How Young is Too Young....

[BeefBarley]

to take your kids shooting?? My oldest is a bit over three and i want to take him to the range to shoot, but the wife says he is too young.

[highlandcruzer]

That's impossible for anyone to answer but you and your wife. I can't say any certain age is appropriate. Some grown men shouldn't own a gun. .....


You'll know when they're ready [mature enough with supervision]....this is pretty impressive to me.....

This is a repost , but you might not have seen it.......Small Child Kills Large Bear; Davy Crockett Smiles From Heavenly Perch - FanHouse - AOL Sports Blog

[2damslow]

Depends on the kid. Above poster had it right, some adults shouldn't be shooting.

One thing is for sure, they are never too young to learn about safety. I dont even let my kids point toy guns at others. I dont like that crap at all. At three, his gun safety training should be pretty much restricted to running away.

How does he shoot his bb gun? Does he follow instructions well with his bb gun?

[fsusteve]

I remember my dad taking me when I was like 5, that was shooting a 22 cal. I had my son out somewhere in that age group, you just really got be mr. safety.

[highlandcruzer]

Originally Posted by 2damslow

One thing is for sure, they are never too young to learn about safety. I dont even let my kids point toy guns at others. I dont like that crap at all.

Good job dad !

I'm about as pro gun as anybody myself . But I've never been completely comfortable with kids even "playing" with toy guns.

Guns aren't toys...........And I agree that it's never too young to learn that.

My wife brought home a litte green plastic , snub nose revolver cap gun , for my little girl the other day , because she asked for it.

It was more than a little disturbing, for me ,to have it pointed at me,and go bang........I got rid of it , and explained why.....Guns aren't toys. JMHO.

[flintknapper]

Your wife is correct. Three years old is too young IMO.

As others have already stated, kids will vary in both maturity and ability, so ultimately its "your call".

My personal standard is not to allow children to shoot "real" guns until they are capable of abstract thought and can follow directions to a "T" .

For most kids....that means at least 5-6 years old. Don't be so anxious to get "junior" out to the range. Work on the safety aspects at home with a BB gun, and don't expect his attention span to be particularly long.

Not ready for the range yet, is my vote.

[inthewall]

My son is three. Im teaching him the safety part of having a gun right now. I bought him a youth 22, 410 combo gun. When we are going out fishing, shooting, or wheelin, we bring his gun. It starts with me opening the gun safe, breaking the gun open and checking to make sure it is unloaded. With his approval that it is indeed empty, he carries it to the cruiser. All the time making sure the barrel is up and out of the dirt and pointed in a safe direction. When we get out to shoot his gun I load it and help him hold it. He gets to aim at the target and pull the trigger. When we are finished we both make sure the gun is unloaded. I think thats as far as you should go when they are three. They need to learn muzzle control before they learn anything. If they arent taught right in the beginning they wont be safe hunters their wholle life.Thats my opinion anyway.

[BeefBarley]

i am not ready for him to shoot, but learn to the fundamentals of gun safety. Just as the post above learn safety from the time if comes out of the safe to the time it goes back in....

[Atoyot1031]

Originally Posted by highlandcruzer

Good job dad !

I'm about as pro gun as anybody myself . But I've never been completely comfortable with kids even "playing" with toy guns.

Guns aren't toys...........And I agree that it's never too young to learn that.

My wife brought home a litte green plastic , snub nose revolver cap gun , for my little girl the other day , because she asked for it.

It was more than a little disturbing, for me ,to have it pointed at me,and go bang........I got rid of it , and explained why.....Guns aren't toys. JMHO.

Highlandcruzer,
I understand what you're saying, and I think we can all agree that it's a personal decision, but I don't necessarily agree.

For instance, what about vehicles (say Cruisers)? IMHO, kids can play with toy cars and trucks crash them, jump them, race them, and still be taught to be good, responsible drivers.

P.S. That's a gorgeous picture in your avatar. Where is it?

Originally Posted by inthewall

My son is three. Im teaching him the safety part of having a gun right now. I bought him a youth 22, 410 combo gun. When we are going out fishing, shooting, or wheelin, we bring his gun. It starts with me opening the gun safe, breaking the gun open and checking to make sure it is unloaded. With his approval that it is indeed empty, he carries it to the cruiser. All the time making sure the barrel is up and out of the dirt and pointed in a safe direction. When we get out to shoot his gun I load it and help him hold it. He gets to aim at the target and pull the trigger. When we are finished we both make sure the gun is unloaded. I think thats as far as you should go when they are three. They need to learn muzzle control before they learn anything. If they arent taught right in the beginning they wont be safe hunters their wholle life.Thats my opinion anyway.

