How young is to young for kids?

[WinchesterM1]

I just got done building a higher end 6.5 grendel AR, and I have 4 year old twin boys who know proper gun safety. But I cannot keep them from wanting to play with this AR. So how young is too young to let them go to the range?

258556

[flyingmonkey35]

Well out of sight = put of mind.

It is never to early to teach proper firearm safety.


I would recommend starting with a single shot 22 cricket.

Or a pellet guns.

Teach them all a about safety. How guns are NOT TOYS.

Just remember they have the attention span of a surged up squirl at that age and will grow bored very fast.


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[MrWolf]

You know your kids best. I waited till my son was 16 due to a lot of things. Everyone is different

[dangitgriff]

Check with the range to see if they have minimum age requirements; many do.

[Buzz Krumhunger]

“But I cannot keep them from wanting to play with this AR.”

Four seems pretty young. They need to know that they don’t “play” with a firearm.

[bolivor]

Put the AR up where they can't get and tell them to play with their toys.The AR is not a play thing.

[country gent]

While not a toy to be "played" with ( Im assuming you meant handling and such more) they do need to know safe handling and the safety rules and such since firearms are in the home. There is a lot of curiosity wit young children and firearms.
My wife and I would stop and show a firearm to our children when they asked about one, Yes they were allowed to handle it, they were also shown how to check it was unloaded and cleared. This took a lot of the curiosity out of them.
Starting them shooting is a decision you have to make, this depends on stature maturity attention span. A good BB gun or single shot 22 ( pneumatic or even spring cocker air rifles tire you out to fast getting them ready) and ammo rationed by the shot works best. Remember they will turn to ask dad questions and the firearm is liable to turn with them or be dropped. Slow simple and close works best. I also recommend iron sights to start moving up to apertures then scopes.
The big plus to the bb gun is back yard in country or basement can be a makeshift range for them, a heavy big back stop isnt needed

[Love Life]

Holy scope height, Batman!!

[GhostHawk]

I taught firearm safety for 15 years. Under 10 as a general rule they do not have the maturity to take it serious. And it needs to be taken serious.

There is a reason they teach firearm safety in 6th grade. By the time they are 12 or pushing 12 they can understand the difference between a toy and a weapon that can kill. Firearms are NOT toys, should not be played with.

They want toys, buy them a pair of airsoft AR's. Then shoot each one in the butt, once, jeans on.
Then tell them. Any human, dog, cat, farm yard animal gets hit with an airsoft pellet and you will take that AR out back and destroy it with an axe.

And when they do, (and they will) follow through. Do what you said. Make them realise how serious it is.
And if it was me I would keep the ammo locked away unless I was there to supervise target time.

IF, they can make it through a year without losing their guns they might be ready for BB guns. Same rules.

[M-Tecs]

I started actively shooting under dads supervision at 4 or 5. By 8 I could take my 22 rifle or Dad's High Standard HD-Military anytime I wanted. By 10 I had my own snowmobile, 225 Winchester rifle that I actively hunted fox and coyotes with the . Dad purchased the sled so I could check the horse pasture after the snow got too deep preventing him from driving the pickup to check on the horses. It was about a 4 mile one way run to the horses. Even a minus 20 I made that run everyday in the winter. When I grew up boys in rural areas were expected to mature earlier. Today not so much.

[WinchesterM1]

My kids are very mature for their age, I shouldn’t have used to word “play” before he laid down behind this AR he asked if it was clear(his words not mine) only after I said yes he laid down to look through the scope. ALL of my ammo stays in the gun building, it does not come in the house, if it is in the house it is in the home protection firearms which obviously is well taken care of and they know not to touch them. I try to keep a AK and a AR around for them to get to know and to get comfortable being around since my job is literally shooting guns for gun mags and as a tester and loader for Lehigh Defense. I think he likes looking through scopes more than anything. I may mount a cheap scope to a 2x4 and let him carry it around. They both will turn 5 in June

[country gent]

How about this, pick up a cheap gun show stock or 2, something sized for the cricket or old boys rifles. Most of these the receiver and barrel were the same dia. Mount a dowel rod in the stock a set of see thru mounts and a close pin on the back a inexpensive scope mounted in the rings and a supply of rubber bands.

