How young is too young?

[unlimitedrubicon]

I am looking to take a couple of friends for their first trip to a range because they are interested in firearms. They are interested in bringing their two year old son with them, if they can watch him and he can keep on eye and ear protection would that be OK, or is he too young?

Thank you.

 

[j4jenk]

My would be to take at least one of them to the range without the child and let them make up their own mind from an informed position.

My other is that they will enjoy it a lot more if they aren't constantly worried about junior.

We're up to $.06 now, but I would not let a toddler anywhere near a range unless he was being held at all times.

 

[miguel]

Too young unless it is your/their property and he's in a stroller.

 

[mike8170]

Why are some dogs gun-shy? Exposure is not a bad thing, as long as it is repetetive and safe. My daughters have never known not having a firearm close by.

 

[squidvt]

I am looking to take a couple of friends for their first trip to a range because they are interested in firearms. They are interested in bringing their two year old son with them, if they can watch him and he can keep on eye and ear protection would that be OK, or is he too young?

Thank you.

Their son may not be to young depending on his maturity (I HIGHLY doubt that). [bold]THEY[/bold] are to young to take their son to the range with them. They really have no idea what to expect. Think they can handle young child, and weapons safely at the range. WOW!

 

[JimmyR]

My would be to take at least one of them to the range without the child and let them make up their own mind from an informed position.

My other is that they will enjoy it a lot more if they aren't constantly worried about junior.

We're up to $.06 now, but I would not let a toddler anywhere near a range unless he was being held at all times.

Too young unless it is your/their property and he's in a stroller.

Their son may not be to young depending on his maturity (I HIGHLY doubt that). [bold]THEY[/bold] are to young to take their son to the range with them. They really have no idea what to expect. Think they can handle young child, and weapons safely at the range. WOW!

yeah, I think these guys kinda hit it on the head. To me, when I am on the range, I am focused on my weapon and target the entire time, or watching my fiance while she shoots. Having a child around would further distract me from both of those tasks. I see no real benefit to having the child there, since most toddlers will not retain memories at that age, and see plenty of room for trouble, distraction, or accident. Leave the kid at home with a babysitter/one of the parents.

 

[Mackey]

Too young. The kid could bolt away from the family, he could remove hearing protection, but mostly, when he gets bored he could be a royal pain in the ass.

 

[indyjoe]

I would also worry about good fitting and adequate sound protection for the little ones. Most of the child sized muffs I've seen are still too large for a 2 year old.

 

[mbaza3]

Too young. The kid could bolt away from the family, he could remove hearing protection, but mostly, when he gets bored he could be a royal pain in the ass.

I have a 19 month old and totally agree with the above.

 

[Double T]

My wife kept our boys in the van at Roush with the ac on not too long ago when I was out shooting. They were safe as far as hearing goes.

I would recommend taking one at a time unless the kids can stay in a vehicle with the ac on and an adult explaining what the "booms/cracks" are.

 

[actaeon277]

I would say if it's your friends first trip, leave the kid behind. Too much to concentrate on.
If they've been there before, then someone can take turns with the kids.

 

[sepe]

I have a 19 month old and totally agree with the above.

I know kids and I agreed with him about kids being a pain in the ass.

 

[chuddly]

way to young....everyone would be focused on the kid and what he was doing and not on safety or what they needed to be doing. I have 2 kids and while they are exposed to firearms all the time i didnt let them shoot or being around me shooting until they understood what a gun can do and they could understand how to act/control them selves in situations where running around like a screaming child is just plain not going to cut it.

 

[the1kidd03]

Age is just a number, however if it is his father's first time as well then perhaps he should leave him at home until the father understands what he's doing. Copied below is my suggestion to another site member in another thread, but the bulk of it still applies.

"Appleseed is a good start from what I hear.

A good place for YOU to start as the father is talking to him about guns in general. You only have to go into as much detail as you feel comfortable with depending on your preferences and child. Talks about guns, their use, responsibility, and safety. Especially since he is starting to get into school at that age and being around other kids and around teachers. He is likely going to come across a lot of biased "anti" information/lies. If you wish for him to be informed PROPERLY on the subject and make responsible choices for himself, then there is really no better time to start than now.

It's entirely up to you how you wish to approach it, but I would recommend going THOROUGHLY over the safety rules of firearms. Don't just mindlessly rattle them off to him, but actually tell them to him and discuss them each in detail. This could take more than a single conversation for him to understand it.

