How old do kids have to be to enjoy gun shows?

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  • sxs

    Senior Member
    MDS Supporter
    Nov 20, 2009
    3,377
    Anne Arundel County, MD
    Depends on the kid...some Ive seen are excited to go look, others look like zombies and cant wait to leave. Usually most gun shows have a table or two of airsoft stuff or knives/swords that kids like to look at. You might have to take a break or two and go to the snack/lunch area but who knows till you take him. He might get a wish list going:)

    Yep! :thumbsup:

    I do wish one of mine would'a been the kid to want to go...or at least the one to get into hunting or shooting. At least my son will do some limited hunting and/or shooting (even went with me to Stoney Creek last night to run a couple rounds of trap).
     

    SpecialJ79

    Active Member
    Feb 20, 2013
    478
    SoMD
    I took my 6 and 8 year old daughters to Chantilly back in February. And they loved it. While they couldn't touch stuff, they very much enjoyed pointing out everything pink.
     

    Biggfoot44

    Ultimate Member
    Aug 2, 2009
    32,881
    All depends . I know I still remember my first gun show at aprox 7yo . But then plenty of adults couldn't care less.

    Not that the selection is what it used to be , but a smaller 50-100 table show would have better change of you comfortably looking everything over vs their attention span.
     

    Schipperke

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Feb 19, 2013
    18,534
    Bring a child, in Maryland, to a gun show? You might be charged with child abuse! ;)

    :lol:

    My boy is 8 , zero interest in guns but knows all the parts to a pistol. Apparently he mentioned in school , "My dad is obsessed with guns". I'm pretty proud of his vocabulary. I think the Lefties in Montgomery County public school have already got to him. He mentioned we should have an electric car, but I couldn't talk his mom in to a Tesla.
     

    Alphabrew

    Binary male Lesbian
    MDS Supporter
    Jan 27, 2013
    40,749
    Woodbine
    :lol:

    My boy is 8 , zero interest in guns but knows all the parts to a pistol. Apparently he mentioned in school , "My dad is obsessed with guns". I'm pretty proud of his vocabulary. I think the Lefties in Montgomery County public school have already got to him. He mentioned we should have an electric car, but I couldn't talk his mom in to a Tesla.

    My nephew had to write some sentences about his family members in his journal and he wrote "my uncle alphabrew likes guns" :lol2::lol2::lol2:
     

    gc27

    Member
    Aug 5, 2014
    111
    Calvert County
    I took my son to his first gun show when he was 12. He brought the show to my attention and asked if we could go. We now go to chantilly or fredricksburg atleast three times a year. He loves hunting, whether birds or deer (hoping to go on an elk hunt before I get too old). He actually got his first deer saturday. I was at the golf course when he called me and told me he shot one. I left my golf balls and drove right home. Needless to say i was very proud and very sore! Carrying a 200lb buck a 1/4 mile on your shoulder with a 2x4 itsnt fun! He gutted it by himself with the guidance of his more experienced friend who drive over to help. He's 16 btw.
     

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    Sirex

    Powered by natural gas
    Oct 30, 2010
    10,380
    Westminster, MD
    I took my son to his first gun show when he was 12. He brought the show to my attention and asked if we could go. We now go to chantilly or fredricksburg atleast three times a year. He loves hunting, whether birds or deer (hoping to go on an elk hunt before I get too old). He actually got his first deer saturday. I was at the golf course when he called me and told me he shot one. I left my golf balls and drove right home. Needless to say i was very proud and very sore! Carrying a 200lb buck a 1/4 mile on your shoulder with a 2x4 itsnt fun! He gutted it by himself with the guidance of his more experienced friend who drive over to help. He's 16 btw.

    Congrats! My dad always wanted to take me hunting. Due to his job, never got the time. So, now to this day, my hunting ventures consist of stalking the frozen dinners at Safeway. I haven't had venison in years. I forgot what it tastes like. Taste like chicken? Everything tastes like chicken, right. Nice harvest though proud papa.
     

    gc27

    Member
    Aug 5, 2014
    111
    Calvert County
    Congrats! My dad always wanted to take me hunting. Due to his job, never got the time. So, now to this day, my hunting ventures consist of stalking the frozen dinners at Safeway. I haven't had venison in years. I forgot what it tastes like. Taste like chicken? Everything tastes like chicken, right. Nice harvest though proud papa.