[djryan13]

Slap a 22 upper on that thing and be done with it. They can handle it if they are mature enough. When you teach them don’t “play”. Be serious. Use the word “tool” or “rifle”. Be happy you got boys who might like shooting. Some think shooting is just in video games.

[Hogtamer]

4,5, or 6 is too young mentally and physically in my opinion. BB gun training at 6

[Tripplebeards]

I taught firearm safety for 15 years. Under 10 as a general rule they do not have the maturity to take it serious. And it needs to be taken serious.

I agree. Below ten years of age should be spectators and not trigger pullers during hunting season. It’s fine to get them active at younger ages for target shooting but imo they should not be out hunting even when in arms reach. The maturity level is not there. To much excitement, lack of experience and judgement, and emotions running wild are not a good combination sitting behind a firearm. If you want to do it on your own private property where no one else is hunting and is going to be in danger then more power to you. I’m not a fan of our special youth seasons either. It screws up bow hunting and pressures deer back to being nocturnal around my area. When I was 12 In the early eighties I hunted opening day in very close sight of my dad. It worked just fine. I also already went through hunters safety and had several BB guns since I was 8 So I was well aware of gun safety and how to shoot. I could actually shoot better then my whole hunting party at 12. At 10, I had a 7.5 horse outboard and v bottom boat and sailed the Mississippi all day by myself...but lived on the river, had swimming lessons at the Y non stop since I was 4 and went through several lifesaving courses by 10, and I had my boater’s safety certification. I’ve witnessed some of these modern under 10 year old youth hunters who get upset, cry, and a step away from a melt down when they miss an animal. That is not the maturity level I want in the woods behind a forearm. A few more years and they should be mature enough to be able to handle the rejection of missing.

Target shooting safely on your own private property go for it. Hunting at that age is a big no for me.

[frkelly74]

I saw Crickett rifles mentioned , and they are great rifles. But they are loud, so when we were at that stage I used the CCI Quiet rounds and we went hunting balloons. My daughter still says, when she sees balloons, "I hope they don't charge us". She is 21 now. Don't forget the ear muffs!

[FLINTNFIRE]

Firearms should be taught early , my kids older and younger were taught early the safety and respect for firearms and I have let them shoot as I was with parental supervision not any gun safety teacher or other person who was considered by whomever to be a expert , it begins at home from a early age , firearms safety training and shooting , only you can make the decision of what age or size , I would never even ask it here as the amount of criticism you will get for each yes you will end up with a no . My father taught us early , and I think its important to teach early as then you will not have kids playing with guns and making mistakes , I do not believe you meant playing in the true sense of the word , I think you meant becoming familiar with them and being allowed to learn about them , teach them young and they will remember it where did I hear that at somewhat paraphrased by the way . Our children are our future .

[shooterg]

Pop let me shoot his old trapper .22(Springfield 15Y, $2.98 from Sears before WWII) at age 6 . He was a Marine and never owned a handgun but made sure I could handle that rifle - when he was home ! Next year turned 7 in July, he let me start squirrel hunting with that single shot(yeah, I still have it) in the fall . After that I was turned loose, and every time I had change, I'd walk to the hardware store, reach UP to the counter to pay for another box of 50 ! Gramps payed me a bit for every pigeon shot eating the pigs corn, more for crows and groundhogs, occasionally a skunk trying to sneak around the henhouse and once, even a fox !

Pop would NOT let us have BB guns- too many stories of kids shooting each other(you'll put your eye out !)

Started my daughter at 8(same age as Annie Oakley supposedly) with a Chipmunk, started my grandson at 7 . He's 9 and getting a MP15-22 for Christmas this year. He's more safety conscious than most of the adults at our local Range, but we still have 80 acres for him to cruise anyway. No kid is the same - some ain't ever going to be ready to handle guns. They'll most likely grow up to be Democrats.

[facetious]

I think I was about 7 or 8 when I found a .22 in my grandpa's grainery and told my dad. That was when he started to teach me how to shoot and be safe. I wanted a BB gun but when I turned 10 he got me a .22 single shot. I didn't get a BB gun till I was 12. Years later I asked him why I got a .22 before I got a BB gun. He said that if I learned with a real gun I would learn to treat it like a real gun if I learned with a BB gun I would learn to treat it like a toy.