What's the make and price on that gub? Great job! It sounds like you're getting him off to an excellent start!

[highlandcruzer]

Originally Posted by Atoyot1031

Highlandcruzer,
I understand what you're saying, and I think we can all agree that it's a personal decision, but I don't necessarily agree.

For instance, what about vehicles (say Cruisers)? IMHO, kids can play with toy cars and trucks crash them, jump them, race them, and still be taught to be good, responsible drivers.

P.S. That's a gorgeous picture in your avatar. Where is it?

Oh no! I don't care if other peoples kids play w/ toy guns. I played with them too.........I like my children being familiar w/ real guns!........

.Because *I*.....feel it get's rid of the curiosity factor. [depends on the kid]..........My kid , my rules

that's why I put , J.ust M.y H.umble O.ppinion. I didn't mean to judge others.

I never wanted to goof off with guns growing up , because they were just utensils for me.

edit: I let her play with water guns , I just don't like her "shooting" me , with a CAP gun......It's just to real for me , at her age. BANG!!



And my avatar is just 10 mins. from my house.....Blue Ridge parkway/Shenendoah National Park.....I like it too , you should see it in person. Thanks for the complement!

[Atoyot1031]

Originally Posted by highlandcruzer

Oh no! I don't care if other peoples kids play w/ toy guns. I played with them too.........I like my children being familiar w/ real guns!........

.Because *I*.....feel it get's rid of the curiosity factor. [depends on the kid]..........My kid , my rules

that's why I put , J.ust M.y H.umble O.ppinion. I didn't mean to judge others.

I never wanted to goof off with guns growing up , because they were just utensils for me.

edit: I let her play with water guns , I just don't like her "shooting" me , with a CAP gun......It's just to real for me , at her age. BANG!!



And my avatar is just 10 mins. from my house.....Blue Ridge parkway/Shenendoah National Park.....I like it too , you should see it in person. Thanks for the complement!

No sweat! My little, big guy will be three at the end of June, and he's scared shitless of his cap revolver rifle. He much prefers to only shoot it "unloaded". It also has a Ruger trigger on it (probably 15lbs.).

I love getting out in the Apps. One of my best buddies lives in Ashville, and we're overdue for a journey to those eastern mountains. Before I was exposed to the Rockies, I first fell in love with mountains on a visit to the Smokies when I was too young to be handling firearms!

[wob]

My son just turned four, and I can't even imagine taking him out to shoot yet.


Everybody is different, though.

[inthewall]

One more thing. Under no conditions does my son have a live round in his gun when he is carrying it. I put the round in when both of us are aiming at target.

[Bogo]

Train him with a squirt gun. Then get him the bb gun, and work him up to the big stuff. 3 is way to young for anything that can seriously harm.

[Skillet]

Here are Nat and his boy.

His boy is 8.

I think that is a decent age.

Any younger and I think the concept of safety goes out the window.

[nat]

Nice pic, that is now his favorite rifle

8 seems like a good age. He does pretty good at listening, but you definitely need to keep an eye on them.

[flintknapper]

Originally Posted by Skillet

Here are Nat and his boy.

His boy is 8.

I think that is a decent age.

Any younger and I think the concept of safety goes out the window.

+1

I have started dozens of kids shooting....and I firmly believe (on average) 8-10 yrs. old is "ideal" and 5-6 the absolute minimum age.

And believe it or not, I would consider starting girls at a younger age than boys. Instinctively...they listen better, retain info better, and just seem to be naturally cautious.

[BeefBarley]

Originally Posted by flintknapper

And believe it or not, I would consider starting girls at a younger age than boys. Instinctively...they listen better, retain info better, and just seem to be naturally cautious.

also known as nosy gossip hounds.....

[ravewoofer]

I started taking my children to the range around age 8. At first, they would watch me shoot skeet, then as they became more comfortable around the game, I'd have them push the trap button for the squad. Once the kids got used to the commands and learned about both gun safety and range safety would I let them proceed to the rifle range for both 22 pistol and bolt action 22 rifle.

If either child did not follow my directions to a T, we would just stop, pack our bags and leave. Safety, safety, safety. IMO, a 3 yo will not be able to follow adult directions, nor would they be able to even know if their gun handling was safe or not.

My 17 yo old son shoots quite well and enjoys recreational shootiing and hunting and my 13 yo daughter really enjoys plinking with the rifle. Incidentally, my wife and I do not come from a shooting family background, and my wife never had a problem with me taking the kids to the range or hunting.

