how young is too young?

[Buddy_Christ]

how young is too young to start teaching a kid how to shoot a gun? my son will turn 5 this year and i'd like to get him started young so he can learn right. Was thinking about finding him a single shot 22 rifle to learn on. since a 22 rifle is relatively small and has no kick, so he'd be able to handle it easier and learn without worrying about a hefty recoil that'd put him on his ass. plus i'd want a single shot rifle so he can't load on his own. Just a safety precaution on my part...keep all the rounds out of his reach so he wouldn't be able to load it himself.

don't get me wrong, i wouldn't just hand him the gun with a round and let him do whatever he wanted. i'd be over him like a hawk supervising his every move. i would just make sure i was holding onto all the ammo so when i go to put some rounds downrange he doesn't try to take the initiative and get himself loaded up for the next shot.

I'm not dead set on doing this yet, as i need to make sure he's mature enough to take to the range, but i do want to start him early so he gains respect for guns at a very early age and can become a good shooter.

opinions?

 

[Ulcasterdropout]

If he's a big lad that can hold the weight by himself...
I don't think there is a 'too young'. Maybe too young to hunt/kill.

 

[jerseyart]

Are you going to put a gun rack on his tricycle?

I have no idea maing. But good luck whatever you decide

 

[eat big]

i started shooting guns when i was 12. no problem with me and guns yet.

 

[Buddy_Christ]

If he's a big lad that can hold the weight by himself...
I don't think there is a 'too young'. Maybe too young to hunt/kill.

he's a pretty small kid. actually, i think he's average height/weight for his age. he'd have to learn to shoot in a supported position for a while though, like on one of the tables at the range with a few sandbags down to support the barrel.

 

[H_T_]

i think it's important for kids to learn about guns at an early age.

 

[Buddy_Christ]

Are you going to put a gun rack on his tricycle?

I have no idea maing. But good luck whatever you decide

no, i'm going to let him play with that rack on your chest. your gyno is out of control again.

 

[Sub-Zero]

how young is too young to start teaching a kid how to shoot a gun? my son will turn 5 this year and i'd like to get him started young so he can learn right. Was thinking about finding him a single shot 22 rifle to learn on. since a 22 rifle is relatively small and has no kick, so he'd be able to handle it easier and learn without worrying about a hefty recoil that'd put him on his ass. plus i'd want a single shot rifle so he can't load on his own. Just a safety precaution on my part...keep all the rounds out of his reach so he wouldn't be able to load it himself.

don't get me wrong, i wouldn't just hand him the gun with a round and let him do whatever he wanted. i'd be over him like a hawk supervising his every move. i would just make sure i was holding onto all the ammo so when i go to put some rounds downrange he doesn't try to take the initiative and get himself loaded up for the next shot.

I'm not dead set on doing this yet, as i need to make sure he's mature enough to take to the range, but i do want to start him early so he gains respect for guns at a very early age and can become a good shooter.

opinions?

id say wait untill at least 10. i spent my early eyars in austin and thats about the age the kids started going hunting with their dads (and i doubt they even fired it themselves, probably more of a dads arms around him kids hands on the trigger dad steadying it for him)....or maybe actually 8-ish. and then 10 real firing themselves.

anyhow make sure he understands what a gun does and about death and the seriousness of it before teaching him to use a tool capable of delivering it

 

[IwouldSlamU]

the real question is............. how young is too young for a 5yr old to run 12wks of test/fina cycle with the first 4wks 150mg of Abombs. I had my 10yr old on that cycle he loved the pumps

 

[Buddy_Christ]

starting to think that a pellet gun might be a good starter, then move him up to a 22. i could keep the pellet gun rules the same as real gun rules and only let him shoot it on the range. that'd give him some practice time learning the actual rules of gun safety before i put a weapon capable of killng someone in his hands.

plus it would give me an excuse to buy a shitpod of ammo and go to the range on a regular basis.