In WW ll he was a armorer and told me that he like to go to the range to watch the new guys learning to shoot. He said you could tell the city kids from the farm kids just from watching them. I didn't think about it much till I was much older but looking back the Viet Nam thing was starting and I can't help but think that he was trying to give me a head start. The war ended before I turned 18 so now it is just a hobby.

[Win94ae]

I don't know why my dad didn't let me play with his service revolver when I was 4. I had to play with my toy double barreled shotgun... you know the one where you would lose the corks and have to use mud in their place. :)

I did get to shoot his revolver when I was 8 or so, when he took us to the strip mines.

[Lloyd Smale]

My mother has it wrote in my baby book that at 3 years old the only toys I wanted were cars, trucks and guns. Anything else was tossed to the side. Funny thing is it never changed. Ive got a picture of my son shooting a bearcat at camp when he was 3 years old. He absolutely loved it. My kids grew up with guns in the house and I don't ever recall a single instance when they tried to play with one. There was no real fascination with them because if they wanted to shoot them all they had to do was ask. They were taught guns safety and respect from the minute they were old enough to comprehend it. Probably even before that. I still remember overhearing my oldest daughter telling here friend that "in this house we don't touch dads guns." For my oldest grandsons 9 birthday he got a smith ar22. He loves it.

[jsizemore]

Would you rather they satisfy their curiosity with you or without you?

[trapper9260]

But I cannot keep them from wanting to play with this AR.

You do not let them play with the guns, if they able to get it easy .Lock it up, only let them handle it with you or adult is with them.Also like other say guns are not a toy to play with. You can teach them for you know your kids the best. Also have them to not touch the guns unless they a told they can , treat it loaded no matter it is not. You never know.Also have them treat every gun the same.

[C. Latch]

My girls (8 and 6 now) both started being allowed, under careful supervision, to shoot, around age 5. My boy is 3 now and I suspect he'll be shooting by 4.

Surely it goes without saying that letting them shoot under supervision isn't the same as 'giving them guns' to be responsible for on their own.

[JimB..]

I do believe that your son has 2 fingers on the trigger. I dry fire, you dry fire, but young children should not dry fire. They don’t understand the basic rules, and creating exceptions complicates it greatly.

You’ve already made the decision by leaving them about. I suppose at this point you aren’t deciding when to start training, but how to train them. I suggest a toy for the house, maybe airsoft, make them demonstrate unsnding of safe handling and basic range rules while shooting cans with you in the yard. If you think they’ve learned, then make them carry it around the house for a week, if they pass they can shoot cans without you. And in the meantime, no they should not be handling your guns.

Good luck, it’s not the worst mistake you’ll make as a parent, not by a long shot.

[Shawlerbrook]

That is something that depends on the child and the parent. Two aspects are when a child is 1) physically, and 2) mentally ready.

[1989toddm]

Too young to start teaching? No such thing. You decide when to start them shooting but teaching starts now. Yesterday.
https://youtu.be/lZaRiDsqgqU
Mickey has some good thoughts and ideas, actually a lot of them.

[BrutalAB]

I started teaching my oldest daughter (4) this past christmas with a red ryder bb gun. Shes not big enough yet to shoulder it properly but it sure is a lot closer than my marlin 60 or henry golden boy youth.
Teaching her the destructive capabilities of guns by using water balloons (and pumpkins) as our targets.

[remy3424]

Twin 4 year olds at a active gun range....good luck with that. Remember to bring another adult to watch the one your aren't supervising shooting a 22 of some sort, if the range allows and you choose to pursue this. I assume you live with these boys and realize how children are, be careful, use prudent judgement, as you are the adult in this situation. The time will come when you know they are ready and you don't have to ask others to try to justify your actions.

