Question Of The Month...(December 2015)

[carbinemike]

Howdy,
This is a monthly series of questions topic for everyone to join in on the discussion. Some of the questions may have a poll, and some will not. Don't be shy now, go ahead and post an answer.

Please discuss minors and guns. Some possible topics: home safety, when to start them shooting, when to buy a first gun, should any minor ever have access to guns/ammo when home alone, should a parent be criminally charged if a minor commits a crime with a gun and whatever else strikes your fancy.

 

[CaddmannQ]

Teach them to shoot at home folks. That's my honest opinion.
Unless you want them to learn about it on the street.
'Cause they're gonna learn, no matter what you do.

And kids learn by watching you. They'll copy what you do.
If you're doing it right, they will too.
If they learn from some street crook, there will be problems.

 

[ripjack13]

What's a good age though? I think it has to do more with their mentality, can they grasp the concept of danger and death or injury, as well as their ability to cope with crap life throws at em.
My wifes 18 yr old isn't coming near my stuff unless his rage fits disappear. But he wants one.
But I digress, a bb gun can still shoot yer eye out,. My grandson is 4, but he's big for his age and ridiculously smart. But he's still having trouble understanding about nature and not to just kill everything.
I'm trying to get him to value life first....yes even spiders. Vile beasts that they are, they still are nature and have a purpose...

 

[cmcdonald]

I think exposing kids to guns early on is important. They should not fear them. They are an inanimate tool after all. But as said above, teach them a healthy respect for the danger they can pose.

They'll learn this respect by watching YOU! If you are cavalier with firearms...they will be also. Teach them to shoot young too...as early as they can grasp the concept.

Should a minor have unfettered access to a gun...no sir. I don't think today's generation, save a very rare few might be able to handle that kind of responsibility.

Honestly, I couldn't have been trusted in my teen years with a firearm. And, I was a "good kid" not a trouble maker by any stretch. And, I had been exposed to guns and shooting my whole life in varied circumstances. I just wouldn't have had the will power to leave it alone. The fascination would have killed any good sense.

And finally...yes we parents bare the responsibility for our minor children. Any good parent will. Only losers and wimps blame the child or society or TV for their child's misdeeds. Step up and be a parent, not a buddy. Your kid has enough buddies...be a parent...what the kid really needs.

Edit: Great topic Mike! Thanks.

 

[MikeD]

Not sure if there is a good hard set age. Every kid is different so its kind of a parental call as to whether a child is mature enough.

We had guns in the house for as far back as i can remember. I do not recall ever accessing them or the ammo on my own...and I knew exactly where they were stored.

I was exposed to guns at an early age. When up north we would always go to the dump and shoot my grandfathers .22. When we were a little older we were bought BB/pellet guns and sent out on our own. Im sure my parents kept a watch over us for a while but by then we were already pretty well ingrained with gun safety. By 16 I had my own shotgun and by 18 my own deer rifle (the same one I had already been shoting for a few years).

I feel that because I had been exposed at a very early age I had little curiosity about guns. I knew how they worked, the destructive power they were capable of and how to handle them safely. I still remember the first time I shot my dads shotgun. The stock was too big so I tucked it under my arm while he braced it. We shot at a small piece of 2x4 probably not more than 10 yards away. It scared the bell out of me when it went off and I was amazed at the damage it did to the board. It was at that point I realized these were not something to 'play' with.

Many of the child related shootings are due to kids being curous and or trying to act like an adult by handlng guns without the proper training or respect for them. Too many kids do not k ow anything more about guns than what they see in tv shows, movies and games which is a far cry from reality.

 

[CaddmannQ]

. . . Many of the child related shootings are due to kids being curous and or trying to act like an adult by handlng guns without the proper training or respect for them. Too many kids do not k ow anything more about guns than what they see in tv shows, movies and games which is a far cry from reality.

Yes indeed sir.
Nobody I grew up with had this problem because they taught gun safety in school. Also I was raised on a dozen military bases, and every one of our parents could shoot, and almost every man owned his own gun.

