Rules for teen gun ownership

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Personally I wouldn't give any kid of mine (if I had any) under 18 complete access to a gun.

No matter how responsible they are you're legally responsible for them.

You want to give them a gun and call it theirs that's fine, so long as they have to come see you to get to it.


Other than that I think you've got the right mindset.
 
To be honest, signing a written rules list doesn't mean anything, cause anyone can sign a piece of paper. If I was a kid in that situation and I wanted a gun, I'd be willing to say I agree to whatever regardless of how seriously I actually took it.
Yep. Might mean a lot to G-Pa, but many 14 yr olds don't think on that same level,,, I know I certainly didn't,,,
 
I would not present 14 year old with a firearm. There are plenty of alternatives out there including universal gift of cash.
 
I think I bought my first gun at 14 or 15 and stored it in my room and my father never batted an eye. I think it has to do a lot with maturity level.
I was taught the rules of gun safety from a young age and I guess he knew I was responsible enough.

YMMV
 
I think I bought my first gun at 14 or 15 and stored it in my room and my father never batted an eye. I think it has to do a lot with maturity level.
I was taught the rules of gun safety from a young age and I guess he knew I was responsible enough.

YMMV
As caribou stated earlier, thats my line of thinking, hes not new to guns and hes proven his maturity in comparison to others his age.
 
You may want to be careful. Give the boy a gun and you're starting him off on a lifelong path of addiction.

Pay raise?
New gun.
Tax refund?
New gun.
X-mas cash?
New part for a gun.

Of course it would be waaay worse if you gave him an AR ;-)
 
You may want to be careful. Give the boy a gun and you're starting him off on a lifelong path of addiction.

Pay raise?
New gun.
Tax refund?
New gun.
X-mas cash?
New part for a gun.

Of course it would be waaay worse if you gave him an AR ;-)
LOL I think everyone on this forum may have that addiction to some extent however small, otherwise we wouldn't be posting here. Believe it or not we are actually not fans of AR's, they dont fit the bill for our needs or wants (though they are cool). HD? Shotguns, SD? pistols and knives. We dont live in the west for crazy 800 plus yard shots so shotguns and pistols get pressed into hunting needs here to. He and I would rather have a .45 colt lever action than an AR any day of the week.
 
LOL I think everyone on this forum may have that addiction to some extent however small, otherwise we wouldn't be posting here. Believe it or not we are actually not fans of AR's, they dont fit the bill for our needs or wants (though they are cool). HD? Shotguns, SD? pistols and knives. We dont live in the west for crazy 800 plus yard shots so shotguns and pistols get pressed into hunting needs here to. He and I would rather have a .45 colt lever action than an AR any day of the week.

Amen, brother. I speak from experience haha. One thing is for sure: he's going to be a happy camper. I'd say that of all the things I own, my first shotgun which was a gift from my gpa is the one I value the most. I was probably 13 or 14.
 
Amen, brother. I speak from experience haha. One thing is for sure: he's going to be a happy camper. I'd say that of all the things I own, my first shotgun which was a gift from my gpa is the one I value the most. I was probably 13 or 14.
I think he will be one to. He's been helping out cleaning it and shooting it already he has no idea come christmas time that he was working on his own gun the whole time.
 
When me and my twin brother were growing up we started hunting at an early age, perhaps around 13, with my father and his brothers. They taught us to stay in line if we were spread out hunting a field and to honor the space of the person on either side of us. In other words we could shoot if the rabbit was in our space (in front of us) but once he ran into another's space we had to let him go. They also taught us to unload our shotguns each time we had to climb either over or under a barbed wire fence. We also had to be cognizant of where the dogs were at all times. As we got older and started hunting with friends we made them do exactly as we were taught or they never hunted with us again. I wouldn't take anything for that type of training so if you can't hunt with your youngster the Hunter Safety Course, as previously mentioned, is a great way to start. My father also showed us what a 12 gauge would do to a gallon jug of water and that made a great impression.
 
Looks like a pretty good list, although a little too restrictive for my taste. I personally have a more libertarian mindset, but I am not the kid's dad or guardian.

I grew up around guns and actually knew more about them when I was 12 than my parents did. I always knew where they were and how to load, unload, and fire them. I also knew where the ammo was kept. And guess what? I never abused my ability to access firearms and never misused them. Of course I also knew that I would be in HUUUUUGE trouble if I ever did anything stupid with guns, both with my parents and possibly with the law, so that was a sufficient deterrent in and of itself.

I now have kids of my own, and have observed in others (not myself, as I have very vivid memories going back to about 21 months of age) that the farther removed someone is from being a child, the more they tend to dismiss a child's ability to think, reason, understand, be aware, etc.

From personal experience, as others have said, having controlled access to weapons lowers the mystery and the desire to sneak around to obtain additional access.

It basically comes down to trust, your gut feeling, and personal maturity on an individual basis. At some point, people are either to be trusted to handle a gun or they are not. I think 14 is plenty old enough to have a single shot 12ga, especially if a responsible grandfather and BIL both agree. For some it might be 12 or 10 and for others it might be age 30, 80, or 2,000.

I would also add that if doing a written contract of sorts that I would write it in such a way as to make sure that it cannot be misconstrued as an illegal transfer, possession or storage of a firearm by an prohibitted person as defined by applicable federal, state, and/or local laws.
 
Looks like a pretty good list, although a little too restrictive for my taste. I personally have a more libertarian mindset, but I am not the kid's dad or guardian.