[gwpercle]

I taught my two what guns could do as soon as they showed any interest whatsoever in Dad's toy's.
Four years old sounds about right . The first thing I did was shoot some water filled milk jugs , water melons , cantaloupe's and filled soft drink cans with high velocity JHP's ... I wanted to impress on them what happens when a guns bullet hits something . The exploding cans , jugs and fruit and me pointing out the terrible wounds that would happen if carelessly fired must have worked .
Both became very safety aware with guns from an early age . The other day my 47 year old said she still remembers me showing her what bullets do and then the fun we had shooting my Ruger 10/22 at targets .
Make a big impression on them...show them the effects a bullet and then SAFETY lessons...
You can't be too safe when shooting . Teach them young .
Gary

[Chad5005]

I started teaching my son at age 4 with a Crossman 760 pellet gun,then moved him on to a ithaca model 49 single shot lever action at 6.my daughter didn't care anything about guns till she was a teenager

[flyingmonkey35]

One last thing

I firmly believe in a safe. Or a gun cabinet.

Firearms should not be propped In a corner of the house.


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[WinchesterM1]

One last thing

I firmly believe in a safe. Or a gun cabinet.

Firearms should not be propped In a corner of the house.


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I agree, I have a concrete building with a safe door, those ARs were there to take to the building

[Plate plinker]

I bet I was 6 when dad gave me a bb gun. Now look what happened I have guns in the double digits.

[Tatume]

So how young is too young to let them go to the range?

In my opinion there is no "too young." But be very careful of hearing protection. Young ears are easily damaged.

[nccaster77]

I taught firearm safety for 15 years. Under 10 as a general rule they do not have the maturity to take it serious. And it needs to be taken serious.

There is a reason they teach firearm safety in 6th grade. By the time they are 12 or pushing 12 they can understand the difference between a toy and a weapon that can kill. Firearms are NOT toys, should not be played with.

They want toys, buy them a pair of airsoft AR's. Then shoot each one in the butt, once, jeans on.
Then tell them. Any human, dog, cat, farm yard animal gets hit with an airsoft pellet and you will take that AR out back and destroy it with an axe.

And when they do, (and they will) follow through. Do what you said. Make them realise how serious it is.
And if it was me I would keep the ammo locked away unless I was there to supervise target time.

IF, they can make it through a year without losing their guns they might be ready for BB guns. Same rules.

nah Not so much. Most Firearm Safety guys I’ve met are way over the top in book sense and not so much on practicalities. I was 5. Single shot bolt action .22 Never had a BB gun. I was prolly 8 by the time I could take it without Dad supervision anymore. In all fairness each situation requires its own analyzation. 2 of my 3 boys (now men) were 5 also. The 3rd we waited til he was about 8. The point being that if you expose them to correct handling and usage early on guns won’t be such a mystery. They are tools, weapons, and also a thing of enjoyment. Dad never locked them up. As I would go into his den for our convos each time I would grab one and be handling it as we talked. Then put it back in the case as I was leaving. Yes. There is a responsibility with guns. But just as an ax, hatchet or chainsaw you need to get past the fear and recognize it for what it is. A tool/resource. None of those items I mentioned will do anything on its own. Only what you tell it to do. btw- Ammo was always locked up. And we all know that a gun with no ammo is.... well, a hammer. Lol

[wv109323]

With one of my grandsons,who wanted to "play" with my guns, I showed him how to check if the gun is empty. I used a bolt action rifle,semi-auto rifle and pistols and revolvers. I would use an empty cartridge to show him the difference between "loaded and empty". Even though he was too young to work the actions he had to tell me how to do it. When he found a loaded gun ( which I sometimes set him up) he has to go tell grandma he found a loaded gun.
At about age 5-6 he would dress up with cowboy hat, bandanna, boots, and two SA Rugers in twin holsters. At age 7-9 he could hit a pop can at 30 yards 90% of the time. He had to put the stock under his arm pit to sight through the scope.
Now he is 19, he never picks up a gun without checking to make sure it is unloaded. He enjoys shooting and I have to make up the rules if I am going to beat him.
I never gave him a firearm to shoot that I thought would scare or bruise him from recoil. At age 16 it was a .41 Magnum and a 45-70 that he wanted to shoot. And always eye and ear protection.

[bedbugbilly]

They are not mentally developed enough at that young of an age - and let's face it - some adults aren't either.

