My kids have been around rifles since they were little, but handguns didn’t enter the picture until they were approaching double digits. They learned to shoot right after I did - I wanted them to be safe with and know how to use handguns if they were in our home.
What age did you teach your kids about firearm safety? Did you teach them to shoot at the same time?
Started talking about that guns aren’t toys around 3 and a half. Had him shooting a rifle at 5. We’re stepping up to a 20 gauge, and maybe some .38 special this year, since he’ll be 10.
Time to add the next step of teaching the great grandbaby… she just turned 6 and is starting to take an interest in her moms shooting practice. As shes learning to read, one of her practice items is the 4 safety rules.
NRA has published several “Eddie Eagle” gun safety videos over the years. I started showing them to my grandsons when they were 3 and 5. I also periodically quiz them on what to do.
When they were 4 and 6, I sat them down in chairs in front of the gun safe, and opened the safe to show them what a real gun looks like (I left all the guns untouched). I then re-played the video and quizzed them again.
First introduction was around 7 years old. He showed an interest in it, so I had a long talk with him and showed him basic safety, how the firearms worked and that ammunition was just as dangerous. I asked him if he wanted to go shoot with me. He said not now. I knew this satisfied his curiocity, which is the biggest hurdle to get over with kids. He showed little interest at the time, so I just waited. When he was 13 he showed interest again, so we started shooting recreationally. At 16 he was interested in shooting matches with me, so I started him with Ruger Rimfire Series at our local range. Its funny how fast kids learn. It wasn’t long until he was placing in the top 5 at our local tactical matches, Then at around 21 he lost interest again. I always let him pick his path. When he is ready he will start competing again, but no rush.
Hope other Dads have similar experiences. In today environment, it is hard to get kids interested in the shooting sports.
This is probably the single greatest gift a parent can give a child. A person who can read well can learn anything. The entire world, from the very beginning up until this moment is laid out on a platter for them.
It’s not about age. It is about maturity level, and every child matures different. My kids have seen, held and heard me say “stop, don’t touch and tell an adult” since they were born.
They were each probably 4 the first time they held a gun. I want them to know it’s not taboo. I have told them they can hold my guns when ever they want but they MUST ask first and I will never say no.
My daughter was probably 8 or 9 the first time I took her shooting and my son probably the same. However my anxiety level is much less with my daughter than it is with my son, only because my son has so many toy guns. I probably give my daughter slightly more space than my son.
But it really all comes down to when THEY are ready, and in my opinion do it before their teen years.
My son was 6 when we started talking about gun safety. When he turned 8 is when I started teaching him how to shoot my Marlin model 60 and 10/22 Ruger long rifles. Of course I’ve always kept them locked up no matter what. Now that I’ve got into handguns, the safety parts remain the same but we are learning how to shoot together. My son is turning 18 in February. My 9 year old daughter just recently found out that I had a gun in the house.now you’re wondering why I didn’t start teaching her the same time I did him and there’s a good reason for that. My daughter is autistic and takes things way differently then my son. If my gun is not on my hip, it is locked up.
Sorry I got cut off and it posted before I was done. As I was saying with my autistic nine-year-old. I’ve had to talk to her differently about it. Explaining to her about death is not easy. But what I really try to get her to understand is if you see a gun, do not touch it, go tell an adults.
This is a very important topic for me, because as people who may have read some of my prior posts, I have two young boys, ages 4 and 21 months. Unfortunately, my boys will never be able to grow up doing some of the same things I did as a kid. And this discussion mirrors conversations I have had regarding locked guns. I was born in 1980, so yes, that means I will turn 40 at the end of October. Growing up at my house or my grandpa’s house, there were guns, I know there were guns, and not a single one was locked. In today’s world that is darn near a criminal offense (and is in some states). I also grew up with toy guns. I played war and cowboys and Indians. I would take gun magazines to school to read during any free time. I built toy guns out of what would be called STEM toys in today’s lingo. In today’s world, I don’t see how a kid can grow up that same way. I don’t see my boys playing with toy guns. I am also not going to let my boys play what I believe are first person shooter games. Not a gamer, don’t have a video game system and it just doesn’t seem like a good idea to me. But on to actually talking to kids about gun safety, I am already doing it. At their ages, I go at their speed as opportunities come up. I let them see and hold firearms under extreme supervision. We talk about safety and focus on things like watching the muzzle and keeping your finger off the trigger. We also talk about what to if you ever find a gun. My approach is to take the curiosity out of it. Maybe some might argue that my approach might breed some kind of complacency due to familiarity, but I feel that to make them this verboten item is to invite kid to try or satisfy their curiosity if they were ever to come across an unsecured firearm.
