I've done the same with my 7 and 9 year old(s).AndyC wrote:Fair enough.Running Arrow Bill wrote:I'm probably in the very minority on this. So...don't be offended...anyone... Just being the devil's advocate by an old guy...
I personally do not believe any pre-teen has any business having or using a handgun...even with supervision.
My dad had the opposite philosophy, though - "gun-proof" me by removing the mystery and forbidden-fruit aspects of firearms by 1. teaching me how to check and unload them first and 2. allow me access to them whenever I asked, but under his supervision only and my first responsibility was to go through the check and unload sequence. Didn't take very long for the actual handling of a firearm to become nothing to get excited about, and I was never tempted to haul out one of his firearms due to peer pressure.
To the op - I purchased a Sig Mosquito for my boys. It has the look, feel and fit/finish of a "real" pistol, they can both rack the slide (which helps them be able to clear it in check/unload drills), and the magazines are easy (for them) to load. It runs flawlessly with CCI minimag.
For what it's worth, both boys routinely fire my various 9mm's (Sig 226, M&P Pro, Glock 19) without issue. I load 2 at a time, and let them take aim and fire.