While it is never to young to teach gun safety - the same with you don't touch a hot stove or play with knives - but a "child" of 4 should have nothing to do with an AR regardless of how cool they think it is to "play with". Lock it up where it should be - especially if there are kids in the house. In the wrong situation - i.e. the wrong people seeing a four year old "playing" . . . or "shooting" an AR - you might just find yourself charged with child endangerment. Use some common sense - you kids will grow up - start them out when they have the ability to know right from wrong and that guns are not toys - they are weapons that can kill. A BB gun or a pellet gun to start - graduate3 to a 22 but 'under supervision until you know they are mature enough to know the rules you set for safety - remember that you our your spouse may not always e around and and a less mature friend visiting with access to firearms equals a potential catastrophe. I speak from experience - I've seen the results of such things way too many times when I worked ambulance and fire rescue. C O M M O N S E N S E

[Mytmousemalibu]

I learned in my backyard with my dad when I was probably about 5yrs old. Learned with a .22 Benjamin pistol no less! Still have it too!

I think this depends on the kids to be honest. Are they willing to learn, can they understand the safety rules and do they understand the dangers.

If so, a pellet or BB gun might be a good starting point or perhaps a little youth rifle like a Crickett. Some form of quieter ammo like Quiet-22 or standard velocity Shorts/CB caps. The Aguila Colibri's would be perfect too if they are in a shorter barrel like the Crickett.

I got my own rifle, a single shot H&R .22 before I was 10 and my own semi auto after that.

[Tatume]

I guess I was a late bloomer. I started hunting with my Dad and our family friend Mr. Hogge at the age of eight. It was at the late and mature age of 12 that I received my first gun, an Ithaca M66 Super Single 12 gauge shotgun. I still have it.

[wildwilly]

They are not mentally developed enough at that young of an age - and let's face it - some adults aren't either.

While it is never to young to teach gun safety - the same with you don't touch a hot stove or play with knives - but a "child" of 4 should have nothing to do with an AR regardless of how cool they think it is to "play with". Lock it up where it should be - especially if there are kids in the house. In the wrong situation - i.e. the wrong people seeing a four year old "playing" . . . or "shooting" an AR - you might just find yourself charged with child endangerment. Use some common sense - you kids will grow up - start them out when they have the ability to know right from wrong and that guns are not toys - they are weapons that can kill. A BB gun or a pellet gun to start - graduate3 to a 22 but 'under supervision until you know they are mature enough to know the rules you set for safety - remember that you our your spouse may not always e around and and a less mature friend visiting with access to firearms equals a potential catastrophe. I speak from experience - I've seen the results of such things way too many times when I worked ambulance and fire rescue. C O M M O N S E N S E


Friend...I couldn't have expressed it better, myself.

[WRideout]

4,5, or 6 is too young mentally and physically in my opinion. BB gun training at 6

I gave my oldest daughter a BB gun at age seven, and taught her to treat it like a firearm. Later I took my 9 year-old nephew to shoot with me, and he never caused any trouble or took an unsafe action.

wayne

[mattw]

I started both of my girls in their 5's with a Cricket. Best thing I could have done. But, if a safety mistake is made... put it up. That means some days you may only get one shot!

[mule1]

When I came up (not that long ago), my dad didn’t spend much on guns. This meant that I used full sized guns. I “helped” him shoot at an early age (6) but I was hunting by 8. I was expected to tote an adult sized 410 at that age. I think you start them as young as possible, even if they aren’t pulling the trigger. Seeing you handle a weapon with respect, and realizing that it is something to be had with maturity and adulthood will go a long way in developing a respect in them. Cleaning, disassembling the weapon, drawing targets, talking about the life of an animal and what it is sacrificing to give you food, are teaching moments. Don’t wait until they’ve got girls on the brain to try to teach them these things!

[M-Tecs]

While I do agree that young minds take time to develop a reasonable level of maturity it should also be obvious to all (unfortunately it is not) that culture and needs greatly influence how quickly most people mature. Look at WWII and the amount of 15 to 17 year old that lied about their age it enlist. It was younger during WWI and even younger during the Civil war. Up until recently 12 to 14 year old boys were expected to be adults.

