When to introduce kids to firearms?

[Jambone]

This is a great thread, I'm glad Safetech started it. I have two young boys, one that is 2 and the other is 4. I have been asking myself this question often lately. I think I may have to wait until the younger boy is ready before introducing either of them to firearms. The older one will probably spill the beans if I take him out without the younger one, that won't work out well. I guess I'll have to wait a few more years. The younger boy gets very upset if he's not included in activities with his slightly older brother. I'm guessing I'm going to wait until the younger boy is around 5, maybe another two years.

 

[K.C.Dean]

I wanted to talk a little about my Grandson and shooting, so this thread seemed appropriate. My Grandson just turned 5 and got a used BB gun. My wife is not a big fan of guns but is not antigun. Our Grandson tells my wife that he got a BB gun and she says, that is okay but just be safe and don't bring it around me. This past weekend I put up some targets and our Grandson tells my wife not to come out because we are shooting tagets.

I let him shoot my BB gun last summer and it was to big for him. We only shot it about 10 times. I taught him how to be safe with it and he did really well. The BB gun he got is for a child and he did really good with it. The targets were set up about 25 feet away and he hit the bullseye one time. It was really fun shooting with him, showing him how everything worked. The hardest part was trying to get him to be patient and to squeeze the trigger. After each shot he wanted to run up and see where he hit the target. He is going to be my fishing and shooting buddy. It will be a couple of years before I let him shoot a .22, but looking forward to it.

 

[DROB]

Great thread! I have a newborn, so this won't be useful for a while, but good info. My wife was just asking me the other day about when is a good time to introduce them to firearms.

As an aside to this I also wonder, if you have firearms openly accessible (i.e. in a nightstand, dresser, coffee table, etc.) when, if ever to do you move to secure them? I know a lot is required of me to educate my children, but there also seems to be a period of time between when curiosity of all things starts and being able to educate them to be responsible? If you do secure them, what are you doing to do so? I was thinking just in higher locations away from where the child can get to, but I am interested in others who have gone through this.

Sorry if this highjacks the thread, but I thought it as pertinent aside to the conversation.

 

[Doctor_M]

My first thought was in utero, but that probably would be taken the wrong way. Agree with most of the other posts, it is child dependent and will vary based on their maturity level. I shot my first gun when I was 4 and was hunting by age 10. My daughter was 12 before I let her discharge a firearm. My son (now 16) may never progress past an air rifle (with real close supervision).

That being said, introduction to guns and gun safety can probably start very early. One of my favorite photos of my daughter is her about 4 years old holding an old Stevens tip-up with a big grin on her face and PERFECT trigger discipline. Cheers.

 

[Alphabrew]

I was born with a six gun in my hand

 

[Sundazes]

As an aside to this I also wonder, if you have firearms openly accessible (i.e. in a nightstand, dresser, coffee table, etc.) when, if ever to do you move to secure them? I know a lot is required of me to educate my children, but there also seems to be a period of time between when curiosity of all things starts and being able to educate them to be responsible? If you do secure them, what are you doing to do so? I was thinking just in higher locations away from where the child can get to, but I am interested in others who have gone through this.

Sorry if this highjacks the thread, but I thought it as pertinent aside to the conversation.

Always secure them. If your kids are properly taught, the curiosity should not be there. That being said, your kids will have friends over. That is what I worry about. All three of mine have been "gun proofed", but with the amount of kids ruining in and out of my house, I keep all firearms secured. That is before the horrible boating accident.

 

[BigCity]

My son has a two month old boy. He is already looking for a 10/22 for him.

 

[cmb]

I was prolly 9 or 10 when I was told by my Grandfather "you're in charge of keeping these guns clean and in working order" The guns were on a rack and all ammo was in a cabinet sitting next to it. If a child is raised in a "fireams stupid" home, like many are today,then there may NEVER be a good time to introduce them to guns. It's on us to know and watch our children's growth and maturity before taking a step like this.They're all different,just like us!

 

[trailman]

My daughter had an interest at 2, my son at nine not so much. It all depends on the kid and the maturity level. My daughter got a daisey buck at 2 for xmas. Couldn't even pull the trigger . Spent the next year carrying it and learning handling skills started shooting her cricket at 4 passed hunter saftey at 7. Got a MP15-22 at 8. She still doesn't like recoil or shotguns but she is competent with an AR. My son is slowy gettting into it now.

As posted earlier. If you desensitize your kids and train them properly guns are never an issue. No call of duty crap. FWIW ALL my firearms are secured in accordance with state law. However I could leave a weapon on the coffee table wrapped in candy and it wouldn't get a second glance. Might as well be a plate left out with a fork.

