Introducing kids to firearms, some advice, tips, hints and experiences requested

[unklekippy]

Keep them locked up but take him shooting as soon as you are comfortable that he is mature enough to understand basic safety. Don't make them a big mystery. Let him help you clean them. Teach him what they are for (not toys), and what to do if he ever finds one. Information is the best thing for kids concerning firearms.

I believe that guns can be toys, but adult toys. They are not only for hunting or other serious matters, but for fun as well. I still completely understand your point.

If my son ever finds a gun, he needs to get ME and no one else. My uncle, God bless him, found a H&K battle rifle in the attic of his house when he moved in in 1984 or '85. He is a very good and decent man and did what he believed was right and TURNED IT IN TO THE POLICE!!! I have often wondered what model it was and what the story was behind it. It sounded like a G3 to me.

 

[unklekippy]

I took a bit of a different direction with my sons and now grandchildren; I didn't/don't allow toy guns of any type in the house; guns are not toys. My sons were exposed to firearms at a very early age and were allowed to see/touch them whenever they wanted but always with me there. When mature enough, I started taking them shooting and it is still something they enjoy doing today.

Mas Ayoob has a short book out called "Gunproof Your Children". A good source of information on kids and guns.

No toy guns? To each their own and if it works for you, who am I to judge(By the way, a judgment this is not, just another point of view.)?

I grew up with them and I believe toy guns are a part of being an American child. My best times were had playing cops & robbers or cowboys & indians. My son has recently outgrown the toy guns for the most part and wants me to get him an air rifle so that he can target practice on our property on the cheap and without recoil.

 

[unklekippy]

I had the same issue with my son when he was 4. He is 6 now, but he loved toy guns and love to shoot the imaginary bad guys. I did what most everyone says. Teach the 4 rules and clean the gun and tell them how it works. One thing I also did was see if he could rack the slide on his own, just to what he could do on his own if he found my guns. I also showed him what guns could do by going to youtube and showing him hunting trips. Watching something die is a big light bulb for kids. I also took him shooting to let him know how loud they were. To test him I left out my practice gun (airsoft look alike) unloaded. I watched from a distance to see if he would touch it. I also told my two kids if they found ammo, guns or anything that I take shooting, to come and get me and they would be rewarded for letting me know and not touching it. So far it has worked. I have taken my 8 and 6 year old shooting and they love the .22 pistol, everything else is still a bit too much. For me to convince my wife it was more for their safety than anything. I told her that you dont want our children to go over to a friends house and that their parents dont teach but hide and the kids get into the guns there.

When my son was a bit younger, the only guns that would be accessible for defense were guns semi-auto pistols that had a slide too heavy for him to cycle. He is too big and strong now and can cycle everything, but this is a perfect test for a gun to keep in your standard home defense position. If the kid can't rack it, he can't shoot himself in the face with it.

I also very much agree that the light bulb goes on when a kid sees the life shot out of a bird or squirrel. Then, a calm, serious discussion about what that bullet would do to Mommy, Daddy, himself or siblings, cousins, friends, etc. goes a long way. By simply showing him what can happen, my son has become the equivalent to the safety Nazi at the range. He doesn't let Dad skimp on the rules any more than I would let him.

I can't believe how proud he makes me sometimes.

 

[etrain16]

I have a couple of airsoft pistols (I may add a rifle at some point) that I'll let my daughter try first. It's nice because we can shoot them in the garage safely and allows her a little room for mistakes in the gun rules as she's learning - particularly with pointing the barrel in the wrong place. As she gets older and can show she understands and can follow the safety rules, we'll progress to bb guns, and on to .22 for her first powder-burning firearm. Each step I was given by my father. I got my first .22 when I was 13, and I still have it today. When she's ready, she'll get her own .22 as well. As she gets older, and if she's interested, I'll let her get into the bigger calibers.

