How to teach a young'in

[blau iii]

So my 4yo has shown a natural curiosity to my guns. I've told him since he was old enough to comprehend that if he ever wants to see them/understand how they work to just ask. I will show him any time. I was working to eliminate the mystic of the gun.

I also have him pretty well trained that if he is at a friends house and his buddy pulls out "dad's gun" that he is to tell an adult.

He will be turning 5 this spring and I would like to get him to the range and shoot a pellet gun or .22. He is grasping the 4 rules but has not mastered them. Do you have any suggestions on how to ingrain this in his brain? Maybe a kids friendly cartoon to help them remember? anything?

Thanks!

[jaron3]

I'm sure this is a touchy subject and by no means am I an expert on the matter. That being said my Grandfather had me shooting at the age of 3 and has ingrained gun safety into my head forever. My kids are now 6 and 8 and a half. They both have wanted to shoot for the past couple years. This spring or summer will be the time for them to experience what real gun safety is all about. I'm going to train them on the same 22 that my Grandpap trained me on. This decision started about two years ago when my kids showed an interest in guns. From then on it was not about guns being something not to be touched, it was about muzzle control and safety. I preach, teach, show, and ask my kids about gun safety now. Emphasis on ask. Kids respond better when they think they are teaching you. They both know how to clear all my guns now even if they don't have the strength to rack the slide on some yet. Every time one of them ask to check out one or all of my guns I make it a point to drop what I'm doing and take them to the gun safe. Every single time is an opportunity to teach, reteach and test gun safety. No cartoons are needed in my opinion. One on one instruction is paramount. Every time interest is shown is a teaching and test session. My kids are dry firing now with safety being number one. My youngest even lifted the muzzle when I walked in front of it. He surprised me. Proud Daddy right here. I can't stress enough how much safety needs to be pounded into their little heads. Their minds are like sponges. They'll suck it up.

[internet troll]

As far as never pointing your gun at anyone, someone (not sure who) once posted an idea on here that I thought was pretty cool. The idea was to put a flashlight on the end of a toy rifle or broomstick. The object was for the kid to never sweep anyone with the beam from the light. If they did that meant they were point the rifle somewhere it should not be pointed. Easy way for them to see just how easy it is to lose focus and sweep things that should not be swept.

[Chuck S]

I think any age under 8 is too young but you understand your child better than outsiders. It's also my experience that boys generally push the limits and exceed them if they don't think they'll get caught while girls usually obey the rules. We rarely have safety concerns teaching women to shoot cartridge guns but men ...

I chose the good ole Daisy Red Rider lever action as my daughter's first gun. Sawed the stock to a shorter length to match her size (Daisy sells inexpensive replacements). We shot pop cans in the basement for a couple of years before moving outdoors to a pump action .22LR.

The Daisy is too difficult to cock for youngsters so prevents unauthorized "playing" with it. Training stressed safety (trigger and muzzle control) and sight alignment indoors and out. Same four rules as always. Daisy has had a safety for a generation too. A Taurus pump action, external hammer .22LR was next. Easy to load, cock and shoot. And the external hammer is an instant visual confirmation the rifle is cocked. Transition to a .22LR AR15 with an Aimpoint came next. Followed, of course, for the 5.56mm version in a couple of years -- I didn't push it at all, the while process took probably 6 or 7 years.

Airsoft offers much the same safety and sight alignment training and is safer than steel BBs in my opinion. There are gas powered airsoft M4 carbines that do 98% of things the same way as the real rifle and electrics that do only a bit less. Same trigger, same sights, etc.

-- Chuck

[QuackXP]

I think any age under 8 is too young but you understand your child better than outsiders. It's also my experience that boys generally push the limits and exceed them if they don't think they'll get caught while girls usually obey the rules. We rarely have safety concerns teaching women to shoot cartridge guns but men ...

I chose the good ole Daisy Red Rider lever action as my daughter's first gun. Sawed the stock to a shorter length to match her size (Daisy sells inexpensive replacements). We shot pop cans in the basement for a couple of years before moving outdoors to a pump action .22LR.

The Daisy is too difficult to cock for youngsters so prevents unauthorized "playing" with it. Training stressed safety (trigger and muzzle control) and sight alignment indoors and out. Same four rules as always. Daisy has had a safety for a generation too. A Taurus pump action, external hammer .22LR was next. Easy to load, cock and shoot. And the external hammer is an instant visual confirmation the rifle is cocked. Transition to a .22LR AR15 with an Aimpoint came next. Followed, of course, for the 5.56mm version in a couple of years -- I didn't push it at all, the while process took probably 6 or 7 years.

