How young is too young? What age did you start shooting?

[Glass]

Hi all wasn't allowed to have a bb gun dad thought it was a toy. I Can remember 4years old Christmas got a H&R 20 gauge. Still remember the cardboard tube it was wrapped in with pointsetta wrapping paper. We went out and shot clays couldn't hold the barrel up.
But it didn't take long to get used to. I have a 10 year old now he isn't interested at all. May be latter? Thanks good memories.

 

[gaijinsamurai]

I probably started shooting at age 6 or 7, living on a cattle ranch in Eastern Oregon. First gun I remember shooting was a .22 LR Colt Woodsman. My first gun was a 12 gauge Harrington & Richardson single-shot shotgun at age 12, followed by a Ruger 10/22 and a .50 cal. muzzleloader. Of course, I had owned a BB gun since age 6 or 7, and had been taught the fundamentals of safety and marksmanship with it.
My daughter is four and my son is seven. Each of them shot a gun for the first time at age three, with my assistance. They can handle shooting .22 pistols by themselves, and I occasionally let them shoot an AR or a larger caliber pistol. Of course, I'm always right there.

When I knew I was going to be a dad, I made a conscious decision that my firearms would not be a mystery to my children. With the exception of one, all guns are kept locked up and unloaded, but they can handle them pretty much whenever they want, as long as I've checked it first, and give it to them. They know not to put their fingers on the triggers or point them at anyone.

 

[Sgt Nambu]

Seriously cute kids, Dude! Good parenting too!

 

[gaijinsamurai]

Thanks, Sgt. Nambu. They're half-Japanese. Son was born in Japan, and daughter in Oregon.

 

[Gaucho Gringo]

Shot my first .22 at age seven. Never had a BB gun. My dad gave me the Winchester 1906 rifle when I was 12 just like my grandfather had given it to him. The rifle and ammo have been in my closet for the last 50 years ready for any emergency. Doing something stupid with a gun never crossed my mind when I was growing up.

 

[Sgt Nambu]

I was four when my folks started to train me. My mom was a competitive target shooter and dad was a ranch kid that grew up with guns. It was quite formal, I had a little bench and sandbags on the back porch where I shot dads big arsed .22. Mom taught me all the mechanics and they both drilled safety into my little knot head. As I got a little older after "class" we would all walk down the old dirt road in back of the house and pop jackrabbits. As I got older, 6-8, I was allowed to shoot / hunt by myself as long as I had permission from one or the other. I started my son at five with a BB gun, at six with a .22 and pellet pistol and on up to ducks with a 12g, varmints with a .223 and deer with a .308. I agree with the many comments stating that a safe kid is created by taking all the mystery out of firearms. Making the child familiar with guns, safety training and marksmanship is a very special time for both parents and children if patience is used in abundance! Good luck to you OP! Enjoy!

 

[deann]

i started with a bb gun at 7, then a .22 at 10yrs.old and at 12 my dads shot gun with clear direction all the time, and lessons on respect, cleaning and safe storage

 

[rodell]

One thing that is common in these stories is there was a good place to shoot. If I could take my son into the backyard and shoot a .22 I might allow it, instead of being limited to a bow. The day I got mine we went out back and shot.

He's too young for the range with the current set of rules and there's no open shooting anywhere in King County that I'm aware of.

I find similar problems when I want to introduce a new shooter. We go to the range and they are often put off by the concussion from something two lanes over. A set of coke cans on a rail is so much more interesting to the new shooter.

 

[SKN]

I started at age 12 with a Remington .22 rifle. I started my daughter at age 8 (now nearly 15) with a Walther P22 designated exclusively for her along with a Mossberg 722; my son is age 11, was started just before his 10th birthday and now has his designated Ruger SR22 and a SW MP-15/22. They have shot my firearms in .223, .357Mag, .357Sig, 9MM, .40, and .45. Both had to meet scholastic standards at school, were home educated and then tested on gun safety and handling before they touched a firearm.

 

[YoungBlood]

Nice looking kids everyone, my son just turned 4 in Oct. and got his fist BB gun. Patiently trying to teach him the difference between it and the Nerf/laser toys he has..gee kids are awesome

 

[Doc In UPlace]

Too young? Depends on the person's emotional and intellectual maturity. IMO better to err on the side of later than too soon.
Only 13 states describe the age at which children can appreciate criminal responsibility and that ranges from six to twelve.
I don't remember when the Daisy lever action BB gun came into my life, maybe age 8 or 9? The venerable Remington Nylon 66 was, I think, about 10th birthday.

 

[Spielmannsfluch]

I never had a BB gun....my uncle started me with a .410 at about five years old. He didn't get a 22 until I was eight or nine...

 

[erudne]

BB gun at 5
410 at 8
22 at 9
45 and 357 at 16
built my 308 at 17

 

[joken]

I had a single shot .22 and 200 acres when I was 7. Everything died. Killed my first buck at age 9 with a 32-20.

 

[Inspector]

I think it depends on the kid and where you live. I grew up in the 70's around St. Helens Ore.. I think I had a Daisy by the time I was 6 or 7. Got a Marlin bolt action 22 when I was 12. Went deer hunting when I was 15 with a 30-30.

Times were different back then. Late 70's early 80's. I remember guys parking at the high school with their rifle in a window rack. They could leave school and go straight to the woods at the end of the day.

We lived at the end of a dead end gravel road next to a couple hundred acres of woods so nobody cared if we popped off some rounds. It's much harder nowadays to find a place to shoot.

Just think it through and stay out of the news.

 

[BigStick]

I started shooting at Boyscout summer camp. But then, that doesn't really answer your question.

The answer my wife and I have come up with is that when they can tell us the gun safety rules, and be able to explain them (not just recite them), we will start letting them shoot (with direct hands on supervision). From there, we will progress as they show the proper respect and responsibility. So no age, or number of people telling you when they first shot a gun will really help you. It totaly depends on each child and their developement. My daughter may get pissed at me if her younger brother gets to shoot before her, but if he learns and demonstrates the necessary qualities first, that is what will happen.

Only you can judge what is right for your children. Unless of course they do something that gets into the court or CSD system, then everyone and their dog will judge your parenting ability. But I don't let that stop me from raising my kids as I see fit (I spank them when they are bad - oh the horror).

 

[Blitzkrieg]

8 year old daughter of a friend got to shoot my new STG 44/22 as her first rifle experience out in the woods. Her new handle is "Machine Gun" and she's hooked

 

[redbobfire]

I receiven my first bb gun when I was ten and that may have been too soon. Dad caught me shooting the bull in the (well you know). Then he demanded I give him the gun "to see what that felt like", it was the first time I ever disobeyed him. It went something like, "Boy gimme that gun", No sir, Boy... gimme that gun, from further away, No sir.

 

[Sgt Nambu]

HaHaHaHa!!! That's hilarious! Had a similar situation with my son but I ambushed him! Wouldn't have mattered, I could catch him 'till he was about 25.

 

[nastybynature]

No such thing as too young IMHO...