Were you an armed child?

[azhunter12]

My first gun was when I was 12. Now 14 going on 15.

 

[doc2rn]

Yes at age 8 I got my first BB gun.
Pellet gun at age 9.
Missed the .22 lr Marlin at age 10 since dad was unemployed, had to share with older brother and maybe got to shoot it 3X's total.
Age 11 got a Ruger Standard 6" .22 lr. Carried everywhere except school. I was the king of the pond since I was trusted with a pistol before my older brother.

 

[btg3]

Only long guns. BB and .22 early on around the house, and a bow that I was decent with. Shot squirrels and a few copperheads along the creek. Then shotguns at age 12, but not so much around the house. Reloaded all we shot, which meant there was always gunpowder for... shall we say "experiments". From age 15-30, I had guns, but was interested in other stuff. Saw to it that my kids had BB guns and I started back shooting a little with a club. Now my oldest and I both CC and do some IDPA.

 

[SoCalShooter]

I had several homemade rubber band guns and I was packing multiple pieces of heat.

 

[Pilot]

I had and still have a Winchester 69A .22 rifle at 10 years old or so. At 14 I was given my Dad's Walther PP WWII bringback and three S&W service revolvers in .32 long and .38 Spl that my grandad carried as a Philly cop. Rarely shot the pistols but I shot the .22 rifle a lot.

 

[rcmodel]

Cap-guns from the time I could lift them.
Daisy BB gun when I was probably 5 or 6.
.22 Winchester single shot when I was 9 or 10.
Hunting with a 12 guage single-shot junker by myself when I was 11 or 12.
Remington 878 semi-auto when I was 14.
Either a shotgun, 30-06, Ruger .22 pistol, or .45 S&W revolver in my car 24/7 when a Junior & Senior in high school. (Depending on what hunting season it was at the time)

Army Basic when I was 18.

5th. Army AMU Pistol Team when I was 24.

I can't even remember when I didn't have a gun, or guns of my own, of some kind!

rcmodel

 

[theotherwaldo]

I found my first gun at the age of 4 during a visit to my grandmother's house. This led to a long lecture and a short education regarding the hazards and responsibilities of handling firearms.
I came up with three more in the next year, when I was given my first BB rifle. I quickly lost this for unsafe handling practices (I shot my sister in the rump after she tried to kill me again) and "officially" had to wait until I was 9 to get another weapon.

Right.

Yeah, I'd say I was an armed child.

 

[dmazur]

No. My dad was not in favor of guns. I never got a lengthy explanation, but I got something about "liability".

The other kids all had .22s, without exception. Some of them would let me borrow one, and I learned there were safety rules about backstop, don't point it at anyone, etc.

After exposure to the .45 ACP and .308 Garand in the Navy, I eventually got into guns a little bit, and over the years, a little bit more.

I'm still not an expert, but considering my early childhood, it's surprising I have any guns at all!

 

[blkbrd666]

There's no one left to ask except my dad, but it looks like I got my Ithaca model M-49 lever action single shot .22 around age 7. I can still remember my grandfather taking a 20 guage pump along when we went squirrel hunting in case I missed...the only time he ever got to shoot was when there was more than 1 squirrel. My next rifle was a Marlin(Glenfield) semi-auto...my shooting skill went downhill a bit after that...funny!!! I'm thankful I still have all my first guns...I'm looking at the Ithaca now trying to figure out how I carried so much and it doesn't have a single scratch or dent on it...amazing, but makes me very happy.

 

[.455_Hunter]

By the age of 13, I had immediate access to a 20 ga NEF Pardner shotgun, .22 Remington Model 33 bolt action single shot, a M1916 7mm Spanish Mauser and a Ruger Single-Six revolver.

At 14, my Dad bought me an Enfield No. 2 Mk. 1* .38 S&W revolver that was mine to use and/or carry as I saw fit. I also picked-up a Gew88 Commission Rifle that year as well.

At 18, I had a CZ-52, Enfield No. 4 Mk. 2 .303 rifle, SKS and Mak-90.

On my 21st B-Day, I bought myself a used Ruger Police Service-Six in .357 Mag.

I carried that Enfield revolver all the time while hiking and camping near Boulder. Still do sometimes even today.

Guns and ammo were never locked up in my house. Heck, I was the one usually doing the loading/unloading for my myself and my dad.

 

[Superlite27]

Question reminds me of some pictures I need to fish around for.

My dad snuck up on me with a camera while I was squirrel hunting when I was about ten. He snapped a few while I was sitting against a tree holding his 870. I didn't get my own gun (20ga. 870) until I was about twelve, but I can remember my dad turning me completely loose with his for a couple of years before that. No pistols though, just long guns. I didn't get my first pistol until I was about 16.

(In these pictures, the shotgun looks HUMONGOUS!)

 

[TCB in TN]

Another armed child. From about 7 or 8 I was free to take my .22 or my single shot shotgun out and plink or hunt as I saw fit. Not a lot of folks around here then, but I was taught to be responsible and was. The same lessons that I have been passing on to my own "armed children".

