Kids and guns

[lildave40]

We introduce our daughter of 9 years old to shooting this past year. Huge mistake because she always wants to train now.

[Vol Texan]

We introduce our daughter of 9 years old to shooting this past year. Huge mistake because she always wants to train now.

I fail to see the problem.

[Pawpaw]

There's lots of good info in this thread. viewtopic.php?f=144&t=83710

I explain how I handled it and my son chimed in too.

[TexasCajun]

My son just turned 4. About 6 months or so ago he started asking me questions about my carry gun. I answered all of his questions. We then sat down & watched the Eddie Eagle video (and have watched it again several times since then). I've gone over the 4 cardinal rules of safety with him then let him hold my unloaded pistols. He can look at & hold any of my pistols whenever he wants to, he just has to ask me first. At first it was novelty and he'd ask every couple of days. But the novelty has worn off and he barely mentions it anymore.

Recently, all of this was put to the test. My wife's sister & their family were packing up to move late last month and we went over to help with the tail end of things & see them off. My brother-in-law had taken his guns out of the safe for the move (he was planning on transporting them in his car), so they were more or less stacked up in an empty closet. Not long after we got there, my son & the cousins (5 & 2) decided to play hide & seek in the almost empty house. My son & the older cousin go into the closet & see the guns. My son immediately grabs his cousin, takes him into the living room where we were & tells me that there are guns in the other room. After congratulating him on doing exactly what we talked about, we sat down to watch Eddie Eagle with the older cousin. A couple of weeks ago, we went to see the new place. The older cousin greets me with the Eddie Eagle song/mantra: Stop! Don't Touch! Run Away, Tell a Grown-up!

With young kids, repetition and demystifying are the keys. The sing-song Eddie Eagle lessons really help young children pay attention and remember.

https://eddieeagle.nra.org/

[LSUTiger]

5 and 7 year old girls I started at 5 yrs old with a Savage Rascal Single Shot, Bolt Action .22LR Rifle. 7 year old want something that makes more noise, so now I have a pink AR15 to go along with a pink Rascal.

FYI, the color goes along way with girls in getting them interested. When the rifle was black, guns were evil, now that they are pink or have pink furniture, I can convince them to let me take them to the range sometimes with their pink ear muffs and pink glasses. Right now it's hard to compete with birthday parties and play dates and Barbie dolls and dancing and swimming and piano and ice skating and .....little girls stuff Mom has them in as she lives vicariously through them. The power of Pink.

[n5wmk]

I have 2 granddaughters, one 9-1/2 years old, the other 4-1/2 years old. When the oldest turned 8, I bought her a Cricket .22 single shot rifle for her birthday. My first time to ever buy (or even hold) a pink gun. Her father is LEO, so she's been well educated regarding not to touch any firearm without adult supervision.

Her dad and I took her to a friend's private property for some shooting education. I made her memorize the 4 rules of firearm safety. She has a set of pink ear protection and rated eye protection, and wore a baseball cap. We set up some targets to get her used to sight pictures, and then moved to some colored chalk eggs. Those give a nice puff of colored dust when hit, which she thought was a lot of fun.

After a while with the single shot rifle, I let her try my Walther P22 (small enough for her hands). Started with only one round in the magazine, so she could get used to the proper grip and control of the handgun, and proper discipline of the 4 rules. Then worked up to 2 rounds, then 5. She did well, even when one ejected cartridge went down the front of her shirt and landed right by her navel. She maintained good control, finished the magazine, and then lifted her shirt to show a .22 LR cartridge shaped blister on her tummy.

I plan on repeating the process when the youngest granddaughter has her 8th birthday - hopefully without the blister....

[imkopaka]

I recently let my 3 year old son start watching Eddie Eagle stuff. He begs to watch them constantly now, and we let him watch them once a day (to avoid driving us completely nuts). I also let him hold our (unloaded) guns so he could feel the difference between his light plastic toy guns and a real heavy metal gun. That's about it for now. I will start giving him more hands on instruction and even range time once he meets two basic criteria:

1. Demonstrate that he understands complex commands (such as IF <blank>, THEN <blank>), and
2. Demonstrate that he will be immediately obedient to anything and everything I tell him.

For me, that came when I was about 6. For him, I don't know yet - time will tell.

[Jusme]

I recently let my 3 year old son start watching Eddie Eagle stuff. He begs to watch them constantly now, and we let him watch them once a day (to avoid driving us completely nuts). I also let him hold our (unloaded) guns so he could feel the difference between his light plastic toy guns and a real heavy metal gun. That's about it for now. I will start giving him more hands on instruction and even range time once he meets two basic criteria:

1. Demonstrate that he understands complex commands (such as IF <blank>, THEN <blank>), and
2. Demonstrate that he will be immediately obedient to anything and everything I tell him.

For me, that came when I was about 6. For him, I don't know yet - time will tell.

I agree, all children develop at different times, so there is no set age, or time frame that one should set for firearms training. Just encourage questions, and never push them to do anything they are uncomfortable with.

[TreyHouston]

Man, this thread makes me want to have a kid. Because my dog don't ask any questions!

Kids are awsome! Be sure to pick the right woman and wait till your 30

[goose]

I have basically gone the same route as C-dub.

When they were too young to think long term, all precautions about firearms and ammo being under lock and key were observed. From an early age they were taught the respect and safe handling portions. Then they would watch me shoot. Seeing jugs of water explode and shaving cream cans spray, etc taught them about the power and danger involved. I also stressed the irreversible nature of a gun shot. Then a little later, they shot for themselves. It helped reinforce the respect for the power in the firearms.

