Introducing a child to firearms

[Wildscar]

Both while we are at it...

Ain't parenting fun?

Do you want a truthful answer or a cute one?

No and ummmmm....NO!!!

Seriously its not all bad. Kinda like a roller coster at times.

[BrassMonkey]

Yeah,
I can't say I would give it up for anything.

Both while we are at it...

Ain't parenting fun?

Do you want a truthful answer or a cute one?

No and ummmmm....NO!!!

Seriously its not all bad. Kinda like a roller coster at times.

[Will938]

My father gave me a Daisy Red Rider when I was 5, explained all the dangers and responsibility that went along with it. I never shot anyone's window out, and quickly learned about the dangers of a richochet.

I say that the best thing to do is start him off with supervised use of a low power BB gun, just remember that when you leave he is gonna wanna do other things with it. So its very important to keep an eye on him for a long time and continuously explain how dangerous disrespecting it is. This needs to occur until he gets used to shooting and has explored it to the point of boredom...if that is possible.

[ccoker]

I grew up in a very active "gun family"
always hunting, my dad reloaded and worked on his guns and did action jobs for buddies of his, etc.. so, I was very used to it and we were schooled from a very early age

I would let my son watch me shoot an air rifle in the backyard teaching
the important stuff about gun safety.. don't touch it, stay behind the person shooting at all times, etc..

once he had that engrained...
at 5 he got small air rifle, had to cut the stock down a tad it was just too long..

at 7 he got a .22, a CZ Scout which had a dummy mag in it to make it a single shot.. took him to the range and got him shooting preaching safety and marksmanship at 25 yards
after about 6 months I gave him the 10rd mag and he could load it himself and shot right next to me at the range at the 50 yard range.
Then I put a scope on it..

at 9 he got a single shot 223 for hunting and he killed his first deer, a spike at about 100 yards.. sitting in my lap with me helping to make sure he was really on the deer and being stable.. this was after forcing him to watch deer through the scope and practicing getting positioned properly, etc..

now, his younger brother is about to turn 3 and he LOVES guns

I have had the chat about "no no touch" with guns with him
recently, I placed an unloaded pistol on the kitchen table to see what he would do.. he came up to it, looked but never touched it..

I asked a little later about it, he said "daddy say no no touch gun"

an interesing lesson learned by me..
when the oldest was about 6 we went hunting, with him just hanging out in the blind with me... one afternoon we did some plinking and dad and I were going to do the demonstration of what guns do...

so, we setup a few coke cans out a bit and shot with a 22 and showed him the damage and explained that is what would happen to him or daddy or anyone if they were shot..

we then blew one to bits with a 22-250 and about 30 yards, vaporized it...

wow!

then, he said (pointing at my 1911) "daddy, shoot one with your "little" gun"

so, I did, and he was like "WOW!, fire came out"
it was very clear that in his mind, it was a LITTLE gun and he did NOT expect to see and hear BIG gun stuff..
and the damage of a +p hollow point to a full coke can at 20 yards left an impression with him.. from that moment he referred to them as "fire guns"!!!

It was pretty enlightening to me into the mind of a child...
they see things so litterally. little gun, little power

[Mithras61]

Found one...

http://www.airgunsbbguns.com/FWB_700_Al ... n-1181.htm


Seriously though...

If you're looking for "realistic" in terms of both "size & weight" and "general appearance," many airsoft type guns may fit the bill. They are realistic enough that they have been banned in parts of Europe. Someone in my neighborhood called the cops when my kids were out target shooting with them (we live walking distance from a drainage ditch that makes a nice BB gun range) because they thought my kids had REAL guns (at least that's what the cops claim they said).

Try http://www.airsplat.com as a place to start looking.

I'd start him off with the low-end spring guns, because they have to be manually cocked each time and they're cheap enough that you can afford to try a few different models.

Once he gets to where both of you are comfortable with his technique and skills, you can graduate him up to either gas or electric ones. They are faster shooting but also higher velocity (most of them are under 400 fps though, which makes it harder to do any serious damage if he shoots something besides the designated target). I've been shot at very close range with one, and it leaves a red mark but won't break the skin on these guns.

Be aware that some of the high-end gas and electric models are muich higher powered and CAN do real damage. The high-end gas guns use "red gas" instead of "green gas" and have velocities in the 750+ fps range (as do the high-end electric models), but they usually cost quite a bit more than the slower models (anything over $400 is likely to be at least upgradeable to that). I've seen some of the red gas guns shoot through aluminum soda cans, so they can certainly break skin.

Are you really sure he's ready for a gun that fires something like a BB, though? You can still teach him with nerf & soft dart guns, and it will give you the opportunity to teach him that "daddy's guns aren't toys, that's why they don't have bright orange tips & such."

[flintknapper]

It was pretty enlightening to me into the mind of a child...
they see things so literally. little gun, little power

Yup,

No abstract thought yet. This is why I caution parents not to "rush things".

[Sarah81]

It was pretty enlightening to me into the mind of a child...
they see things so literally. little gun, little power

Yeah - I was extremely literal with just about everything when I was a little kid.

Which is why, when I was four or five and at a gun show, Mom had to explain why the .22 Derringer was not, in fact, a toy gun. :)

[Venus Pax]

When my younger brother was 12, he shot my sister in the eye with a BB gun. He did this despite YEARS of safety and ethics instruction from my dad.