As others have said, I keep my guns locked at home. I have a CHL, but as far as I know, she still isn't aware I carry as I don't show her when I'm putting it on or taking it off. I have let her handle real firearms, unloaded under very close supervision (my hands are on the gun at all times). I don't hide my guns from her and I answer her questions when she asks them. We go over and over what she should do if she ever finds a gun or if a friend or other person finds or picks up a gun. Safety will always be the emphasis, but I want her to enjoy and respect guns, not fear them. I hope she'll grow up to be one of the growing number of female firearms enthusiasts herself and pass it along to her kids.

 

[Kevinkris]

i knew by age 5 not to touch my grampa's gun cabinet by threat of leather belt, tough love i guess.

friends and family ive seen go through the phase your talking about just made sure to keep them separated (lock and key or in possession) from their guns until they felt their child was ready to learn properly. you'll really have to make a judgement call based on they way he acts from day to day. the one thing ive seen done most is showing you have a real gun and it is off limits. this still only works if you know that he will understand the importance of it.

im no expert but i hope that helps.

 

[Tbucket]

I started my daughter with a Daisy BB gun, kept it locked up in my safe with my other firearms(which she thought was cool because it stayed with dads big guns). At first she had a hard time even cocking it, which gave us plenty of time for safety lessons. She made many mistakes and the hardest was putting the barrel into the ground to help her stand up or cock the gun. Putting on the safety came very fast and not pointing the gun at anyone came pretty quickly too. Still working on making sure of your backdrop but she is quickly realizing the importance of this. The newness has wore off and now it is not a every night adventure but she is bugging me to shoot my 22's now and that will be our next step. Take your time, not only is it a learning experience for your child but it is quality time spent with them. Enjoy it, you are building memories that will last a lifetime.

 

[Riot]

*Start slow and small. My first experience with a rifle was my dad having me shoot his 30-06...almost turned me off to guns completely. I did like to hunt, though. My dad would just take me out walking with him, checking tracks and watching other hunters. .22 rifles and pellet guns are perfect for new and young shooters to hone their skills and get into shooting. Just make sure no bad habits are forming.

*Emphasize safety and the destructiveness of firearms. It was in this forum, actually, that I heard about the idea of using reactionary targets for demonstrative purposes to children. Take a watermelon out shooting...give it a whack. After it explodes- not only will they be in "awe"- they'll immediately realize that a gun is not a toy and can hurt someone. Even an airsoft gun will punch a hole in paper targets, but only a real bullet will destroy one. Kids shoot each other with BB guns, squirt guns, paintball guns and airsoft guns. They should know that a real gun will kill.

*Don't shun your kids from your firearms. Locking them away or hiding them from your children isn't going to make them safe from them. Kids are curious by nature and will get into your things. Even if you have some fool proof way of never allowing anyone to have access to your guns but you doesn't mean that they won't be able to get to a firearm from somewhere else. Educate them and show them that guns are to be RESPECTED and not feared or played with.

 

[Liberty97045]

I strongly recommend buying this small book. The author is and expert in the use of firearms Massad Ayoob - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Gun-Proof Your Children! / Massad Ayoob's Handgun Primer: Massad F. Ayoob, Zel Bandler Dawson: 9780936279053: Amazon.com: Books
Backwoods Home Magazine General Store - Book #FH3 Gunproof Your Children/Handgun Primer

My twin daughters will be 21 in a couple of weeks and I started at about age 6 letting them shoot a 22 under my close supervision. Taking a child out shooting will take the mystery out of firearms and make it less likely that they will satisfy their own curiosity (as I did). When they were old enough (eleven in Oregon) I took them to free hunter education. One has lost interest in hunting but not shooting and the other is buck hunting with me this season.

There are classes and groups available and you might be able to find one where you can take the instruction together. If you have a responsible family friend who shoots, see if they are willing to take you both out to shoot a 22. I bet you enjoy it!

