whats a good age to start shooting?

[david1]

now that it is getting warmer out I want to know what is a good age to start teaching and letting my son shoot? Also, what should I start him out with? BB gun or 20 gauge or 22? any suggestions?

[knight0334]

been asked several times..


Only you, the parent, can be the judge of that.

[rey]

I started my son out when he was five with a 22 rifle. By the time he was seven he had a single action Ruger 357. I started my grandsons out when they were six and seven. The oldest doesn't really like guns a lot, even though he still likes to go shooting. The younger of the two loves to hunt, shoot, and every gun I've given him is treasured. He's also one of the best shots I've seen.

[son of the revolution]

been asked several times..


Only you, the parent, can be the judge of that.

what he said .

But , my youngest daughter started just sitting on my lap and getting familiar with gun safety at 4 ( last summer ) , she then fired my Ruger 10/22 a couple times . I was in complete control , she just manipulated the trigger to get acclimated to the sound and movement . We just ordered her a Cricket single shot bolt action .22 in Pink for her 5th Birthday , which comes Aug 28 2009 .

[Brick]

Age isn't important. The child's ability to understand and accept responsibilty is, as is the child's willingness to accept training and discipline. If the child (boy or girl doesn't matter) is willing, they're old enough. If they aren't willing, they might never be old enough.

[Whiskey Delta]

Age isn't important. The child's ability to understand and accept responsibilty is, as is the child's willingness to accept training and discipline. If the child (boy or girl doesn't matter) is willing, they're old enough. If they aren't willing, they might never be old enough.

You beat me to it, exactly.

Maturity and responsibility are the key factors, not the numeric age.

I furthermore reinforce the standards of safety by telling my sons that any action that is not within the parameters of safety (Muzzle discipline, for instance) will get them an immediate and irrevocable dismissal from the shooting line, and he/they will be an instant observer, and remain so until the rest of us are done shooting.

It is good for children to be put in situations where their actions are not negotiable, since most things (like bed time) can be negotiated based on the what day of the week it is.

[LittleRedToyota]

my dad taught me sometime around the age of 8, i think.

by my teens, i had my own guns which i kept in my own bedroom.

and, because my dad had started teaching me about guns early, i knew exactly what i should and should not do with them and why.

i think it was a good approach. at least for me.

oh...he started me out with a .22. not too long after that, i got to shoot his winchester 94 .30-30 which i was thrilled about since i liked cowboy movies.

there was some 20 gauge shotgun thrown in there as well.

ironically, i never shot a BB or pellet gun until after i had already shot many "real" guns.

[S&W 10mm]

I got to shoot around 4 or 5 with my dad, he bought me a savage over under .22 and 20 gauge. Around 7 or 8 is when he let me start to pick up some guns and he started teaching me about them. 11 or so is when I started deer hunting and he bought me a .243 which I kept in my room unloaded but he even let me keep the bullets in my room. I thought that was the coolest thing and I kept them hidden like my dad did alot of our ammo. Amazingly I never remember loading my gun up or anything like that. After he saw how well I reacted I got a .22 pistol around 13. By 14 he allowed me access to the safe and gave me the resposibility to clean all the guns when they looked like they needed them (which was practically every other week ) Around that time I was able to do the basic field stripping of guns and that was enough for me. Then around 15 I had free access to everything and was able to go shooting by myself at our property. I wasnt the most resposible kid around and I definately made some bad decisions but I never blew anything up, and never had a ND. Overall im so glad my dad brought me up the way that he did.

[Ronnies111]

now that it is getting warmer out I want to know what is a good age to start teaching and letting my son shoot? Also, what should I start him out with? BB gun or 20 gauge or 22? any suggestions?

Knight is correct because of different kids are more grown
mentally than some others.

The only thing to add as to (when When your kid
can completely understand how important firearm
safety is & realize without following it can cause his & anyone
near or far to die from his neglect of following protocol.

PS: I was 5 but I'm 52 which means the world
was a whole lot different & safer.

[Thrust]

I'm pretty sure my dad exposed me to guns around age 3. I can't recall if I actually shot one at that age, but if not it was shortly thereafter. There's NO need to not introduce children into the shooting/guns at an early age. IMO, the quicker you are able to socialize them and illustrate the safety and potential danger of firearms, the quicker they develop a sense of responsibility that finds its way into other aspects of their lives.