For this reason, any kid with a persistent and intense interest in firearms raises my antennae. If my brother, at 12, didn't understand the danger of a BB gun, I doubt a four-year-old knows the power of his Daddy's Kimber.

There are times when you don't want to be the bad guy, but remember that you're his dad, not his friend. You're not on this earth to agree with and indulge him; you're role in his life is to guide, teach, nurture, and discipline.

Get his toy guns out of the trash can. Tell him that those are his guns. When he shows you how safe he can be with his guns (and how well he can take care of them), then you will get a Red Ryder BB gun that the two of you can shoot at the range together.

I'm not trying to be rude, but if something happens to your son or another child, you can't bring that person back. Slow down, funky monkey!

[BrassMonkey]

I am sorry to hear about your experience... :-(

I am going to take the majoritys feeling on this one, thanks all...

When my younger brother was 12, he shot my sister in the eye with a BB gun. He did this despite YEARS of safety and ethics instruction from my dad.

For this reason, any kid with a persistent and intense interest in firearms raises my antennae. If my brother, at 12, didn't understand the danger of a BB gun, I doubt a four-year-old knows the power of his Daddy's Kimber.

There are times when you don't want to be the bad guy, but remember that you're his dad, not his friend. You're not on this earth to agree with and indulge him; you're role in his life is to guide, teach, nurture, and discipline.

Get his toy guns out of the trash can. Tell him that those are his guns. When he shows you how safe he can be with his guns (and how well he can take care of them), then you will get a Red Ryder BB gun that the two of you can shoot at the range together.

I'm not trying to be rude, but if something happens to your son or another child, you can't bring that person back. Slow down, funky monkey!

[PatrickS]

IMOP, 4 years old is too young to be shooting.

I think it depends on the child. My daughter was "ready" at a younger
age than my son. That particular case may just have been a boy vs. girl
thing, but as a cub scout den leader, I see alot of differences in both
maturity and responsibility in boys of the same age, often dramatic.
So trying to nail down an explicit age limit for all kids is tough.

One practice that I recommend to any other parent is to have
their children treat all toy guns as real guns, and handle them
appropriately. When they have shown that they are old enough
to remember all the basic rules with a toy gun, then they are
only then ready for a real gun (and maybe not even yet).
And "old enough with 100% supervision" does not mean "old
enough to shoot *with* you", which comes alot later.

BTW, when you go to the range with a child, don't expect to shoot
any, unless there are two or more adults around and one dedicated
to supervising the kids. When I take my kids to the range, I'm
always the "range officer" and rarely shoot. I know that's probably
stating the obvious, but I'm OK restating the obvious where kids
are involved

Whatever you decide, and whenever you get your son started,
you're both in for a great experience.

[kw5kw]

When my younger brother was 12, he shot my sister in the eye with a BB gun. He did this despite YEARS of safety and ethics instruction from my dad.

For this reason, any kid with a persistent and intense interest in firearms raises my antennae. If my brother, at 12, didn't understand the danger of a BB gun, I doubt a four-year-old knows the power of his Daddy's Kimber.

There are times when you don't want to be the bad guy, but remember that you're his dad, not his friend. You're not on this earth to agree with and indulge him; you're role in his life is to guide, teach, nurture, and discipline.

Get his toy guns out of the trash can. Tell him that those are his guns. When he shows you how safe he can be with his guns (and how well he can take care of them), then you will get a Red Ryder BB gun that the two of you can shoot at the range together.

I'm not trying to be rude, but if something happens to your son or another child, you can't bring that person back. Slow down, funky monkey!

I agree with the best post on this subject!

[HankB]

I was 4 when I got a BB gun, which I could only shoot when Dad was with me. (No problem - I couldn't cock it myself, and if I shouldered it, I couldn't reach the trigger; to shoot, I had to tuck the buttstock under my armpit!) But I learned how to load it, and the basics of sight alignment.

At 7 I got a .22 rifle, but living in a big city (Chicago) I didn't take it anywhere myself.

A .22 air pistol - a Crosman 38C - came along when I was about 12 (shot a lot in the back yard and basement) and for 8th grade graduation at age 13, I got a Colt Diamondback .22 with a 2 1/2" barrel.

Mom got lots of gray hairs early, but Dad's early emphasis on safety and responsibility was deeply ingrained - I never felt the urge to take a gun to school & do something evil, and in all these decades since my first BB gun I've never had an ND.

So I'd say, if you're willing to take the time with a youngster, start him off as early as he shows real interest, and has an attention span long enough to make things worthwhile.

[TIN BENDER]

Get the boy a puppy and introduce him to hunting.
Dogs and boys seem to work well .
Shotguns are probably a great way
to introduce a child to firearms.
Dogs seem to bond with kids.
Kids seem to bond with dogs.

If a dog is not in your home plans you
can still hunt squirrels with out a dog.
Dogs make it so much fun.

My baby boy just turned 30 and got married last weekend.
I remember our times when he was a toddler and we hunted all
sorts of things such as elephants ,tigers, sharks, and MEECES here in North Texas.
Get the boy a LONG GUN FIRST !