Hunter and firearm education is valuable because it teaches best case / best practice and the lessons learned last a lifetime. My hunting daughter recently had the courage to object when her boyfriends idiot roommate carelessly passed around a loaded handgun. She threatened to leave unless he put it away (I'm so proud). I took Hunter education with her even though I have been hunting for 30+ years. I learned some things too, for one I realized that I had the bad habit of leaning my loaded rifle on the fence wire before I crossed.

One thing I really object to is the sadistic practice of giving a child a high recoil gun to shoot before they are ready. Some men seem to think its funny to see the kid fall on his or her butt from the recoil of their hunting rifle. This and other scare tactics have no place in firearm education.

Another book by the same author for anyone considering a firearm for self defense.
In the Gravest Extreme: The Role of the Firearm in Personal Protection: Massad F. Ayoob: 9780936279008: Amazon.com: Books

 

[Liberty97045]

Oh, and lock that stuff up!

 

[Simonpie]

All kids, and some adults, don't really understand how a gun works mechanically. A blackpowder gun forces that understanding on you. All the pieces are essentially the same, they are just broken into individual pieces. Watch recoil and noise in a kid, but a light 45 caliber rifle with a light load is easily 8 year old capable, and cheap. I like rifles because it is easier for a novice to notice where their muzzle is pointing.

 

[deen_ad]

Our stockbroker is also an NRA instructor so both my 13 yr old grandson and I took his class. I got the highest test score, missed a few because I answered them according to my experience and not the way they wanted them answered. My grandson did better than the instructors own kids. All in all it was a good experience.

 

[deen_ad]

Oh, and lock that stuff up!

Sounds like the normal anti gun mantra!

 

[Misterbill]

Sounds like the normal anti gun mantra!

Sounds like common GD sense.

I realize that in "the good old days" people didn't keep their guns locked up. In those SAME "good ole days" we had gun accidental deaths that make what we have today look like NOTHING.

One of the reasons we have the drastic reductions in accidental gun deaths that we have today is because of common-sense, CHEAP alternatives to "If you ever touch it I'll spank you," which is a poor deterrent for a lot of kids.

That comment was asinine in the extreme and I call on you to retract it.

ETA: When I say "common sense," I actually mean "anybody but a GD fool would agree with it," not some loaded BS Anti statement. some "common sense" things really ARE COMMON SENSE.

 

[Tomas204]

I think common sense, is what is needed, how do you show another person a gun ?? let them touch and shoot when old enough, I started my son's at 4 santa brought them BB gun and a .22 rifle we went to the range and I taught them the way I was taught and now today they handle gun's very safe ( they are 14 ) I now have them reloading all their own ammo

 

[Steve M]

I grew up in a house with 3 rifles leaning up in the back of a closet and never once did I feel the urge to go in there and touch one or discuss them with my friends. I'm not against gun safes, but if your only plan is to lock them up and try to make them watch videos and learn rules without having access to use the guns then you've already failed.

My earliest gun memories are annual hunting trips with a large group of family in eastern Oregon back before they switched to a lottery system. I'm not sure when my dad started taking me along, but I'm guessing I was 5 or 6. We kids would follow dad out on nearly every hunt and were there to have our little bodies rattled by the concussion of the 30-06 and were there to help gut the deer and witness the deadly devastation caused by the bullet. In the afternoons we'd return to camp and dad would set out a pop can and us kids would take turns shooting at it with the .22 with him right beside us to help make sure we were doing everything correctly. There is nothing a boy wants to do more than show how mature he is in front of the men of his family by demonstrating proper handling of a firearm.

I must have been no more than 7 or 8 when my parents got my brother a BB gun that we were allowed to shoot in the backyard when dad was there to supervise. Later when I was 9 we moved out into the country a bit and that BB gun went everywhere with us boys and was regularly shot without adult supervision. When I was 10 I took the hunter's education course required by the state for youths and will forever remember what I learned there. I was hunting with dad's 30-30 in hand at 12 and by 13 had purchased my own .308 and it hung on my bedroom wall with the ammo right there next to it.