    Thanks! He said all those days in the stand without seeing a deer were well worth it!
     

    sxs

    Senior Member
    MDS Supporter
    Nov 20, 2009
    3,377
    Anne Arundel County, MD
    I took my son to his first gun show when he was 12. He brought the show to my attention and asked if we could go. We now go to chantilly or fredricksburg atleast three times a year. He loves hunting, whether birds or deer (hoping to go on an elk hunt before I get too old). He actually got his first deer saturday. I was at the golf course when he called me and told me he shot one. I left my golf balls and drove right home. Needless to say i was very proud and very sore! Carrying a 200lb buck a 1/4 mile on your shoulder with a 2x4 itsnt fun! He gutted it by himself with the guidance of his more experienced friend who drive over to help. He's 16 btw.

    Great for you! Wished my son was so interested


    To be sure, my son has some passing interest in shooting and doesn't mind bird hunting although I think he would go more for me than for the hunt. But he doesn't like gun shows and really isn't into deer hunting although he did shoot one deer and afterward exclaimed that it was exciting. I had high hope at that point . I think his biggest problem is he really doesn't like: 1) getting up 5 am, 2) sitting still for hours without a computer or video game in front of him 3) being cold. He is also just not as taken with the outdoors as I always was. I still hold out some hope....I had passive interest in hunting/shooting at his age (19, almost 20), but really didn't get into to it to much until I was about 22 or 23.
     

    WeaponsCollector

    EXTREME GUN OWNER
    Mar 30, 2009
    12,120
    Southern MD
    Depends on what kind of show you take the kid to. Smaller shows won't have much for kids to look at, but a big show like the Nations Gun Show at the Dulles Expo ctr. has a lot of stuff kids would like.
     

    JohnnyE

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Jan 18, 2013
    9,462
    MoCo
    Take any young person you can to a show, to the range, where ever. Cultivate a curiosity, then interest, and then maybe love for the shooting sports.

    On Sunday, I took a coworker and his 18 year old daughter to the range. This was her second time shooting, ever. Her first time was shooting my 10/22, and she did well and loved it. This time, I took the 10/22 and, because she is of Russian ancestry, I surprised her with my AK-47. She shot the 10/22 just fine, and was thrilled to shoot and AK and did really nicely with it. She even put pics on her Facebook page. When the guys next to us let her take a couple of shots with their M1 Garand, she called that her first "oh shit" moment at the range...smiling from ear to ear.

    Go out there help them discover it's not like the movies, and not like the things they read from the antis.
     

    sxs

    Senior Member
    MDS Supporter
    Nov 20, 2009
    3,377
    Anne Arundel County, MD
    Take any young person you can to a show, to the range, where ever. Cultivate a curiosity, then interest, and then maybe love for the shooting sports.

    On Sunday, I took a coworker and his 18 year old daughter to the range. This was her second time shooting, ever. Her first time was shooting my 10/22, and she did well and loved it. This time, I took the 10/22 and, because she is of Russian ancestry, I surprised her with my AK-47. She shot the 10/22 just fine, and was thrilled to shoot and AK and did really nicely with it. She even put pics on her Facebook page. When the guys next to us let her take a couple of shots with their M1 Garand, she called that her first "oh shit" moment at the range...smiling from ear to ear.

    Go out there help them discover it's not like the movies, and not like the things they read from the antis.

    +1 This! :thumbsup: I've introduced many to shooting by taking them as my guest.
     

    fidelity

    piled higher and deeper
    MDS Supporter
    Aug 15, 2012
    22,400
    Frederick County
    If it's one of Frank K's Silverado sponsored events, he's very receptive when he sees kids there and has had kids in Cub Scout uniform lead the Pledge of Allegiance during a show. Had the chance to chat with him at length one time in a different setting (swapping contact info with him), and he impressed me as a good guy.
     

    yjhauler

    Member
    Apr 11, 2012
    3
    Kent County
    A friend of mine who is my age (30ish) asked me about getting a gun and what I thought he should get, so I threw him and most of my collection in my truck and took him to my club. This was his first time shooting and really being around guns. He hasn't bought one himself yet, because going with me to the range, he realized defending his family took more than owning a gun you needed to train, but he is doing that. I was exposed to guns early (8 years old) by my dad and grandfather and I plan on doing that with my daughter around that age maybe to a gun show earlier though.
     

    vwluv10338

    Active Member
    Jan 13, 2009
    393
    my two year old enjoyed her first show. I think it was more about time with her daddy and grandfather than guns but I want to break her in early.
     

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