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WarHawk-AVG wrote:

SCone wrote:I made sure my boy knew not to touch "Dad's guns" when he was still in diapers. Took a pistol, made certain it was unloaded & no clip (even tied the action to please the wife). Every now and then I'd leave it laying on the coffee table or in my chair. Everytime he'd get close to it he was to do three things...

1) DON'T touch it
2) RUN AWAY from it
3) TELL Mom & Dad

We made a game of it & he was real good at the game. Before very long, he'd see the guns on the gun cabinet and come running to tell me about them. I'd test him by leaving it out and them watch him from upstairs. He never tried to pick it up, never went close to it & best of all, he remembered it.

Once he was old enough to shoot (about 6 or 7) we started with BB guns, then moved to pellet guns and finally, a 22 rifle. He has always maintain a healthy respect for firearms. When it came time for to qualify at boot camp, he shot the third highest his first time out with an M16.

Well you cant ALWAYS rely on that...the 4th thing you should teach him is if he REALLY REALLY want to touch it, come get mom or dad and they will let you see it (and after double/triple checking it to ensure its safe) let them play with it, put their fingers all over it, point it in a safe direction and dry fire it a few times...after about 10 min they will get bored and go play with something else...its always better to remove the taboo of guns rather than have them "fear" them

When I clean my rifles I have the kids get their favorite one and after double/triple checking no ammo and completely safe I get them to help me clean them..they usually get bored about 1/2 way thru, but it builds a familiarity with them, a respect and not a fear and they grow used to them by exposure not by DON'T EVER TOUCH IT....EVER

Plus I take them shooting..those too small to hold the rifle properly I will load the .22, put it in my shoulder..sight downrange and let them stand beside me and pull the trigger while I keep the muzzle in a safe direction..this way they get to "shoot" the gun..but its done in a safe and controlled manner (and unlike my wifes friends husband, NEVER EVER EVER walk away from the line with a round in the weapon..he had a Marlin 60, was holding it with his thumb over the muzzle kinda nonchalantly talking with his buddy..his son thinking it was ok to shoot walked over and pulled the trigger...put a .22 thru the tip of his thumb straight up in the air[it was NOT pretty])

Remove the fear of guns, make them boring and tedious (make them FINISH) cleaning the guns and they will respect them and you won't ever have to worry about curiosity getting the better of them if/when you aren't looking.