At what age did you learn how to shoot a gun?

[jackknifeh]

I think I was about 12 or 13. Dad taught my brother and I at the same time. Brother is 1 year younger. He taught us how to shoot for hunting squirrel and rabbit. He grew up on a farm in N. Carolina and hunting was something everyone did. The reason was called lunch and supper. Based on his upbringing he just figured every boy (and girls if they wanted to) learned to hunt. The only thing we ever discussed about guns other than hunting was gun safety. During my first year of touching guns I pointed a 22 rifle that I KNEW WAS NOT LOADED at my brother and pulled the trigger making it click. Couldn't believe my Dad's reaction. NEVER saw him that mad before or since. In addition to growing up hunting Dad also served one year in Korea during that "police action" and another year in the Viet Nam "conflict". I think he had the experience to pay attention to. So, I did some hunting as an adolescent with .22 rifles and shotguns. Shot handguns once in a while. A few years ago I bought a 9mm pistol with the only reason other than just the fact that I wanted one was home protection. This was my life with guns.

How old should a child be when he/she learns how to shoot? If it is for hunting I'd say around 10 based on the parent's determination of the child's maturity level as far as safety. Another good reason to shoot is just for fun. Just like the accuracy required to sink a basketball, the skill to shoot is satisfying and just plain fun. The difference is the level of seriousness when an accident occurres. I said when, NOT if. An accident, carelessness, whatever you want to call it WILL happen to someone sometime. A car accident will happen. A gun accident will happen as well. The only other reason that I think is important (shooting for fun isn't important) is for self defense. That reason means no child should be taught to shoot for self defense IMO. When hunting with guns it is taught to never point a gun at someone even when you know it is not loaded. With self defense your only purpose to pick up a gun is to shoot someone. I don't think anyone under the age of 18, if you want to pick an age, has the maturity to decide who or when to shoot someone. Adults seldom do probably.

The above is my opinion with the knowledge that there are so many different situations involved that no one black/white statement can cover everything.

Teaching to shoot for hunting or as a hobby for fun: 12 years old. 8 years old using BB or low power pellet guns.

Teaching to shoot for self defense: 18 years old. I pick 18 because it's a normal age for the child to leave home. At that point the parents can't protect the individual. So, I guess I'm saying a parent should not teach any child to shoot for that reason. I didn't. But, my son didn't grow up needing that type of self defense. If we lived where walking around was more dangerous I probably would have taught him whatever I felt was necessary. Very scary thought. Glad I never had to think about it.


Jack

[DAYWALKER]

I actually still have that BB gun its a Crossman 760

OM...I had the Pumpmaster too! LOL! You ain't that old are you Tank? The Crosman's I HAD (and wish i still had them) when I first started were an Uzi with folding stock that ran off CO2 shot only bb's, one that looked kinda like a mauser pistol, (which oddly enough, when I took apart the Uzi, it was the mauser looking pistol inside an Uzi "covering") a 4" revolver CO2 pellet, a single pump M16 pellet/bb, and a Pumpmaster 1022 pellet pistol...I got a remake of the 1022 pistol in a 177 pellet version, the M4 air rifle, CO2 revolver 177 pellet now from Crosman but the quality is sooooo different from "my days".
Take care my young friend! :D

[DAYWALKER]

Chad! Seems like a millennium ago since we last saw you here. Good to “see” you, guy! What’ve you been up to lately? Any new knife designs in the works? (On a side note, I am truly sorry to hear about the separation/divorce. My prayers will certainly be with you and your family). Nevertheless, it does a body good to see you back here! :)

In my opinion, I believe that parents should sit down with their children at a fairly early age and talk openly about firearms (how they operate, how handle them safely, and etc.) and help the children appreciate (and respect) firearms and firearm safety.

Michael

Aloha SpyderNut,

Thanks...been up to keeping my sanity mostly. Appreciate the prayers, and good to see you too! Cripes, I feel bad for hijacking Tony's thread...well, not too worried about Tony, it's his daughters I'm more afraid of! ( I don't need two Tomb Raiders coming after me with H&K 45's!!!) :D

However, I agree in your opinion bro.

Take care! :cool:

[DAYWALKER]

First and foremost, thanks everyone for the replies. Chad, longtime no see buddy, glad your back but sorry for the BS you are going thru right now. I can almost picture your daughter showing her boyfriend how to handle that gun, it had to be amusing for you two. I agree that it depends on the maturity of the child, unfortunately i have irish twins so i have to wait till they both show the responsiblity to handle a gun because if i just showed one child i would never hear the end of it from the other. Chad i like the idea of the air soft gun that is the same make/model of what we will be using. I'd rather get those OOps moments done with one of those guns. I will have to check into the NRA classes for kids. It can't hurt to have an expert show them some stuff even if we don't go hunting. As far as a dog goes, the rest of the family is allergic to them, my son wants one SOOOOO bad too. Again, thanks everyone.

edit: Doc, thanks for that tidbit of knowledge, I can't wait to see the mrs.' face when i rattle it off verbatum :p

Aloha bro,

Thanks for your kind words. Yup, I got a kick outta my daughter showing her boyfriend how to operate the controls on a handgun! :D As for the airsoft replicas, Tony I swear...they are fantastic training devices. When my daughter first handled the G17, it was like second nature due to her handling of my airsoft replica, which has a blowback slide, slide locks when empty, and drop free mags that hold the ammo. Only difference was the sound and recoil, but she knew EXACTLY where the slide release, and mag release were located, and could re-load without taking her eyes off the target. I was SO proud of her...and yes, i was rather surprised as well, because SHE cleared the stovepipes even! However...