 

[5.56blaster]

Started shooting a BB gun very young and a shotgun around 10.

 

[Yoshi]

We have two kids: girl(6) and boy(7)... Both, of which, are not ready for an introduction into firearms. One of the main reasons is because they don't fully understand "death" or "injury". Yeah, they've been through a death in the family and have fallen off the couch, but they can't fathom real pain & suffering or the permanence of death. Until they are more aware of those two concepts and can understand that a firearm can cause both, they won't be shooting anything other than their Nerf Guns.

 

[ras_oscar]

Great thread! I have a newborn, so this won't be useful for a while, but good info. My wife was just asking me the other day about when is a good time to introduce them to firearms.

As an aside to this I also wonder, if you have firearms openly accessible (i.e. in a nightstand, dresser, coffee table, etc.) when, if ever to do you move to secure them? I know a lot is required of me to educate my children, but there also seems to be a period of time between when curiosity of all things starts and being able to educate them to be responsible? If you do secure them, what are you doing to do so? I was thinking just in higher locations away from where the child can get to, but I am interested in others who have gone through this.

Sorry if this highjacks the thread, but I thought it as pertinent aside to the conversation.

You will not be able to predict when a child becomes " mobile" Our first child figured out how to lower the crib sides at 2 and we found out when he appeared standing beside our bed in the middle of the night. Not sure if this was the first extra cribular trip or not. Do yourself a favor and secure the firearms before you bring them home from the hospital.

 

[Skins_Brew]

I cannot wait to take my kids to the range. They are four and three, and have a few years to go.

A few weeks ago I was getting my stuff ready to go to the range. My 3yo daughter asks me where I am going, and I say the gun range. She asks what you do at the gun range, and I say you shoot the gun at some paper from far away. She then asks, "Daddy, can I go gunning with you?"

It broke my heart to say no. I am looking forward to saying yes in a few years.

 

[JoeRinMD]

I started my son with a CO2 pellet rifle at 10 shooting at tin cans and steel swinging targets in the back yard. At 11, I enrolled him in AAF&G's NRA Junior Rifle program, which was a great introduction to shooting in general, especially firearms safety. For him, it "stuck" and he's been my shooting companion every since. Now at 22, he enjoys many shooting sports, including shotgun clay target sports, rimfire action, cowboy action and vintage high-power rifle. My daughter, started at the same ages, but for her it was never something that "took". However, it's reassuring to know that she knows basic firearms safety and what not to do.

I agree with earlier posts about the real issue being friends in the house. Today, all kids are exposed to "first person shooter" computer games. It's likely, they'll be excited that you have something like they've seen/played in the games. It's critical to kid-proof the house to keep them from doing something stupid. That said, their exposure to video games can be a good thing, if their curiosity is directed appropriately. As an adult, you can take them shooting (with their parent's approval, of course) and get them involved in real shooting sports...not just the electronic simulacrum. I've done that with a couple of my son's buddies, and as well with several one of my daughter's friends, one of whom who was about to start at the Naval Academy and wanted to get experience with shooting before she had to qualify (not sure if that's the proper term).

JoeR

 

[DROB]

Thanks everyone. Do you guys do anything to keep them accessible in case of need yet still secure from children?

 

[teratos]

Talked to my kids about them since they could understand. Both had fired their first shots by the time they were 5. Sure, those shots were with .22 Short CB caps in a little Beretta semi-auto that had to be cycled by hand, but if you have guns in the house I think it is important to expose kids to guns as early as possible.

 

[whistlersmother]

Great thread! I have a newborn, so this won't be useful for a while, but good info. My wife was just asking me the other day about when is a good time to introduce them to firearms.

As an aside to this I also wonder, if you have firearms openly accessible (i.e. in a nightstand, dresser, coffee table, etc.) when, if ever to do you move to secure them? I know a lot is required of me to educate my children, but there also seems to be a period of time between when curiosity of all things starts and being able to educate them to be responsible? If you do secure them, what are you doing to do so? I was thinking just in higher locations away from where the child can get to, but I am interested in others who have gone through this.

Sorry if this highjacks the thread, but I thought it as pertinent aside to the conversation.

Many states, including Maryland, require loaded firearms to be kept secure from anyone under 16 when the child is unsupervised - there are exceptions.

See this thread:
http://www.mdshooters.com/showthread.php?t=37321

My handguns are secure and the rifles have their bolts removed and locked up.

My oldest doesn't care and the youngest is satisfied with the idea I will let her have access anytime I'm around. Hence, the "gun" has lost its mystic as something that has to be ferretted out...

I'm more concerned about their friends coming over - hence my various restrictions on certain locations they can go unsupervised in the house (even with the guns secured).