They always saw me carrying. They always saw me showing their mom that the firearms I might have been cleaning were empty. They were always welcome to handle any firearm after I showed them it was empty and then they showed me it was empty. Muzzle control in affect for all of the above scenarios. It doesn't happen much anymore but I always loved hearing "Dad, I want to mess with the <name gun here>, can you show me that it is unloaded?" The firearms weren't mystical unicorns that only special people got to touch. They were special tools, but anyone being responsible was allowed to handle them.

Now as teenagers, they know how to get into the safe. They know my basic plan to protect them in the house. They know my preferred firearms for home defense. They know how to load them. They know that they are authorized to protect themselves and their mom.

I lost a classmate in fourth grade to a gun shot. To this day, I am convinced that it was a lack of knowledge and abundance of curiosity that brought about the fateful end. I tried to mitigate the curiosity part with my sons by letting them handle the firearms whenever they wanted. I tried to mitigate the lack of knowledge by teaching and answering any questions. My boys were always told that 1) they knew what safe gun handling was; 2) they were never to mess with guns at friends' houses unless an adult was there; 3) if the adult didn't enforce safe gun handling rules they were to go outside and find a way to contact me or their mom. To my knowledge they have never been at a buddy's house when firearms were handled by anyone.

There is no right answer. Knowing your own children will help you know what is right for you and them.

[srothstein]

I have seven kids, youngest is now 17. I started with guns in the house before they were and just never made that big a deal of guns. They were there, just like my tools. I taught the kids to respect property rights, what is mine is mine and they need permission to touch. I also treated theirs the same way (did not want to teach them too much hypocrisy or adult privilege). Then if they were interested, I took them shooting with me. They all started at different ages but any that were interested in guns got a 22 bolt action single shot youth gun for their tenth birthday. And it was theirs. They kept it in their room and were responsible for cleaning it and behaving with it. Those that stayed interested in shooting got better equipment as they aged.

Two of the girls got archery equipment instead of rifles. That was their choice. One of them went into the Army and has no problems with guns, just prefers archery and wants to try bow hunting.



Have the riles ready for the grand kids now. Oldest granddaughter will get her father's old first rifle as her first rifle in just two more years. Daughter is already panning on giving her daughter the same rifle also. That granddaughter just turned two.

[allisji]

There's lots of good info in this thread. viewtopic.php?f=144&t=83710

I explain how I handled it and my son chimed in too.

And this thread

viewtopic.php?f=7&t=81822&p=1043806#p1043806

[Wtxchooter]

I will echo what many have already said about taking the mystery out of guns. I grew up on a ranch, with guns literally in every corner of the house. From my earliest memory, the rule was, "if you want to see and handle one of the guns, come and ask. If you touch one without permission, you will receive the whipping of your life." (My parents never heard of spankings of timeouts. It was whippings all the way.) We took the same approach with our kids, beginning when they were about three, and old enough to understand consequences. When I first explained the rule, I spent the next week constantly being asked to see one of our many guns. Each time we went over how to make a fire arm safe, and how to safely handle it. As they got older, I began giving them hands on experience on how to make the firearms safe. Both kids began shooting at six. My son is now 15, and an excellent marksman. My daughter has less interest, but can handle both pistols and rifles with expert care.

The last thing I will add, I say knowing it will be controversial. Not everyone has the place or opportunity to hunt, but I highly encourage you to take advantage with your kids if you do, even if it is hunting rabbits. The experience of stopping an animals life, if handled in the proper way, makes a lasting impression on kids regarding the consequences of the use of a fire arm, and the dangers of its misuse. That is something I think many of todays youth, as well as many adults, lack, especially with the prevalence of video games featuring guns. They don't realize that once that bullet leaves the gun, you can't take it back, you can't hit reset, and its effects are permanent.

[Soccerdad1995]

I have two daughters and a stepson. My daughters are now 16 and 13 and they have been exposed to guns since age 7 and 5, respectively. They have both been with me to the shooting range, and can easily handle my Glock 19, but they prefer to shoot my Henry .22 lever action rifle. They both know how to disassemble and reassemble every gun I own (including my 1911's), and they will help me with my cleaning sessions when I can pry them away from their phones. They have no special interest in guns or shooting but will go with me on occasion.

My stepson is 8 and his mom (my wife) tried to keep him away from guns as much as possible. No toy guns as a toddler, etc. He is absolutely fascinated with guns. I am trying to teach him gun safety using a BB gun, but he doesn't have a ton of patience. I blame his gun averse upbringing for part of his fascination (the rest I credit to biology).

[C-dub]

5 and 7 year old girls I started at 5 yrs old with a Savage Rascal Single Shot, Bolt Action .22LR Rifle. 7 year old want something that makes more noise, so now I have a pink AR15 to go along with a pink Rascal.

FYI, the color goes along way with girls in getting them interested. When the rifle was black, guns were evil, now that they are pink or have pink furniture, I can convince them to let me take them to the range sometimes with their pink ear muffs and pink glasses. Right now it's hard to compete with birthday parties and play dates and Barbie dolls and dancing and swimming and piano and ice skating and .....little girls stuff Mom has them in as she lives vicariously through them. The power of Pink.

Mine is very different. She doesn't want anything to do with a pink gun. She likes the ones wit skulls on them. Go figure.