These things are not toys, and I never allowed her to treat them as such. They are replicas and they can take out an eye...even bust skin. ALL the "air versions" I taught her from day 1 to treat like a real firearm. And she did. Yes, they sell cheesy airsoft and bb guns that'll maybe sting, but still...I had a few of those, and even so, she was taught to treat as if real. Since we had more time to shoot the air versions, her handling of the real thing was very safe and responsible.

Yup, I am a proud dad!

Be safe and take care Tony!

[DAYWALKER]

Teaching to shoot for self defense: 18 years old. I pick 18 because it's a normal age for the child to leave home. At that point the parents can't protect the individual. So, I guess I'm saying a parent should not teach any child to shoot for that reason. I didn't. But, my son didn't grow up needing that type of self defense. If we lived where walking around was more dangerous I probably would have taught him whatever I felt was necessary. Very scary thought. Glad I never had to think about it.


Jack

Aloha jackknifeh,
It IS a scary thought, but we are not around our children 24/7 to protect them. Also, my daughter is "marked" somewhat as, "The CO's kid". That being said, I taught her from an extremely early age that she would never be a victim. I had to...so I did. I'm glad too, that you never had to think the way I HAVE to. It's a stressful thing, even though I know my daughter is trained, I still worry about her. OTOH, I can rest somewhat easier knowing what she knows. Sounds weird I know...

God bless and take care!

[jackknifeh]

Aloha jackknifeh,
It IS a scary thought, but we are not around our children 24/7 to protect them. Also, my daughter is "marked" somewhat as, "The CO's kid". That being said, I taught her from an extremely early age that she would never be a victim. I had to...so I did. I'm glad too, that you never had to think the way I HAVE to. It's a stressful thing, even though I know my daughter is trained, I still worry about her. OTOH, I can rest somewhat easier knowing what she knows. Sounds weird I know...

God bless and take care!

Doesn't sound wierd at all. I have wondered if I would have felt differently if I had a daughter. These days boys are just as vulnerable, especially at a young age but still, I think it would be natural to feel more worried about young girls. So, making sure they are as prepared as possible would be a primary goal. My only problem with including guns is the level of disaster possible. If your daughter or my son or my now 3 year old grandson were to blow away the actual bad guy I'd be tickled to death that they were safe. My feelings about the bad guy? He's on his own in God's eyes or the cops if he didn't die. BUT, if the young person makes a mistake an innocent person could get hurt or killed. Even if your daughter makes a mistake and kicks the wrong person in the nuts, how bad can that be??? Might even make for a funny story. :) Guns just bring a level of action that is not reversable.

This is a strange subject in that I can say what I think is right or wrong. Then when you introduce my own children or family my feelings can change immediately. I think most people are like that, even the lawmakers.

Stay safe.

Jack

[DAYWALKER]

Doesn't sound wierd at all. I have wondered if I would have felt differently if I had a daughter. These days boys are just as vulnerable, especially at a young age but still, I think it would be natural to feel more worried about young girls. So, making sure they are as prepared as possible would be a primary goal. My only problem with including guns is the level of disaster possible. If your daughter or my son or my now 3 year old grandson were to blow away the actual bad guy I'd be tickled to death that they were safe. My feelings about the bad guy? He's on his own in God's eyes or the cops if he didn't die. BUT, if the young person makes a mistake an innocent person could get hurt or killed. Even if your daughter makes a mistake and kicks the wrong person in the nuts, how bad can that be??? Might even make for a funny story. :) Guns just bring a level of action that is not reversable.

This is a strange subject in that I can say what I think is right or wrong. Then when you introduce my own children or family my feelings can change immediately. I think most people are like that, even the lawmakers.

Stay safe.

Jack

Aloha!

Thanks for understanding. I have a son whom I worry about but not nearly as much as I worry about my, "lil' girl". However, there are adults who've had more training than my daughter who could make, or have made that, "irreversible mistake"...I know where you're coming from, and I respect your point of view. I just did what I believed I had to do, and believe in my daughter's abilities and judgement. No doubts...I mean, if i had doubts her training would still have happened, but she would not have access to HER G22 as I type this.

I agree with you about the lawmakers though. I just wish they'd view the laws at times like how you mentioned.

You take care too and be safe! :cool:

[Jim Malone]

18, the legal age limit to own and shoot a firearm. This was when people were still able to have access to firearms without enormous effort.