Once he seems to understand it, then it would be a good idea to allow him to handle the gun that you intend to teach him with. Basically so that you can observe and identify that he knows how to handle them safely and you can correct his actions in the comfort of your home. Without that handling time prior to being on a live fire range, it tends to build a level of nervousness that makes people (especially kids) rush and that's when mistakes are made.

On a public range you might have range safety officers and other people around and they may or may not be so friendly if the child makes a mistake. Even if they are friendly, unknown people talking to kids generally just makes them more nervous and uncomfortable. Their first time actually handling a firearm and shooting will be "stressfull" enough for them, so you really don't want to add to that. Also, having others around poses a lot of other issues into the situation. Other people around tends to make them even more nervous and if this is their first time with a gun then it's just increasing the likelihood of mistakes. Also, it tends to make the parents a little more "edgy" with the child because they are concerned with making sure the child is being safe. It also makes the parents more edgy because generally being around others gives them this subcounscious ideaology that they want their kid to get up there and be a world class sniper their first time out so they can play the "proud parent" role and say "that's my boy." Realistically, this is not going to happen and ESPECIALLY if you haven't worked with them one on one BEFORE going to the range. It's important to remember to remove any possible added stress and leave the ego at home. Otherwise you may not make for a friendly first firearms experience that they will enjoy and might go away without a desire to continue, but not for the appropriate reasons.

The best thing(s) you can do is start educating him NOW. Cover safety extensively and make sure he knows the proper use(s) of firearms. Then, WITHOUT ANY LIVE AMMUNITION make sure he knows how to handle a firearm safely. Show him how it operates, how to carry it, its safety, etc, etc. Once he seems to be solid in these areas you could buy some dummy rounds and practice loading it and continue to ensure he handles it safely. Once he seems comfortable and you are as well, take him to shoot for the first time. It would be a VERY GOOD idea to do this with just your family as NOT to introduce any other stress or nervousness which can come easily to kids around adults they don't know.


This has simply been my based on my experience, training, etc. Take it for what you will as YOU are the parent and only YOU can determine what's best for your child. I've seen a lot of people bring kids to the range for their first experience with a gun and they are already nervous. An impatient parent and being surrounded by a bunch of unfamiliar people generally only make it worse. At the age of TWO my nephew knew the 4 safety rules and by age THREE could actually recite them. He was permitted to handle unloaded and SAFE firearms under his dad's direct supervision for a while and got to go out to shoot for his first time at age FOUR. Even at a little over FOUR years old, this kid knows more about safety, handling, and shooting than I've seen out of a lot of adults. Good luck and have fun."

As you can see in the previous paragraph, age does NOT determine intellect or maturity. On the other hand it is up to the parents to teach responsibility and safety. If the parents are new to the shooting world, then it is probably a good idea that they not take their kid for their first time out. They don't want to be learning and in that process set a bad example for their little one.

 

[churchmouse]

I think a buddy is fine but not 2 buddy's (with no knowledge of the range and firearms) and a toddler. To much for a first trip. JMHO

 

[Tydeeh22]

introduced to firearms at 3. get acquainted with them. see them all the time and grow less "nosey" about them, and at 5 years old youll have a more diligent firearm handling child. imo.

 

[CathyInBlue]

It they're too young to hold up their own head, they're too young to hold up a rifle. And when they are old enough to hold up a rifle, until they're old enough to be trusted with proper range safety procedures, they should be swaddled by an adult insuring and enforcing proper range safety procedures until they can be. I think 2 might fit into this second category.

And it goes without saying, if they do not have properly fitting eye and ear protection, they need to be kept out of the range/off the firing line, period.

 

[VikingWarlord]

I would also worry about good fitting and adequate sound protection for the little ones. Most of the child sized muffs I've seen are still too large for a 2 year old.

I'm not sure there really is adequate protection for someone that young. They have lots of sensitive parts that can be affected by bone conduction just as they can air conduction. If the kid is close enough, the vibrations could still damage something, as he doesn't have enough bone mass to absorb them.

I've learned a lot dating an audiologist.

 

[hoosierdoc]

So.... The guy can't find a babysitter but still wants to go shooting, eh?

 

[trapperDave]

2 is too young. ever see how quick a 2 yr old can get into things. blink your eye and jr is in front of the firing line.