 

[wtlftr]

wait a few years. when he knows the difference between bad and good (as you teach him) let him shoot

 

[Spartacus]

just don't be caught doing their multiplication tables

 

[theoak01]

I see nothing wrong with him going with you now,with a single shot and firing only at the range, hell dont even let him see that bad boy off the range.

start him as early as possibly bro he will love you for it if he is interested, my grandpa had me shooting a semi auto 22 at 7 and by 8 I was moved up to small 22 pistols. and I still love shooting today

 

[The Wenis]

my dad stole me my first rifle when i was 6.

i went on to kill a few hundred harmless animals and birds and shoot holes in 2 walls of my house. so i think it should be older than 6.

 

[Powerlifting57]

they make a 22 youth and a 410 youth and 12 youth

 

[LftHndPwrHouse]

Well i know i started shooting around 5..my father was a cop back then now works for the ATF/FBI as a forensic scientist. He started my off with a pellet gun. By the time i was 12ish i was shooting in JR member NRA comps with a .22 out to 100 yards.

 

[Buddy_Christ]

Well i know i started shooting around 5..my father was a cop back then now works for the ATF/FBI as a forensic scientist. He started my off with a pellet gun. By the time i was 12ish i was shooting in JR member NRA comps with a .22 out to 100 yards.

nice. how long were you using a pellet gun before moving up to a real gun?


I took my gf's daughter to the range with me once. she was 4 and was BEGGING me to take her with her. her grandfather (father's dad) hunts all the time, so i guess she figured since grandpa goes shooting, she could handle it too.

when we got to the range there were a lot of people there and she was pretty scared. she stayed in the car until everyone else had left. it was my first outing with the Makarov and the free range (only one i know of at least) is 40-45 minutes away, so i wasn't about to head home.

once everyone left, she came out of the car and was staying near me. she started to calm down after a little while, then, to my suprise, she asked if she could try. i discussed it with her for a few minutes, and she said she really wanted to try. I chambered a single round and held my hands over hers. I had to pull the trigger for her because the pull was too much for her small fingers.

she almost pissed herself...literally.

I shouldn't of taken her to the range with me, as i've probably scared her off from ever wanting to learn to shoot.

she's 7 now, and i have a feeling when i start teaching my son how to shoot, if he's into it, she'll probably want to try again as well. i won't discourage her, i'll actually encourage her to learn. but yeah, that was probably a big mistake letting her come to the range with me when she was that young.

 

[Sassy69]

At age 5 can he even hold up a .22? How about a BB gun for starters if you must. Part of the whole gun thing is him learning that its a special thing that you dont' just play with but only use under explicitly specific circumstances.

I know my brothers and I were shooting my grandpa's BB gun around 8-10 ish, using the .22, a 410 and lighter guns by 12-ish and going out bird hunting w/ dad.

I'd give him a few more years so he can understand what exactly a gun is as well.

 

[Evil_Frisky]

Crak.. my son has been going hunting since he was 3.. (didn't shoot.. but observed) yep the ripe young age of 3 .. but before he even held a rifle he learned the in's and out's of gun safety. His first gun was a bb-pellet gun. He also owned a Bow before he even shot a 22.

No one can say if 'he' is old enough, that is to be determined by you. Does he understand how dangerous the weapon is? Have you taught him gun safety? These should come first. I don't think 5 is too young, but ever kid is different.... I'd trust my son to shoot but I have plenty of nephews that are his age that I wouldn't trust with a paint ball gun...

 

[EnderJE]

just don't be caught doing their multiplication tables

pfft..like they're going to use that....

 

[Buddy_Christ]

Sassy - i don't think he could hold up a small 22 right now, but when his b-day rolls around he would probably be able to do it. i'd teach him some of the better ways to do it though, using the sling as a support and what not.

Sassy & Frisky - a pellet gun is probably the route i'm going to go for now. his bday isn't until September, but i'm thinking about this now considering i want to pick up an AK-47 in the very near future. if i got a 22 for him around the same time, i could take it to the range and play with it myself for a while and get used to it. doesn't necessarily mean he's going to get his hands on it or even know it exists for a while though.