Most of the bases where we lived were on the edge of wilderness or at least the edge of civilization. The folks that lived in those places commonly owned guns.

 

[CaddmannQ]

What's a good age though? . . ..

I was 10 or 11, which is the same age as most of my grandkids I'm teaching and it seems to be about right.

But exposure can begin at any age. My earliest childhood memory of my dad with guns was of him sitting at the kitchen table cutting up patches to clean his Winchester.

 

[Bobster]

My kids (13yo son, 14yo dot) did archery and BB guns with the Cub Scouts at camp when they were 6 and 7yo. The Scouts are inclusive of siblings in most events. They also shot BB pistol and pump rifle in the back yard and "mini" compound bow. All done safely, with permission and with eye protection. They have also done slingshots, basketball and volleyball since then. (sports are included because they require "aiming") Eddie Eagle was also done by me with them. (Stop! Don't Touch! Leave The Area! Tell An Adult!)

Around 8yo was their first trip to the range. The 3 NRA rules were taught and re-taught and they are quizzed before every trip. Gun and ammo function and malfunction have been gone over. I try to get to the range with them at least once a quarter. Sometimes both, sometimes one at time. They are safe and accurate shooters and can shoot just about any gun we have but prefer NOT to shoot the 12ga or 30-06... They have also done paintball since around 12yo.

They both know where the guns and locked ammo are. There ARE guns that are not locked up and they know where they are in case of emergency and how to load and fire them. But there is NO curiosity and they know to be discrete about our guns in front of their "non-gun" friends. They know that if they want to look at ANY gun, all they have to do is ask. I HAVE shown them pictures of gunshot wounds and wounded... And if I see a "teachable moment" on TV I will be sure to point it out and will dig out a gun or cartridge if it helps prove the point.

Both kids know to stick up for our values and will challenge anyone, especially a teacher, if they don't agree with them. I am not raising a couple sheeple here, I am raising citizen-patriots...

 

[carbinemike]

They both know where the guns and locked ammo are. There ARE guns that are not locked up and they know where they are in case of emergency and how to load and fire them. But there is NO curiosity and they know to be discrete about our guns in front of their "non-gun" friends. They know that if they want to look at ANY gun, all they have to do is ask. I HAVE shown them pictures of gunshot wounds and wounded... And if I see a "teachable moment" on TV I will be sure to point it out and will dig out a gun or cartridge if it helps prove the point.

Both kids know to stick up for our values and will challenge anyone, especially a teacher, if they don't agree with them. I am not raising a couple sheeple here, I am raising citizen-patriots...

Good points Bobster! We also use the discretion with outsiders including some family. We do the items you noted with the exception of the pictures. I will use that one. I should have thought of that one because I have been collecting articles and pictures of teenage car wrecks/deaths for the day the oldest gets a permit to drive.

 

[Pawpaw]

 

[aksavanaman]

My wife and I have been in a philosophical disagreement about when to let my oldest daughter (5) head out to the range with me. I bought her a Savage Rascal a year ago on sale, but haven't taken her with me yet. She is pretty small statured and still can't fully shoulder the rifle which certainly is an indicator I should wait a bit longer.

That said, she's around firearms ALL THE TIME... including my 2 year old. I go over nomenclature and rules every time they're (guns) out and she does get to handle the gun when I'm around. So even though she may not be quite there yet to actually come along and shoot I've started the fundamentals early in hopes that once she is physically and mentally there the rules and basics will be ingrained.

Looking far ahead into the future, I would like to think that my oldest will have had enough training and experience with firearms that I can trust her to use one in a defensive manner once she hits 14 or 15. That's the age where I could see her being left alone with her siblings while mom and dad head out. If the training and maturity are there, I would trust her with the responsibility.

Until then, my firearms are usually kept in a safe other than the HD weapon of choice that's within reach of me while I'm home (but not my kids at their current age). If

 

[Bobster]

NRA will send you free Eddie Eagle materials if you are a teacher, etc. LINK There are also free downloads. Jason Priestley (90210) used to narrate the video (I think).

AK, I think 6-7 years old is a good age. Start with the BB gun, slingshot, archery and maybe other sports.