[amos715]

i don't remember my kid's ages when they first where around me shooting.

i started training them not to touch any of the guns when they began to walk.

my kids followed my instructions with no argument and no disobeying. i had to disicpline one daughter when she was 3 because i was trying to empty a hog trap full of small pigs. i didn't know where the mom was so i made all three of my kids stay on the hood of the truck. she got down twice to help daddy.

i do remember always keeping ear plugs in their ears when we were shooting. my boy is 10 and the girls are 8 now. all three of them are good shots and fully understand that guns are designed to kill. i think that is something to many parents don't explain, a gun is not for shooting a paper target, it is designed to be a tool that kills. i never let them have toy guns or bb guns. they have a 22 cricket that they share and just the other day i picked up 3 boxes of 410 shells, so we can start learning to hit skeet.

i do agree with the general attitude that it is up to you and your wife. imo it is better to start to early rather than to late.

[2damslow]

Both my kids began shooting firearms at four. One of the things that I found succesful is to reduce the need for the kids to digest so much info at once. When they had toy guns, they had to follow gun safety rules and excersize muzzle control. With the bb gun, they learned that there was actually a projectile leaving the firearm. (That may seem like a simple concept, but to a kid it's not. A kid cant see a projectile in flight, so they need that info explained to them. Just because they cant see it doesn't mean it doesn't exist.)
When they began shooting live firearms, the rifle stays on the bench. The kids can fire it and operate the action, but the rifle stays there. They arent allowed to carry it or wave it.
I hold all ammo, and only one person shoots at a time.
They get a single round and load the rifle.
They call the shot, aim, and shoot.
They open the action, ejecting the case and leave the bolt open.
They put the rifle down.

If they want to "play" with the rifle, they can do so at home. I dont allow them to play with it at the firing line.

The rules may seem like a pain, but so is getting shot. They get used to the rules quickly, and they actually seem to take comfort in the "process". If they know the drill, they are metally free to focus on the shot or target. They take comfort in the mini-routine.

Their gun safety training outside of my supervision consists of running far and fast if someone has a gun. or their friends find a gun. No questions or explanations, just RUN. Keep it simple and consistant with the kids.

[cajun65]

Originally Posted by BeefBarley

i am not ready for him to shoot, but learn to the fundamentals of gun safety. Just as the post above learn safety from the time if comes out of the safe to the time it goes back in....

The best way to teach gun safety is to teach him as you go. I can still remember growing up hunting with my dad that it was a constant lesson in gun safety. And dad started taking me when I was about 3 (basically sitting under a tree popping squirrels) and kept up that routine until I was in high school and he gradually let me start going on my own.

Now I do the same with my own son. I took him on his first hunt when he was three. He stayed near my dad and I walked around to hunt a bit and shoot to get him used to the sounds. All the while, Dad and I were teaching about safety.

If your kid is hungry to go with you to see you shoot, I think he's ready. Make the trip short and fun and a lesson that he'll remember.

[cruiserdan]

They gotta be big enough to hold a Garand and fire it off-hand without dropping it.

[Stealthmimic]

I know this may be a bit of a tangental response to this thread...and this can easily turn into a gnarly subject, but...

Guns are not toys. Kids have a cultural juggernaut beating it into their brains, movie after movie, that there are no consequences to the neglient use of fire arms. Its up to parents to ensure kids are properly insrtructed in the safe handling and use of guns and that they impress upon their children the true and dire consequences of not thinking when around a fire arm.

- The most dagerous thing around a firearm is ignorance.

- The only safety that truly works on a gun is the one between the soulders of the user. If that is not properly trained, then the consequences are foregone.

- There are no ACCIDENTAL discharges, only NEGLIGENT discharges.

Therefore, get thee to a knowedgeable insructor and learn to prperly instruct your kids and enjoy shooting as a right and a tradition. The NRA's "Eddie Eagel" program is a great place to start.

/s/ Certified NRA Rifle, Pistol Instructor, NSCA Level I Sporting Clays Instructor, Frontsite Defensive Handgun graduate.

P.S. All else considered, I'm with CruiserDan on this one... provided the shooter acutally knows what "off-hand" really means and understands why the M-1 Garand is the perhaps the greatest implement of battle ever made.

[Fly Rod]

Gun safety is the responsability of the partent until the child is able to understand and remember. Starting a child earlier and we take the responsibility. I can say that my two year olds are very interested when ever I pull a gun out to shoot or clean. I will introduce them to shooting this summer. I will start with the 22 with them sitting on my lap to assist me. Of course I don't condone letting a child shoot a gun on thier own until they are capable of handling the firearm safely.

I started shooting 22's at 3 years old and have been hooked ever since. If your kids show interest feed the fire now. It will carry them through the rest of thier life. Teach firearms safety constantly and consistantly thier entire life. It is not just a weekend class and you are done.