I definetly think that getting him a pellet gun and enforcing all the rules of gun safety and making him treat it as if it were a "real" gun would be a big bonus. If he was able to demonstrate that he could follow all the rules like his life depended on it every single tmie he shot the pellet gun, he would be one step closer to learning to shoot a real gun.

 

[Gambino]

i was shooting .22's when i was 4ish...

 

[awittyusername]

No boy should shoot a gun, until he begins to feel his penis is small

 

[Sub-Zero]

Crak.. my son has been going hunting since he was 3.. (didn't shoot.. but observed) yep the ripe young age of 3 .. but before he even held a rifle he learned the in's and out's of gun safety. His first gun was a bb-pellet gun. He also owned a Bow before he even shot a 22.

No one can say if 'he' is old enough, that is to be determined by you. Does he understand how dangerous the weapon is? Have you taught him gun safety? These should come first. I don't think 5 is too young, but ever kid is different.... I'd trust my son to shoot but I have plenty of nephews that are his age that I wouldn't trust with a paint ball gun...

why did you put quotes around "he"

did he have a gun accident?

 

[Buddy_Christ]

No boy should shoot a gun, until he begins to feel his penis is small

he feels his penis all the time and considering the fact that he's only 4, it's still small. judging by your standards, he's more than ready.

what brought that comment about though? i fail to see the shooting guns small penis logic.

 

[tbuz67]

I first learned gun safety when i was about 8 with a bb gun. Then a few years later witha .22. One thing about gun safety: it stays with you. Its surprising how unsafe someone can be if they haven't been taught gun safety. I had a friend barely miss shooting another friend's girlfriend in the face by inches because he rested his finger on the trigger of a pistol while he was getting into a car. Stupid, yes, but the result of no actual training in gun safety. Don't assume that just because you know how to be safe with a gun that everyone around you has, too.

 

[Spanky11]

how about teaching him to box or something similiar?

When I have a child thats how i'd go - the world is different now compared to when we grew up - and i'd rather he would be able to fight with his hands before placing a gun in them.

 

[blut wump]

You might want to start with a .177 rather than a .22. Ever so slightly safer.

 

[Buddy_Christ]

how about teaching him to box or something similiar?

When I have a child thats how i'd go - the world is different now compared to when we grew up - and i'd rather he would be able to fight with his hands before placing a gun in them.

I wouldn't teach them to shoot as a form of self defense. I want to teach them to shoot as a form of disciplined recreation. plus the fact that i have guns in the house...i'd rather the kids know how to use them and understand the consequences of pulling the trigger. that's better than having them mystified by the guns and want to "play" with them when no one is home. that's how kids get hurt and die. if you have guns, you're better off teaching your children about them the proper way so they gain a respect for them instead of having them try to break into your gun cabinet when you aren't home so they can show off the guns to their friends.

i didn't grow up with guns in the house, my neighbor did. I used to always ask him to show them to me, and he would....through the glass on the cabinets. only one time he actually opened up one of the cabinets (we were about 14-15) and he threatened to shoot me if i touched anything. he checked the rifle about 6 times for the presence of any rounds, then showed me how to disassemble and re-assemble.

he let me hold it, and i was peering through the scope. he said something to me, i turned in his direction, and he almost lept the couch and kicked the shit out of me....i had turned the barrel in his direction

i barely avoided getting my ass whipped.

had he not been shown how to handle firearms by his dad, things could've turned out much worse, as he might not of even bothered to check if it was loaded or not. he knew gun safety, i didn't.

 

[bran987]

well at your age i wouldn't date anyone younger than 20 but i mean there are advantage to 21 as far as taking them to bars and of course who doesn't fantasize about the 18 year old high schooler more and more each day?

 

[Buddy_Christ]

well at your age i wouldn't date anyone younger than 20 but i mean there are advantage to 21 as far as taking them to bars and of course who doesn't fantasize about the 18 year old high schooler more and more each day?

dude, the rule is:

(age / 2) + 1 = acceptable

so for me that would be:

(27/2) + 1 = 14.5

don't you know anything?