[tonydahose]

, not too worried about Tony, it's his daughters I'm more afraid of! ( I don't need two Tomb Raiders coming after me with H&K 45's!!!) :D

No worries on hijacking, but my son might get mad at you calling him a girl :p

[defenestrate]

I think I got to fire a few shots at about 8 in Indian guides but as we didn't spend much time outside of areas with no open space to fire outside, I didn't get much real practice until in my 20s. If you have space to go to or a range, I think anywhere within a couple of years of 10 is excellent. Even younger doesn't bother me particularly if you generally have a number of guns in the house where they can be seen - safety and respect need to come at a young age, and can begin to be instilled early, though really being able to get enough focus and understanding to really *learn* to shoot sounds like most often something in the 8-12 range. we are planning to be out in the country so we will probably have a .22 rifle ready for kids to learn on by that age range.

[DAYWALKER]

No worries on hijacking, but my son might get mad at you calling him a girl :p

Aloha Tony,

Cripes, sorry bro...didn't read right...ya know, this is the second time this bit me in the @$$...this is how my daughter met her boyfriend. She was hanging out a lot at a certain girl's house with her twin. I @$$umed it was a girl...nope.

Sorry Tony, have a good one and apologies to the lil' big GUY!
Take care :o

[NoFair]

9ish for air rifles.. Went hunting with a suppressed .22LR with a scope from 12 years old. Was a pretty good shot by then.

7.62 Nato and pistols in my later teens :D

[tr4022]

Pre-natal for me. Squeezed off my first few round in the womb. Mom's still pissed at me to this day.

I think you already got some good advice, Tony. I have absolutely no expertise with firearms, but if your kids are interested, I would say go ahead a teach them firearm safety, etc. Boys in particular seem to have a genetic fascination with guns. Obviously youre wife is right, your kids are far too young to be responsible with firearms. That's your job for now. But you already knew that. However, if they are ready for it, it seems to me they're not too young to learn basic gun safety/operation. Good luck.

[peacekeeper]

I have two daughters 23 an13..the first one fired my p 99 at age 13 and she was impressed..and she is teaching her sister very well!!notice i live 20km from the albanian and f.y.r.o.m border..!
Nothing happens till now...god help us to stay this way!!

[BAL]

It depends on the kids and both parents, don't force the issue, but don't ignore it.

Education can start before the actual shooting. I showed my son my guns when he
was a couple years old and started explaining the rules, so it has always been part
of his life. It's no big deal now.

A gun is always loaded, never point at anyone, keep finger off trigger, never, never,
touch a gun unless Mom or Dad is there. You don't run up and pet a strange dog,
you don't touch a hot stove, you don't touch a gun. You don't fear them, you respect
them.

You can start training with a toy gun on how to handle, you can step up with air soft,
BB guns, then to 22 caliber. We shoot on the farm as a family, mainly with 22's.
Always going over the rules and reinforcing them.

I was around 8 when I started shooting BB guns and then a 22, my son maybe 10.

If you grow up around dogs you know all about them and how to deal with them.
You learn how to treat them right and how to treat a dog that you are not familiar
with. It's all second nature and just part of your life. It is similar with guns. If you
don't make it a big deal, then it isn't.

Most people that are Anti-gun are people that were never around them and
don't understand them.

Gun safety and gun rules can be part of their life if do the responsible thing and
teach them when they are young and then continue to reinforce the rules.

[tr4022]

Two great-looking kids you got there, Tony. 'Course, my two little boys can look like angels, too, but.... :p

Tod

[WMR]

I was 8 years old, and owned my own .22 rifle given to me by my father, along with the rules I still observe today. Where I lived, the targets were mostly snakes. School had its bullies. But, we had not been conditioned by Hollywood and computer games to shoot anything other than the aggressor nation's soldiers..... or snakes. {Hunting is also a reasonable activity} I guess the world is changing.

Pre-natal for me. Squeezed off my first few round in the womb. Mom's still pissed at me to this day.

I loved that one... priceless!

[mrappraisit]

BB Guns at about 6 years
Real firearms at around 8-9
Guns can be safe, but they need to be secured when not in use and kids need to be educated and have respect for them.

[Melektau]

I started when I was 7 going ito the woods with a gun my mother no doubt worried sick but I went and never had any trouble twenty some years later im teaching a five year old to shoot his mother no doubt with lots of worry put it to her this way what if he goes to a friends house by himself him and a friend find a parents gun and neither of them know anything about them dont check to see if its loaded knows nothing of the power and danger they are fooling with you cant go wrong teaching them even if you have guns in your house they will be so used to them they wont even fool with them unless its a curious kid who will hide and mess with the gun anyway

[raven]

Like some here I also grew up without a father, so my uncles who are avid hunters filled that role and started me out handling a .22 at the age of 6 years old. I was shown all about SAFELY handling a firearm, both rifle and pistol and at the age of 14 I was taking a hunter safety course and later that year with my uncles hunting deer and elk... carrying a 30-06 bolt rifle. The Safety aspect of handling a firearm was Hammered into me and knew before anything else What NOT to do with a firearm.

Tony, the earlier you show them the better . Even if later on as they get older and choose not to have a firearm... At least they will have that Knowledge you passed onto to them. Take Good Care and Be Safe Always.

God Bless :)


-raven-