Airsoft offers much the same safety and sight alignment training and is safer than steel BBs in my opinion. There are gas powered airsoft M4 carbines that do 98% of things the same way as the real rifle and electrics that do only a bit less. Same trigger, same sights, etc.

-- Chuck

I've been teaching my 6 year old niece with a Daisy Buck and have a Red Rider to show her with and shoot myself. Aluminum cans at 5-7 yards in the back of the back yard near the tree line. I keep reinforcing the 4 rules causally. The nice thing with the lever BB gun is as long as everyone is wearing eye-wear the chance of any serious injury is very low if they make a mistake.

I let her carry the BB rifle to teach muzzle discipline and correct her if she comes close or makes a mistake. If she is ready in the summer we will start her on .22 but will need a range for that as the wooded area is not large enough for firearms, even .22. But I would rather it be at a range with a shooting rest and she will only take shots from the rest and not handle the firearm other than that until I am more comfortable.

FYI, Daisy Brand ANSI cert eye-wear are $4 on Amazon.

[Yoder]

My kids were both around 4 or 5 when they started shooting. It may sound brutal, but I showed my 5 yr old a deer I shot and showed him the hole in it and explained he wasn't going to get back up like on tv. He seen what the gun did first hand. At that age I don't think he completely comprehended but he got the idea guns are dangerous and shouldn't be pointed at people.

With young kids you are the safety not them. You control where the gun is pointed at all times and are completely responsible for safety. Under those conditions I don't see a problem with teaching a 4 yr old how to shoot. I would keep it simple, like a bb gun or .22. I taught mine on a single pump daisy bb gun shooting cans in the back yard. I picked up Ruger 10/22 later and they loved going to the range with that. I wanted my boys to have fun, but there was absolutely no screwing around or they got the wrath of dad. My youngest son started shooting IDPA when he was 13 and I always get compliments on how safe he is.

[aubie515]

Great topic OP.

IMO, it all boils down the to the parent or adult doing the training. I've seen plenty of adults that have poor habits when it comes to handling firearms. Just because someone owns a firearm doesn't mean they know anything on how to handle the tool.

I disagree with the person that said kids should be 8 YO and older. We all have opinions on the matter. IMO, it depends once again on the adult doing the training and the child. My daughter listens very well and she does not touch any of her firearms or mine unless I say it's alright to do so.

I don't feel that there is a certain age the child must be before they start learning how to fire a weapon. It all boils down the the child's comfort level. My daughter enjoys shooting and I'll be taking her out more with me once the weather breaks. My daughter just turned 5 and she's been shooting since last year.

[iamtommyboy]

I have two girls, ages 5 & 6. They have both shown great interest in what daddy is doing when he has his guns out, especially the younger one. I too believe that much of the problem with children and guns is curiosity. When you tell a child (hell, adults too) that they can't do something, that is the one thing they want to do. So, without hesitation, I have shown all of my guns to my girls and began to teach them how they work and all of the safety stuff that goes along with them. If they ask about them, I show them. I don't want them to be some mysterious things that are locked up and forbidden. This, in my opinion, is what leads many kids to "play" with guns when they find a way to get their hands on them.

Now, of course, at their ages, they don't always remember everything I have shown and taught them, but with a little bit of reminding, they do pretty well to figure it out. I wouldn't just hand them a gun and walk away, but I will let them handle them with me very close.

This year, they will be starting out with some Daisy BB/pellet pump guns. I have to cut the stocks down, but this will be their first. Probably next year, I will introduce a .22lr bolt. My wife is fully behind this strategy and allowing the girls to get into shooting, so that is helpful. They both want to go hunting, so they also got their first compound bows for christmas this year. Can't wait to get them going!

[Yellowfin]

The Savage Rascal rifle sure is a nice small size to work with them early.

[RockIsland]

+1 for the Red Rider. It's the safest way to teach safe handling skills. That's how my dad started me off. I graduated to the .22 when I was 5 or 6.

I did the same thing with my youngest. He didn't shoot a .22 till he was eight. Every kid is different. They shouldn't handle a real gun till they demonstrate proper safety and handling with an air rifle.

It's just about that time now with the grandkids.

Be safe and have fun with them.