At 20 when I moved from a rural area to a major city I was dumbfounded at the maturity level difference between city kids and rural kids. Lots of reasons for this difference but one thing is a fact it's not because brains are developing differently. No or limited expectation lead to no or limited results.

[mule1]

Amen brother

[abunaitoo]

The first, and most important, thing they have to learn, is that "a firearm is not a toy".
See it all the time at the ranger where people treat them as toys and are dangerously unsafe.
For some people, and age is NOT the right age.

[FLINTNFIRE]

Better to teach them from a young age then to not teach them yourself or something happen and them not be able to use one in defense of you or themselves , seriously kids can learn early , yes some never have the maturity or trust worthiness to have one , my kids were taught to respect them and how to use them and to keep fingers away from triggers and barrel pointed away , but if something happens I for one want my children to know how to use one in defense and self protection , seen adults who were never taught good common sense and firearm safety and they are dangerous , big ego little knowledge careless , those are things that worry me.

[M-Tecs]

On my moms the side extended family would get together for a communal butchering in the spring and fall. In the spring we would do 3 or 4 hogs and in the fall 1 or 2 steers and 2 or 3 hogs. Starting at age 7 I was the designated shooter. Nothing like dropping a 350 hog or a 800 or 900 pound steer with a 22LR to drive home the point that 22's weren't toys.

One of my uncles was legally blind. In ND 12 year olds could get permits to drive for farming actives. He had to be with them but they all drove loaded grain and cattle trucks on the highway at age 12. They matured because they had to.

On a side note you can get a learners permit at 14 and a restricted license at 15in ND. https://www.drivinglaws.org/resources/north-dakota-teen-driving.html.

One more side note most farmers own their own tractor trailer rigs their 15 year old kids can legally drive tractor trailer rigs without a CDL. I know at least a dozen folks that were driving tractor trailer rigs at 15.

I took my drivers test on my 15th birthday and the day after I started working PT at the gas station. It was the only one open on the weekend (very small town). On Sundays I would be the only one there. If you had a wrecker call you hung a note on the door with the estimated time you would be back. That was before we had much for fire and rescue so the wrecker was called to help with the accident scene. In a small community you knew almost everyone so the people that were dead, dying or severely injury were people you knew. The only one that really got to me was on a nice sunny Sunday afternoon I was looking forward to going on a first date going to the movies at 7pm. About 5 minutes before closing time at 4 pm got a call of an overturned piece of equipment with someone pinned underneath. Turns out it was her dad. He was crushed from the bellybutton down. He gave me his last message for his wife and daughter. He bleed out in 30 seconds or less when the weight came off.

Kids shouldn't have to deal with stuff like that but on the other hand something is seriously wrong when you look at how many of today's snowsflakes have the inability to deal with even the most minor challenges or adversities. How did we go from the great generation to the failed generation?

[dverna]

No lecture....and my experience is mine so not relevant to you.

If you had to ask, you must have doubts. Think about that for a bit.

One size does not fit all. Some kids should not be trained until later than others. You and your wife know best. If in doubt, wait a bit.

Good luck

[Stephen Cohen]

No lecture....and my experience is mine so not relevant to you.

If you had to ask, you must have doubts. Think about that for a bit.

One size does not fit all. Some kids should not be trained until later than others. You and your wife know best. If in doubt, wait a bit.

Good luck

Well put Sir. Line two is a good point and I never picked up on that till you pointed it out. Regards Stephen

[white eagle]

when is to young
probably when they stop thinking of an Ar as a play toy
when they no longer want to play with the Ar it's time to go tho the range

[FISH4BUGS]

My son and daughter were introduced to guns at about age 9 or 10.
We started with 22's. My daughter was a crack shot right out of the chute.
Both had fired suppressed full auto guns by the time they were 11.
Both have enormous respect for guns and the safety needed when using them.
I think it all depends on the maturity level and how much you trust them.

[popper]

But I cannot keep them from wanting to play with this AR Guns are not toys!! Until they realize that, keep it locked up. Kids are curious and some end up dead or wounded. Do you 'play' with it? They will copy YOU. When old/big enough they will try your steering wheel too.