 

[LftHndPwrHouse]

Honestly I wasnt shooting a pellet gun for all that long. honestly probably less then a year. You could always start him out on a bench that way he dosnt have to hold the gun. I remember i had this plastic block that was in the shape of a triangle. Each side of it was a different hight. Even if you go to an indoor range you can start him by laying down. In that position you can use a sling that will lock his arm inplace and it will act like a bench.

 

[Buddy_Christ]

Honestly I wasnt shooting a pellet gun for all that long. honestly probably less then a year. You could always start him out on a bench that way he dosnt have to hold the gun. I remember i had this plastic block that was in the shape of a triangle. Each side of it was a different hight. Even if you go to an indoor range you can start him by laying down. In that position you can use a sling that will lock his arm inplace and it will act like a bench.

yeah, i'd have him in a supported position.

honestly, at this moment in time, he is not mature enough. i'm hoping by summer he is though.

i gotta get him some ear muffs and take him to the range in a few months and get him used to the sound of gunfire and staying behind the firing line.

Daddy still needs an AK47.

 

[Creepusmaximus]

Start with a one pump BB gun. I had a red rider for my first. Then move up to a 10 pump. etc. I started learning a 20 ga shot gun at 13, small game license was 14 years old. The 20 ga was a short stock version, one shot. Father thought you needed to learn to be a kill on one shot type of hunter. Also you can't freak out and start spraying bullets or shot everywhere. 16 it was off to big game and rifles that went with that. I think a 22 is bad idea until the kid is 12 or 13.

 

[Spanky11]

I wouldn't teach them to shoot as a form of self defense. I want to teach them to shoot as a form of disciplined recreation. plus the fact that i have guns in the house...i'd rather the kids know how to use them and understand the consequences of pulling the trigger. that's better than having them mystified by the guns and want to "play" with them when no one is home. that's how kids get hurt and die.

.

but surely if you don't have any guns in your house in the first place then there is no chance of them "playing" with guns and then dying....

 

[blut wump]

There are guns in the world and that's something we must all accept and in some walks of life they are a necessary tool. Given that guns are inherently dangerous, it behooves a parent to educate their offspring in the knowledge of guns commensurate with the offspring's likely degree of exposure.

With appropriate training the likelyhood of accidental discharge causing injury becomes negligable.

 

[ghettostudmuffin]

Well, in my own opinion(and I'm VERY PRO GUN), I think as far as actually shooting goes I'd wait until about 10-13 depending on your child's size and maturity level.

My dad taught me to shoot at 13 and I was shooting 303's, 30-30's and old school cowboy guns with cap and ball in no time. I really liked it. Remember getting soem nice bruises from the 30-30 haha.

I just wouldn't bring something that serious into a child's life until the ages I mentioned.

Now as for tagging along to watch the shooting or hunting, I'd say go as young as the child can go without being a total nuisance or safety issue.

I personally wouldn't let my child shoot any animals until the age of 12-14 so that they are mature enough and I can instill the proper resepct for animals and humans when they begin shooting and hunting with me.

The last thing I would ever want is to raise a child that didn't respect rifles or humans and animals life's.

My mom was harassed by her 2 younger brother's several times with a real 30-06 when their dad was gone and they would shoot at her(empty of course) and freak her out and to this day she can't stand guns and will not have one in her house. She is prejudice against guns because of her bad childhood experiences even though she knows she should get past it, she can't.

So, once again, IMO, I would not let my child start shooting firearms until they can completely understand teh value of life and be responsible for their actions.

I'm glad my dad started me at 13 because it was about the perfect age FOR ME, and he taught me to respect them and to always be serious about them and never handle them improperly so now as a grown man I have a very positive and healthy respect for guns because of the way he taught me and will have a nice collection by the time(if it ever happens) that I have a son to share it with.

TEACH EM' RIGHT OR DON'T TEACH THEM AT ALL.