What age did you start your child in firearms?

[reddiesel]

I have a couple small childern coming up. I starting thinking about starting my oldest using a firearm. I was wanting to know what age and with what (caliber/air gun/bb gun?)did you start your children using firearms?

 

[Colarmel]

Don't have children, but my grandparents bought my brother and I BB guns before I can even remember. So sometime before I was 6. We learned basic gun safety on those and they treated them like they were lethal weapons in how they enforced those basic gun safety rules. I.E. we got spanked like we'd almost killed someone if we dared level those things at something we weren't allowed to shoot.

 

[nascarfantoo]

31 ... I got away from shooting sports for quite a few years and my daughters were not exposed to guns at all ... until couple months ago when my son-in-law and I were able to get my oldest daughter to shoot both a 22LR and 9mm pistols.

Hindsight ... start young. I received a BB gun at 6-7 yrs old. Shotgun at 11 or 12.

 

[HavokCycle]

think i had a crossman sping air pistol at like, maybe 9, the one that shoots darts.
first real gun was at 13, got a NEF single 12ga for christmas. my dad wasn't really into guns, despite serving, until recently. brother was tho.

 

[theblackhat]

I started at 8 with a .22 short that by grandfather actually made. Got my first shotgun at 15; 20 gauge Mossberg with interchangable barrels.
I plan on starting my son with airsoft or BB when he turns 7 this summer. Then maybe next year he can try the .22 I've inherited from my father.

 

[andski3]

I started at 5.5-6 yrs with air soft, for discipline and familiarization.
Then once that was good, at about 6.5 we moved to BB for technique.
At about 8 we moved onto a .22lr in the flavor of a MP 15-22.

She loves it and because of the progression she was immediately hitting 2" groups at 50 yards. Next up is pistols and when she is a little bigger we will get into the AR's.

 

[the1kidd03]

Age is really arbitrary. It's never too early to start working on safety and satisfying their curiosity about them. Within reach of you let them handle a firearm of yours that is UNLOADED, etc. Point out to them what they do wrong when they make a mistake or violate a safety rule, etc.

As they reach levels of maturity and size capable of safely handling those firearms, start working them into handling firearms of proper size such as 22s.

Most of teaching children is about teaching them to respect the firearm and safety. Age has really LITTLE to do with it. My nephew knew and practiced more about gun safety at the age of 2 than most adults I see at public ranges. Age means nothing.

 

[VN Vet]

At twelve years of age, I took my nephews to the farm and we shot into an earthen dam with a Ruger Mark 2.

 

[dugsagun]

i was 8 when my grandpa and dad took me shootin with a 22. Now at 8 i was the same size as my ma, heh. I recently took my nephew shooting for the first time with his grandpa. He is 9 and loved it. It was also the first time he drove the atv by himself and loved that too. It was pretty cool to see a kid who practically lives indoors on video games be enjoying the outdoors so much.

 

[cmamath13]

I started my son last week. He's 13. He mainly shot 22 long rifles and 22 pistol. He liked the pistol best.

 

[SSGSAD]

I can't remember, when I bought my kids, bb guns. But by the time my son was 5, he and I were shooting my handguns, with my hand wrapped around theirs.
I always talked to them, about safety, and that guns, were not toys.
Whenever I brought a "new" gun home, I had the kids, come into the room, and let them touch handle feel whatever, and then put it away. I told them anytime they wanted to see them, all they had to do was ask..... Never any issues at all .....

 

[terrythegamer]

I let my son shoot a 32 revolver at 3 because he was so fascinated it scared the crap out of him and never mentioned it again he is now 9 and i shoot with him every chance i get my 6 yr old daughter likes to shoot but only the 22 lr and sometimes the 9 and my 5yr old step son shoots them as well my 6 month old is always staring at my guns so ill probably take her out when she is around 3 or 4 always teaching them gun safety and not to touch a gun unless Daddy says too so to me i say whenever your comfortable taking them out

 

[sartwell]

He was shooting a BB gun at 10 and a Saiga 12 and AR at 13.

 

[Titanium_Frost]

I started my kids before they were born. Colt and Remington went to the range when in the womb.

Colt has his first rifle but hasn't shot it yet but I think I will let him this summer after his birthday.

 

[jeepfreek]

My son was 7 when I started him with a 10/22 at the range. Watching like a hawk all the time and guiding him through the safety procedures. He did quite well. I myself started with a 410/22 over under at about 9 or so.

 

[wcd]

I have a couple small childern coming up. I starting thinking about starting my oldest using a firearm. I was wanting to know what age and with what (caliber/air gun/bb gun?)did you start your children using firearms?

Started him about at four and a half to five years old. We started young and have not regretted it. When he had his first nerf gun we were using it to teach him gun safety and all the rules of responsible gun ownership. He is 9 now and has his own 10/22 that resides in the safe when we are not shooting together. Some will say its best to start out with air rifle but you need to do what is best for you and your family. And as long has you teach them the rules of safe hanlding you cant go wrong

 

[Hemingway]

4 or 5 red ryder

6 years old .22 rifle and handgun

7 AR and .410


Jim Cirillo taught me a lesson that really turned out to be valuable. I learned it years before I was even married, much less had kids.

It was always his policy to allow his children to see his guns whenever they wanted. He made a hard and fast rule that they could see them but they had to ask him and he had to provide them to them to look at. So, he would clear them, show them to the kids, show them how to verify they were safe, etc.

I did the same thing with my kids from the time they were old enough to talk and be interested in them. Not only did this take away all mystery from them, it helps eliminate any desire for them to sneak around and try to get a gun sometime when they aren't supposed to. It also helps them to handle a gun safely.

It's sort of a pain in the beginning because they go through phases where they want to see it all the time. But, then it becomes like any other tool and they don't treat it as some sort of mysterious, forbidden toy.

I would never, ever do this, but I'm confident if I left my gun on the table, the kids would not pick it up--they'd come tell me that I left it there.

Anyway, that's advice I was given and it has turned out to be very good advice in my opinion.

 

[88GT]

Older started at 5 with an AR .22 conversion. Younger brother was 3 first time he pulled the trigger (on older son's fourth or fifth trip to range--which is papaw's field).

 

[dbiernesser]

My grandfather passed down his 22 LR to me when I was 12. It was perfect for me to get comfortable shooting, and 22 is affordable too.

 

[churchmouse]

I first shot at 12. My kids (now grown) started around the same age with .22 pellet rifle. Son still has it. On to .22 LR and up from there through .380 pistol. Now they are both sporting big bore EDC.
Grand daughter is 6 and we were in the yard today with that same .22 air rifle and she did OK. After this she will get to use the Cricket I got her for her 4th Christmas.