[PNW_Steve]

I started actively shooting under dads supervision at 4 or 5. By 8 I could take my 22 rifle or Dad's High Standard HD-Military anytime I wanted. By 10 I had my own snowmobile, 225 Winchester rifle that I actively hunted fox and coyotes with the . Dad purchased the sled so I could check the horse pasture after the snow got too deep preventing him from driving the pickup to check on the horses. It was about a 4 mile one way run to the horses. Even a minus 20 I made that run everyday in the winter. When I grew up boys in rural areas were expected to mature earlier. Today not so much.

Sounds very much like my early years.

I don't remember how old I was when I first started shooting with my Dad. I do remember getting my first rifle of my own. I was seven and incredibly proud to put my new. .22 in the display case next to my Dad's rifles.

[Dapaki]

All of my children shot a single shot bolt action 22 when they were four years old but they were never allowed to play with any weapon, ever! By the time they were around 10, they were allowed to shoot larger calibers and by the time they were 13 they got to see what bullets dead in real life to animals. My children are all grown adults with their own families and continue does tradition, the granddaughter who is 6 will shoot her first 22 this summer.

[facetious]

What were the things that influenced you when you were a kid? John Wayne movies, westerens , friends, family look at how much has change from when you were a kid. Insted a fight behind the school you have a drive by or some kind of shooting. It seems like every thing thy know about guns and shooting thy learn from TV and the movies were you can solve problems by just shooting them and walking away. No one gets cought no one has to live with the things thy do. As a kid you knew what was going on at your school in your town and neighborhood. Now with the internet thy know what is going on in every school every town , it has created a place were we are abale to to divide our selves in to groups of us and them. Thy can see what others like them are doing. The anonymity of the internet lets them say or do thing thy would never have in real life. It is a chance to be some one you never were and may well never be but some kid some where will look at some of this stuff and wonder if it worked for them maybe it will work for them too. We make heros out people who arn't and some where some one wants to be just like them.

It isn't just you raising your kid any more it is the whole bleeping world and thy don't care about your kid. What thy care about is profit that can be made and agendas that can be pushed and thy want your kid to be a tool thy can use. This is what you are up against, you can have the best kid in the world and do the best you can raising them but you still have to overcome evey one else and every thing else that wants them to be just like them.

[DukeConnors]

It's up to the individual kid. It isn't angel it is an ability to follow direction.

[M-Tecs]

It's up to the individual kid. It isn't angel it is an ability to follow direction.

Yup. All people and all kids are different. The one common denominator that I see with the kids and adults that lack maturity is that they never were taught or they had an inability to learn the value of respecting other people and other people needs or wants. It really manifest itself in their lack of respect of consequence for their own bad behavior.

[Kev18]

Im 22 years old... I can tell you that its never to young. Don't hide it and act like the rifle isnt there. Let them get familiar with it. Its better to show them what it is then to try to restrict them. They are kids, they will find a way to go see it and touch it. Trust me, I was there not to long ago. If you think its safe, in a vault, its not. I figured out what I had too to get to my dad's guns, and went to go see them plenty times when my parents were out of sight.
And don't forget, you have boys. We like guns, guns are cool, guns are fun. They think the same way because we adults do. Everyone here saying, that they can't play with them because they aren't "toys". True... How many times do people talk to there buddy or whoever, and mention the "new toy" they just bought while the kids are listening. For a child, a toy is a toy. Don't tell him that its not a toy when you just got off the phone with Jerry the neighbor saying that you just bought a new toy. They can't comprehend metaphors and sarcasm.

[dangitgriff]

I took my two boys at ages 9 & 8 and showed them what a gun (1894C .357 magnum 158 gr. XTP HP) can do to a watermelon.
They got the point.
The youngest likes shooting, the oldest not as much. They’re teenagers now, and gun-smart. The youngest wants to get after some squirrels bad but I just have no place close to home to hunt. I do take him to the range once in a while, though.

[perotter]

My dad wasn't really a gun guy. But when I was 8 I got a .22 and was allowed to take it sparrow or pigeon hunting by my self. My youngest brother start taking either that .22 or my .410 out whenever he wanted when he was 4 years old. When he was 5 he was taking a 12 gauge(he was a big boy). The same deal with my nephews.