But with kids there are no hard and fast rules. It is up to a parent to be honest with what their children are ready for. And that has to be taken into consideration to ensure that the lessons stick. It’s east to just give a kid instructions to not touch and go find an adult, but how do you get those lessons to take hold, especially with an item like a firearm that children se to be drawn to? So I work to take the curiosity and the mysteriousness our of firearms. It worked for me growing up.
I never really had the opportunity when my boys were very young to teach them about shooting. My youngest was 18 mos and my oldest was 4 when we moved to Hawaii for 4 years and then to CT for a year so no guns at all not even in the Scouts at those places. When I got back to VA in 04/05 it was on! Scouts were a big part of thier lives and we had the farm so the boys and Me or Opa (Grandpa) would go shooting. I think both boys shot a 1911 for their 13th birthdays. Both were into airsoft and the older one went more to paint ball but the ground rules applied and were applied. The week after my youngest turned 21 he came home walking on air with a Glock43. I will have to tell you that I was a little uncomfortable as I knew the next thing he was going to do was get his CWP and he did. I remember me at 21 with a CWP and I was ill prepared for an actual event, He!! at 52 I I think I am ill prepared not for the event but for what happens next. My oldest’s first purchase gun was a Kimber 1911 . He had to send it back 3 times to get one that worked. The one he originally bought had no rifling in the barrel!!! There was much drama with Kimber to finally get him one that functioned. My youngest has since traded his Glock for an RIA double stack 9mm. I think a gift membership to the USCCA is in order this Christmas. Being 20 something and staunch conservatives has me a bit worried as a Dad but I also have to let them live their lives. Start them as early as they are capable of understanding and following instructions, make it fun but serious. Dare I say let them get their butt’s kicked (with recoil) so that they realize it’s not a toy or a game.
I started to learn gun safety when I was about 5 or 6 and didn’t touch a gun Until 8 My father was in the army so I got taught by soldiers. But now I have my little girl who is 2 every time I bring a gun out I show it to her and explain to her that it’s not a toy and this is gonna keep going. I think when she’s about 7 she’ll get her first singleshot 22 And continue her training from there
@Dawn
“When I first went back and watched the video, it gave me chills.”
It brought a tear of joy to my eye reading this.
I am not an emotional person and I don’t act an my emotions. I try to think about them rationally and act rationally.
I grew up in an anti gun home and was taught never to touch guns. This sentiment stayed with me until I was an adult. My concern is for people/children like me who were/are never taught the responsibility of gun safety. I think it is the reason for so much violence in the world today. I think it is important to tell children that once they are responsible enough to touch a gun they should. I think children should be taught that carrying a gun to stop a threat which will save lives is an act of love.
Getting this message out is important to me and I appreciate your efforts.
As for my self i was 6yo and got a bolt action 22 to go help put food on the table and we would go out 3/4 days to the river bottom tho hunt rabits and racoons and the nights hunt one would go home with the meat for the refidge and return and learned weapons safety from my mom when i walked in the door of the shotgun house with the bolt closed she would kick me out the back door with her foot and say bolt open,after 2 times of that, i learned,and as for my kide I told them to never touch a weapon,and ask me if they wanted to handle it and I would let them handle it with me there,and then when I went to visit up in Washington State,there were 6 kids there and with Parents Approval I dowowed each kid a weapon and broke it down several times and then watched as they did the same,then they got good at breaking down all my weapons and then had them go out side and I then broke down all 9 of the pistols and put them all in a big pile and had them all come back in and told them to put them together again,the look they gave me was priceless,but they did it with little help from me,It did surprise when the next vuisit they remembered how to take the pistols and rifles apart and put back together
Actually, my dad taught my kids gun safety before I did. He was a pro trap shooter, my kids loved to go to the gun club with grandpa. He started allowing them to handle (carry) his shot guns when they were about 8-9 years old. He taught them how to open and check and clear them, keep the muzzle pointed at the ground, keep the safety on etc. At 10-12 years old we would take them hunting and allow them to carry a gun (.22 or 410) . That’s where they learned muzzle discipline, identify targets, be aware of background etc, this also included proper cleaning maintenance and storage. At 13 YO they could go work at the gun club, loading traps, gathering shells, garbage cans etc. They were pretty much around guns their entire lives.