 

[Rachen]

I learned to craft and throw Shaken when I was six. They are not exactly like the "ninja stars" that you see out there in the martial arts market but were spear shaped, flat pieces of metal with razor sharp edges and tufted with red feathers at the "tail". I could drive the point through a piece of pinewood at regular room-diameter distance on a regular basis.
I always practice at an isolated section of the park.

At ten, I began to work with and collect Civil War pistols. At that time I just thought guns were absolutely cool to have, and as I matured, I realized how important it is to have them in a brave new world.

 

[Seven©]

Got my first rifle when I was in the first grade. A single shot .22.

Got my first shotgun when I was in the third grade. A Winchester single shot 20ga.

My parents let me roam outside and in the woods from after school 'till supper time. Unsupervised. I never had a BB gun. I was deprived!

Times have changed.

 

[MEH]

Were you an armed child?

In a way... When I was young my Mother was very anti-gun (years before I was born she was pro-gun but her attitude changed when she had kids) but when I was about 14 I was able to convince her guns were a good thing in responsible hands. By the time I was 15 I had an S&W 37-2 J-frame .38 Special.

But I was an armed child... When I was 2 I was carrying a butter knife everywhere (My Mom wouldn't let me have the steaks knives), when I was 5 I carried a Swiss Army Knife, by the time I was 7 I carried a small fishing knife, when I was 9 I carried a large lock blade knife, by the time I was 11 I carried a boot knife.

BTW when I said anti-gun I mean not even squirt guns.

Yes I know I was a very weird child, I was reading constantly and I always wanted to be able to protect my family and myself.

 

[Ala Dan]

Nope, I was a "city slicker" kind'a of, and there wasn't a need of weapons;
so my parents thought~!

 

[Rachen]

Yes I know I was a very weird child, I was reading constantly and I always wanted to be able to protect my family and myself.

Thats not called weird. Thats called natural. After all, that's exactly how I was.
There is nothing better in life than being a scholar and, fighter if need be. Knowledge is enlightment. Knowledge is also successful defense. Knowledge is also defeat of fear.

 

[Microlon]

I've been around and using guns of all kinds since I was about six years old. Dad taught me how to shoot, how to be safe, what NOT to shoot. All of my uncles and cousins are similarly comfortable with guns, as were most of my childhood friends. Didn't grow up on a farm or ranch, but still never saw anything noteworthy about being responsible enough to carry and use firearms at any age. The key is early and proper education.

 

[RNB65]

I carried a semi-auto .22 rifle behind the seat of my pickup truck from my 16th birthday thru the end of high school. Took it to school every day and occasionally onto the local USAF base to visit friends. Never gave it a second thought. Today, they execute people for less.
-

 

[sniper5]

Used to walk from my house up the street by myself about a half mile to a little canyon to hunt rabbits every afternoon after school when I was 14 and lived outside Redding. Had a little Remington 12 .22 pump.

Got stopped by a deputy once. Pulled up alongside and asked through the window if I was carrying it loaded. I said sure and racked the action a couple of times. When nothing came flying out he said "OK, good luck" and drove off.

That was the California I grew up in in the 70's. My, how times have changed.

 

[blkbrd666]

The pocket knife reminds me of a good one. I was in elementary school about the time schools were trying to stop kids from carrying knives. I carried one responsibly as a kid and I can remember my dad coming to the school and telling the principal not to lay a hand on me...call if I did something wrong and he would come take be from school or give me a whipping. All the other kids thought that was so cool, and so did I. What they didn't know was how good a pattling at school felt compared to a whipping with a leather sharpening strap...the kind the barber used to sharpen a straight razor. I was ALWAYS a good kid...never threw the first punch, just the second, which was okay if I couldn't avoid it. But, I got to keep my pocket knife. Maybe sparing the rod(sharpening strap) is what's wrong these days.

 

[The Scout]

Shot my first bb and pellet guns when I was eight. Can shoot pellet now whenever I wish, only had three or so opportunities to shoot the .22s as my Dad is never home to take me to the range. Once I turn 18 things should change.

Never trust a man that doesn't carry a pocket-knife, heck I even go to bed with mine on my wasi-band.

 

[redneck2]

I grew up on a farm in Indiana. Every farm had a rifle and shotgun on the back porch. From the time I was old enough to hold a .22 I could get to one. Probably started shooting it on my own at maybe 7-8 years old. Had a .410 at maybe 10.

 

[leathermanwave]

I was not a armed child I am a armed child. Every time i step out the door i have my crossman 760. Sometimes at night if i have to go outside I carry my Buckmark concealed under my coat although my family is pro 2A they don't think a gun should ever be loaded Even though the parents keep a shotgun by the bed they keep it unloaded. As long as i don't have to use it they will not know.

 

[sixgunner455]

Always had a knife from age 8 on. And none of the crap about not taking it to school, either. Working on projects in HS, asked my teachers if they minded if I used my knife instead of the dull scissors they had.

Never had a firearm till I bought my own as an adult.

My kids have knives, and while they know that I don't want them breaking school rules, if they forget and take a knife to school, I've told them how to avoid getting caught with it.

My kids have a bb gun and a .22 rifle. As they get older, they will have more.