On the other hand for the ex-step son I got a gun for him when he was 14 with a gift card I was given. Before giving it to him I decide he wasn't ready for one so didn't even mention it to him. Ten years later, he still isn't and may never be.

Different individuals, different decisions.

[perotter]

.....

And don't forget, you have boys. We like guns, guns are cool, guns are fun. They think the same way because we adults do. Everyone here saying, that they can't play with them because they aren't "toys". True... How many times do people talk to there buddy or whoever, and mention the "new toy" they just bought while the kids are listening. For a child, a toy is a toy. Don't tell him that its not a toy when you just got off the phone with Jerry the neighbor saying that you just bought a new toy. They can't comprehend metaphors and sarcasm.

Yup. I never call nor consider a gun, bow & arrow, motorcycle, ATV, power tool, riding lawnmower, etc a toy.

[M-Tecs]

Yup 14 is too young to handle firearms...........................

https://www.warhistoryonline.com/world-war-ii/joined-marine-corps-14.html?fbclid=IwAR2CWlXDqO7S6Zo18tvBsKZZEUbPuoX6P Emgsz6JOfoRXRgAw5lNfbzLl-g

Joined the Marine Corps at 14, Medal of Honor by 17

[fcvan]

I just got done building a higher end 6.5 grendel AR, and I have 4 year old twin boys who know proper gun safety. But I cannot keep them from wanting to play with this AR. So how young is too young to let them go to the range?

258556

My oldest daughter was in diapers when she first went out 'shooting.' It was a BP pistol I had made from a kit. Well, she loaded her diaper the first shot. When she was 2 1/2, I took her out shooting, she wanted to go, and I told her 'anti gun' mom it would be educational. We got home, and mom asked what she had learned. Word for word, she described everything she learned about safety, backstops, etc.

My girls all learned to shoot, how to reload, and their husbands all like shooting as well. are they as 'hooked' as Dad? no, but they don't think I'm a gun nut. My first wife was such an anti-gun nut until she wanted a pistol for self protection. Funny how anti-gun nuts change when they feel threatened. My present wife of many years thinks the gun safes are too small.

[fcvan]

I started teaching my oldest daughter (4) this past christmas with a red ryder bb gun. Shes not big enough yet to shoulder it properly but it sure is a lot closer than my marlin 60 or henry golden boy youth.
Teaching her the destructive capabilities of guns by using water balloons (and pumpkins) as our targets.

I got a shotgun before I got a Red Ryder BB gun. One was a tool, one was a toy. I started shooting with Dad's Ithaca before I got my first 870. As my dad taught me, I taught my girls. Guns are tools, not toys.

[Mr_Sheesh]

Kids definitely should not go shooting before being born, that's my rule :kidding:

I was case forming and handloading our .243 super accurate ammo for Rock Chucking before age 10; Not every kid's up to that, but some ARE. And for darn sure I was shooting more accurately offhand back then than I can now, I suspect. Emotional stability and some empathy are good here, you don't want a 10 year sociopath or psychopath shooting unsupervised, let's just say that...

[Scrounge]

I just got done building a higher end 6.5 grendel AR, and I have 4 year old twin boys who know proper gun safety. But I cannot keep them from wanting to play with this AR. So how young is too young to let them go to the range?

258556

I fired my first handgun at age 4. About 60 years ago. SAA Colt in .45 long. Knocked me on my butt, and taught me respect for firearms at the same time. Dad was a bit of hard case, and made sure all of us knew firearms weren't really toys. There were guns all over the house, but we knew very well not to "play" with them. It was another 11 or 12 years before we got to go out with firearms by ourselves. Step-father #2 wasn't quite so careful about BB guns though. We did know not to shoot them directly at one another, but were pretty good about putting a ricochet where we wanted one sometimes. Proper adult supervision will be the key to making sure your kids learn gun safety to the point that it's as near instinctive as learned behavior can be. You're probably going to be busy for about the next dozen years. Might look for an NRA gun safety class for them. I'm not totally happy with the NRA, and haven't been since about 1968, but that is one thing they do well.