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Hiya Chad...long time no speak...
PM me your postal address, please?

zackerty wrote:Hiya Chad...long time no speak...
PM me your postal address, please?

Aloha zack bro,

Yeah, sorry...been going through a LOT of cr*p lately...PM incoming.
Take care! :cool:

*looks around*
Never. I'm 25 and not sure where to start if I'm ever inclined.

I understand the references to the "soon to be ex" bit might be the stuff that you are alluding to...
Sorry to hear that...

zackerty wrote:I understand the references to the "soon to be ex" bit might be the stuff that you are alluding to...
Sorry to hear that...

Thanks brother...Um...*ahem*. So ...yeah...Tony train your daughter!!! (Sorry tony!)

Take care! :cool:

GTPowers wrote:*looks around*
Never. I'm 25 and not sure where to start if I'm ever inclined.

Aloha and welcome!

Uh...never, ever with an instructor like Roger!!! :eek:

Take care!

Hey Chad, been along time, sorry to hear times are tuff right now, but good seeing you pop back in here..

I didnt have a dad either and even before my mom would let me shoot a BB gun she made me take a hunter safty course.

Tank wrote:Hey Chad, been along time, sorry to hear times are tuff right now, but good seeing you pop back in here..

I didnt have a dad either and even before my mom would let me shoot a BB gun she made me take a hunter safty course.

YO Tank!!!

Hey thanks, "tough" is an understatement...Ugh.

Anyway, "hunter safety course"?!? Well, in a way that was a good thing, right? I mean, seriously, better safe than sorry...recall what kinda bb gun?

Good seeing you my friend.
Take care :cool:

I was still in elementary school when my father first let me shoot his .357 magnum with .38 special practice rounds (can't quite describe them as it was so long ago, but seems the bullets were made of red and black plastic and were the kind you could fire at a target in a house in a neighborhood without penetrating the walls or alarming the neighbors... again, that was a LONG time ago). So, maybe around 10 years old? I know I wasn't in my teens yet.

Also, my father told my younger brother and I that we could NEVER touch his .357 magnum unless he told us we could, and he also told us where he kept his gun so that if we needed to get it for him during an emergency we would be able to do that.

I bought my first gun probably during my third year in college... a .375 magnum.

I also have an in-law who never wanted anything to do with guns, but after the Newtown incident, this in-law was asking a lot of questions about gun ownership and the things that need to be considered in owning one. This in-law seemed to learn from Newtown that sometimes law enforcement, despite its best efforts, cannot protect a person 100% of the time and that one needs to have the means of self-defense at a distance from a culprit. I assured this in-law that I'd inform them on everything that needs to be known with weapons safety being first and foremost.

Don't own a gun and the laws here are very tight although I think the wife's argument is not correct children learn reasoning of very mature/difficult logic as early as they need to.
I lived from 13 to 17 roughly making my own decisions never been in trouble and had plenty of chance and influence its the lessons they are taught and the people teaching.
I would think about getting a guard breed dog if your situation allows so your son has a protector for the family when you aren't around.
A dog can do wanders for a family and make a bad guy think twice but you might already have one just my two pence worth.

Probably 10 for air rifles and small caliber. Got my first .22 almost immediately after I finished a hunter safety education class I took with my dad, age 12 or 13.

DAYWALKER wrote:
recall what kinda bb gun?

Good seeing you my friend.
Take care :cool:

I actually still have that BB gun its a Crossman 760

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! :)


To answer the OP’s original question, I was 10 years old when I shot my first firearm: a .22 cal bolt-action rifle (most likely a Marlin). My father, a former Eagle Scout, taught my brother and me the fundamentals of firearm safety at an early age (6-7 yrs old)—long before we were granted the opportunity to hold a real firearm. My father drilled firearm safety into our heads until it was like second nature. Mind you, my brother and I were fully aware where my father kept his firearms, but we NEVER even dreamt of going to look at them without him being present. When I was 14, my dad gave me my first firearm: a Remington 870 20 ga. shotgun. As I’ve grown older, I’ve had the joy of passing on some of Dad’s wisdom to others, including my three younger siblings. 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

I was all of about 9-10 with an air rifle, (the best you can really get without a gun license)

I started shooting pellet guns at ten and 22s and a 20 gauge at 12, rifles at 14 - hunter's safety, and pistols at 18.

I began my son with a pellet/BB gun around 6 years old. By 10 or 11 he loved shooting the 22, and it's likely still his favorite. An old bolt action Marlin.

He never told anybody about what we had back then. He never showed anything but responsible behavior, and still hasn't to this day. He's now 25 and he's never been in trouble in his life.

Different people are different. I've met some I wouldn't want anywhere near a firearm, or a pellet rifle even who are adults. Responsibility and impulse control don't automatically come with age. Some never are blessed with it.

Joe

I grew up in rural East Texas where guns were a way of life. I think I shot my first .22 at 4. I don't remember safety ever being stressed, but it was absolutely understood and practiced. If I remember correctly, I started hunting by myself, primarily squirrels and ducks, at around 10 or 11.

I think environment and intended use should be the deciding factor on deciding when to let a youngster own and start shooting a gun. On the other hand gun safety should be taught from birth.

Bert

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

Just adding to the statistic here for you.

I was around 10 or 11, .22lr rifles at a local outdoor range in a rural area. I got my first pellet air pistol at around the same time as well for Christmas. Dad was proud, mom was livid but learned to relax after she saw that I was responsible with it :D

To be honest, in order to ensure your kids are comfortable around guns you need your wife to be on board. Sell your wife on the gun idea by using the safety argument (which your kid brought up as well). If there is one thing timid people are more afraid of than guns, it is to be victimized without the ability to do anything about it, especially by another person with a gun. A lot of people who have strong feelings about guns will be the first to go out and buy one right after being mugged.

Tell her that since there is a gun in the house already, she needs to know how it works mechanically so she can operate it in an emergency or avoid an accident. What if you are incapacitated and the weapon needs to be cleared and locked away, or more seriously used against an intruder? This would be a mature and responsible argument. Schedule a safety class for her and yourself at a local gun club or range with a certified instructor. Certified instructors are used to people like her and will convince her in no time that she has to shoot the gun in order to understand how it works. I will bet you this is the magic moment where her attitude will change, at least somewhat.

This approach cured my hoplophobic wife, who until recently proclaimed that she would never even touch a gun. Turns out she is a pretty good shot :)

One more thing. I really don't like talking politics online, but when it comes to responsible firearms ownership, the two are inseparable. If you value your right to protect yourself and your family, you should also be a member of one or more gun rights advocacy groups. Especially if your listed location is correct.

I got my first BB gun at 8. I was the youngest...