understand that you're serious about this.
Are your parents anti-gun or are they just neutral?

And what state are you in?
Don't give details - but if you give your state someone might be able to tell you about some more specific options for safety and marksmanship training.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

T
  • Locked
OT, but I need some support.
2
Replies
34
Views
2K
Khornet
K
J
  • Locked
My Awesome Girlfriend (Or: Some Liberals Understand!)
2
Replies
32
Views
2K
Stickjockey
S
B
  • Locked
Gun room/tornado shelter
Replies
15
Views
3K
lonegunman
L
B
  • Locked
Letters from Kids on Gun Control
Replies
11
Views
667
mortablunt
M
D
  • Locked
Need some help on a situation....
2
Replies
42
Views
2K
ForumSurfer
F
Back
Top