I grew up around guns and actually knew more about them when I was 12 than my parents did. I always knew where they were and how to load, unload, and fire them. I also knew where the ammo was kept. And guess what? I never abused my ability to access firearms and never misused them. Of course I also knew that I would be in HUUUUUGE trouble if I ever did anything stupid with guns, both with my parents and possibly with the law, so that was a sufficient deterrent in and of itself.

I now have kids of my own, and have observed in others (not myself, as I have very vivid memories going back to about 21 months of age) that the farther removed someone is from being a child, the more they tend to dismiss a child's ability to think, reason, understand, be aware, etc.

From personal experience, as others have said, having controlled access to weapons lowers the mystery and the desire to sneak around to obtain additional access.

It basically comes down to trust, your gut feeling, and personal maturity on an individual basis. At some point, people are either to be trusted to handle a gun or they are not. I think 14 is plenty old enough to have a single shot 12ga, especially if a responsible grandfather and BIL both agree. For some it might be 12 or 10 and for others it might be age 30, 80, or 2,000.

I would also add that if doing a written contract of sorts that I would write it in such a way as to make sure that it cannot be misconstrued as an illegal transfer, possession or storage of a firearm by an prohibitted person as defined by applicable federal, state, and/or local laws.

Agree wholeheartedly, I am only making the list out of respect for his grandfathers wishes. He has been hunting and fishing with me many times, he helps clean guns and sharpen knives since he was 7, to be honest I feel this is long overdue.
 
He will need a hunter safety course just to get his hunting license.
I agree he shouldn't have a key, if you feel it needs to be locked up for safety the last thing you should do is provide him unrestricted access.
I would start him off with some target practice and a .22 lr so he doesn't develop a flinch
Demystify guns when they are young and impressionable, my daughter was always allowed to look at them whenever she wanted and now she enjoys shooting with the old man.
Guns are tools, they hung by the door when I was a kid. If you didn't need it you didn't touch it. (I grew up in Kansas so that should explain a lot right there)
 
Grew up around guns my whole life, funny the guy who said something about showing his kids the guns whenever they asked and it wore off. My dad had 2-3 guns he d keep locked up tight and guess which ones I always wanted to see ? Could of cared less about the .410 and the 22 in the closet by the back door. My dad was kicking me out in the woods with a gun by myself when I was 14 years old to go hunting. 16 I was in full range of rifles and shotguns when I went hunting with friends. Nothing bad ever happened . Some of my best memories in life were getting out of high school when we were 16 and rushing home grabbing the shotgun meeting up with friends at the switch grass and pheasant hunting. That was only ten years ago... All about how much you were around them when you were young .
 
I would not give a 14yo a key to the lock. Basic safety rules and maybe make him take a hunter safety class too.
Thinking about this. There are 12 year old juveniles I would have no reservation handing a gun to along with some basic instruction. There are also 30 year old adults I would never hand a gun to even after 40 hours of classroom instruction.

There is as much responsibility placed on the one giving or gifting a gun as the recipient. I don't know the teen in question so you need to do what you feel is prudent for your case. I see what you have proposed as reasonable for a responsible teen.I gave my son his first 22 rifle when he was just turning 13 a few days before Christmas. The rifle actually remained with me (divorce) but mainly due to his mother's strong anti-gun convictions. Once the kid was out on his own he asked and I gave him his rifle. Apparently you feel this kid is responsible enough so give the kid the gun. Since I don't know the kid it is purely your call including any attached guidelines or rules. May he enjoy it.

Ron
 
He will need a hunter safety course just to get his hunting license.
I agree he shouldn't have a key, if you feel it needs to be locked up for safety the last thing you should do is provide him unrestricted access.
I would start him off with some target practice and a .22 lr so he doesn't develop a flinch
Demystify guns when they are young and impressionable, my daughter was always allowed to look at them whenever she wanted and now she enjoys shooting with the old man.
Guns are tools, they hung by the door when I was a kid. If you didn't need it you didn't touch it. (I grew up in Kansas so that should explain a lot right there)
Hes not a beginner, I stated he shoots .44s among others with me.
 
My experience is different than many here, but I'll share it nonetheless. I started shooting "real" guns at age ten. at 12, I was given a .22 rifle, at 14 a 12 gauge, and by 15, the family gun cabinet was replaced, with the new one mounted to my wall maybe two feet from my bed. I was raised in a rural area, and was trusted to not only have keys to the cabinet, but to take whatever firearm I desired to shoot or hunt with at any time. I'd come home from school (a 21 mile drive I made myself every day freshman thru senior years) grab a gun, give mom and dad a rough idea of what direction I was going, and disappear until dark, or I came home with a limit of grouse, a few rabbits, a pheasant or two, etc. I was taught gun safety at an early age, and signing a paper that I knew or understood the rules was never pondered....if I didn't follow the rules, my access would be restricted, and Id no longer have the trust I worked so hard to earn. Granted, not everyone is bleased with 10,000 acres and miles upon miles of backroads to hunt and explore......but I was, and I wouldn't have gven that up for anything. I still follow those same rules today at age 41, and still hunt those same 10,000 acres every fall. The family ranch is still in operation, and so are the rules I was taught oh so many years ago. Watching my nephews grow up in the same manner has been a blessing, as I think they may truly be the last generation to enjoy that lifestyle as youths.
 
It's been decades since I had to face this question. But by then my boys were well versed in the safe use of firearms.

When they got their first BB gun (yes, a Red Ryder) they had full access to it and BB's. The same for their first pellet rifle. When they moved to a .22 rifle the same rules applied. Simple fact is, they did not get these guns until I was completely confident in their maturity and skill.
 
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