I had the pleasure of bringing a new member into the gun fraternity

[gmerkt]

Yes I did, my grandson Anthony who is eight years old. He has been crazy about guns for some time. Initially, I got him an airsoft rifle, works like a Remington pump rifle. I can remember when his fumbly fingers were first learning how to load the magazine. Later, I got him one of those Nerf guns that shoots marshmallow-like plugs. I started teaching him about gun safety along with these toy guns.

Somewhere along the line, I asked my daughter if it was okay with her if I took Anthony out with real firearms. She gave her approval. So when I talked to Anthony about it, he was ready. And the safety talks started all over again.

Recently, I took Anthony to one of the remaining shooting sites on public land in the woods. I'm not an official instructor, but I figured starting with a .22 rifle was a good idea. Unfortunately, I don't have a junior size .22 rifle so I had to show him how to tuck the butt of the rifle under his armpit rather than against his shoulder. The rifle he used is a 1936-made Remington Model 341-P, an entry level target rifle of it's day with aperture rear sight and fake Globe front sight.

I also took along an AR-15 rifle, offered to let him try it a few shots. Hey, kids his age fight in guerrilla armies in south America and shoot them all the time. He was game but only for a few shots and then he wanted to get back to the .22. It didn't take him very long to get the hang of shooting for real and quickly was hitting most of what he aimed at. He's now looking forward to our next trip.

My dad wasn't a gun guy. Or should I say, as an air force pilot, his idea of guns was four fifties and a twenty mm cannon in the nose. My son isn't a gun guy but had the chance. I have one cousin who is a gun guy but at 83 and in bad health is no longer active. So now maybe for a few remaining years, I have a new little shooting buddy.

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[No_Regerts]

Sounds like a great trip! I remember the first time my dad let me shoot his .22. I've been hooked ever since.

 

[Alexx1401]

FANTASTIC!!!!!

 

[Member 52301]

Good story and thank you for this post.

Go Anthony!

Cate

 

[Andy54Hawken]

Teaching a young kid how to shoot and safely handle firearms is a worthy thing indeed.

Instilling a sense of responsibility for their actions and Rights...
Showing and giving of trust...
The pure fun of it and the making of memories...

Enjoy your time with your Grandson gmerkt...the lessons you teach and memories you make , may last a lifetime for him.
Andy

 

[turq]

That gun was what I learned on! When I was 5or6.
Great gun; has a safety that twists up to block the sight, a good reminder that it was ON and to use it.
Stay safe and good for you two.

 

[MannyGlocks]

Teaching safe, responsible gun handling, shooting, and chances are increased he'll grow up to be a responsible adult and avoid 'snowflakery'.

 

[DB is Here]

Love to hear stories like this, thank you for sharing this.

 

[Caveman Jim]

Outstanding!!! I love hearing about responsible teachings with the youth of today, thank you.
I am excited for my granddaughters time, she's only just had her first Bday so I'll have to wait a few years.

 

[RaceFan]

Pure awesomeness!!!

 

[Lilhigbee]

Cool story!!

Jeannie and I took my 11-year-old niece to the range yesterday. By the end of the day she had learned how to load and shoot a 10-22, Mark III, Single-Six, Marlin 39, 1906 Winchester copy, and even went a few rounds with a .327 Fed. Mag. SP101. Lots of smiles all around!!
Her parents have no interest in guns, so if she and her siblings are going to learn, it is up to us. I'm okay with that!!

 

[DB is Here]

Sorry, don't mean to get off topic, but this reminds me of a story:
About 20 years ago we were clearing land on 5 secluded acres, I was out on the property and my wife's friend brought her son with her to visit with my wife. Soon the young 5 year boy came out back to see what I was doing, after 5 minutes of talking with him he said he had to go to the bathroom. I asked #1 or #2, he said #1 so I told him to go pee on that tree. He stared at me like I was from Mars. So I asked him if he'd ever wizzed outside, he said no, so I looked at him like he was from Mars. After telling him again to go pee on the tree, he did and when he'd finished he looked like he'd just won a prize. I told him whenever he comes over he can pee on any tree I owned. He was so excited he ran to the house to tell his Mom what he did, 5 seconds later both my wife and her friend came outside laughing.

Fast track 10 years later that boy was taught how to shoot, he was so excited about the sport that his Non-gun owner Dad made a full 180 and now owns and shoots too.

Moral of the story: Let boys pee outside and teach them to shoot.

 

[Kruel J]

Excellent, a great example of how the .22lr can be a valuable tool!

 

[gmerkt]

Moral of the story: Let boys pee outside and teach them to shoot.

It's true, but hard to believe: Many modern boys don't know how to pee outdoors. We live on a pretty large lot here, years ago when he was pretty small I showed Anthony that it was okay to pee outdoors when you were alone or with another guy. We have a neighbor with a grandson, he's been with Anthony a few times. The neighbor boy was quite taken aback when he saw Anthony do it. This boy said to Anthony, "But you can't sit down!" I was amazed, that boy had never stood up to pee.

 

[gmerkt]

One more thing. It's a shame, but it seems to me that it's up to grandparents to pass along some of the older ways to kids. Lots of basic stuff is getting lost in the dust and exhaust of the cyber age. I've spent a lot of time with Anthony; I pass along a lot of just simple but useful stuff. He's been with me when I've worked on various projects, I try to tell him what I'm doing and why I'm doing it as we go along.

When we were shooting recently, I told him about shooting with both eyes open and why. He was interested in this; I had to explain more about peripheral vision and you should use this in everyday life just to keep up with situational awareness. Using smaller words, of course. Then I went on to explain why you should always be aware of your surroundings, etc.

I've talked to him about the work ethic thing. We've traveled around the Puget Sound together, a lot. He knows about the "homeless problem" and I've told him this is why it's important to learn a job that you can do so you can earn money, get a place to live, and not be in a tent under a bridge as an adult. I've been instructed by my wife not to use words like "deadbeat" in my conversations with Anthony on this matter.

 

[Ura-Ki]

Awesome!
Teaching kids is a serious responsibility, but it can and should be fun! My own boys are adults amd they learned from 3 generations how to be good men, amd now that my Brothers little ones are at the age of learning tje basics of out door stuff, its getting to be a lot of fun all over again!
Kids need to play outside, in the dirt, getting dirty and muddy, and learning about the world outside the living room! Wizzing on trees is an important skill to have, even Girls should learn it!

 

[gmerkt]

Update. Last week, I bought one of those Savage Rascal .22 rifles for Anthony. Now he will have something to shoot that is sized to him. He can go back to the adult-sized Remington 341-P in the future as he gets bigger.

 

[gmerkt]

New update. Today, I took Anthony out to Darrington and we tried out his new Savage .22 rifle. It took about four shots to zero the sights. He had a blast. It took him a few hours to use up the two boxes of fifty shots I gave him. He was looking at all kinds of things on the ground, hands got very dirty. You know how kids will touch their face with dirty hands without thinking. Before we left, I had to clean off his face with the now-infamous Baby Wipes.

Anthony also asked to try out a Glock 19, with help. I showed him how to use the sights, then he held it in two hands with my two hands over his. He did okay after two magazines. He has gotten to be a very good shot with the .22 rifle already.