I'll summarize all of that into one key rule:
Take your kids out into the woods and shoot!

 

[clambo]

We always had many guns in the house. I also remember going shooting with my dad way before I could even think about shooting. There was no special real training....I just never messed with them until I was old enough to know what I was doing. My dad began buying me guns when I was about 10 or so. Handguns at 13. Mainly so he could have use of his own pistols I guess...

I'm interested in what others do too. I have no real plan, as of yet. I didnt teach my daughter to shoot until she was an adult, she just had no love for them until she was 21 or so. Now I have a 3 yr old grandson and I don't want to just leave it to chance like my dad did.

 

[Botte Hork]

Thanks everybody for responding!

I'm all in favor of 'common sense' and not the gun control kind. Guns are and will be locked up and only under my supervision will there be any interaction by him with the gun in my house. The Massad Ayoob book came in earlier today and I read it. It's actually thin and has a lot of common sense knowledge, but the fact that it's nicely written down helps, also in the spousal discussion area.

The idea posted earlier to let the kid look at the gun when they want is interesting. I like it because it'll take away the mystical air around it and, as Ayoob writes too, involving him will appeal to the sense of responsibility. I also like the Eddie Eagle things. The video is hopelessly dated, but hammering the idea of stop/don't touch/go away/tell adult is great and can only be encouraged. I think it'll help if he understands how destructive guns can be, so the respect needs to grow too.

Furthermore I'm fully open to the idea of his own rifle when he's a bit older, so we can go shooting together. I like the Cricket idea, or anything else in youth size. And I won't let him shoot anything big until he's capable of handling it. I see no fun in knocking him over with a 30-06.


The only thing I'm still struggling with is the fact that there's a discrepancy between the age of interest and infinite curiosity (now) and the age of being mature enough and mentally capable enough to grasp the responsibility. Even Ayoob's text talks about it and he mentions around age 10. But in the introduction he says that much younger kids can work around the childproofing tricks anyway, so he didn't answer the most difficult part. Perhaps a gradual transition from helping cleaning but otherwise off-limits to including a few more responsibilities could work. I need to think about that.

 

[Tomas204]

Toss the videos/DVDs and teach them you self, I feel the best thing is teach them.................................................

 

[Riot]

The only thing I'm still struggling with is the fact that there's a discrepancy between the age of interest and infinite curiosity (now) and the age of being mature enough and mentally capable enough to grasp the responsibility. Even Ayoob's text talks about it and he mentions around age 10. But in the introduction he says that much younger kids can work around the childproofing tricks anyway, so he didn't answer the most difficult part. Perhaps a gradual transition from helping cleaning but otherwise off-limits to including a few more responsibilities could work. I need to think about that.

Responsibility, discipline, respect and accountability are on you. No book can teach you how to raise your child...ever. We all wish it was that easy. My last advice is to just take it as it comes. Firearms can go one of two ways, it can be scary and intimidating or it can be fun and challenging. The key is that you have to balance this. If guns have no fear and all likeness of being fun, then they will have no respect for them and curiosity/carelessness might get someone hurt. If they don't consider it fun, just scary then you lost their interest.


It's an adventure, that's for sure. Good luck!

 

[Burt Gummer]

Important to also introduce older kids to the realities of growing up in the USSA.

How to Talk to Kids About the Police State | The Daily Sheeple


"What happens to your neighbor and countrymen also happens to you. A predatory government always starts on the outskirts of society, first demonizing and persecuting fringe groups, then naturally evolving to toward more segments of society until everyone is a terrorist. By ignoring today the targeting of others, you contribute to your own persecution in time.

Life is too short and too precious to live in fear of another human being. You deserve to be happy and enjoy your life, so it is your task to rise above this insanity."